7 EFL Championship transfers that shocked the entire league | OneFootball

FLW takes a look at seven of the most incredible transfers to have ever taken place in the Championship.

The Championship has been home to some of the greatest moments in the history of English football, and the division has helped create stars for the future, while also playing host to some of those bringing their careers to an end.

Each and every summer, clubs in the second tier look to up the ante and increase their spending as the dream of the Premier League infects all 24 clubs who are set to compete in the league and, with this, there have been plenty of bizarre, exciting and surprising arrivals.

With the 2025/26 Championship campaign entering its final weeks and months, Football League World has picked out seven players who shocked the entire division when they moved to a club competing in the league.

From legends of the game, to teams who managed to beat rivals in the Premier League to the signature of key aces, here are seven of the most shocking signings in EFL Championship history.

Wayne Rooney - DC United to Derby County

When rumours started to spread about Derby County signing Wayne Rooney started to spread ahead of their opening game of the 2019/20 campaign against Huddersfield Town, few Rams supporters could believe it. However, the very next day, the England and Manchester United legend was announced as the club's latest addition, and he would join up with the team in January 2020.

Leaving MLS side DC United for the East Midlands, Rooney was preparing for his first taste of Championship football. He had played 491 times in the Premier League, was the record goalscorer for Manchester United and had 120 caps for his country, yet he was willing to feature at Pride Park as his new side pushed for the play-offs.

While he would spend just under a year playing for Derby, he went on to spend over two years in charge as manager, and there is no denying that few expected the now 40-year-old to see out his career in England's second tier.

Edgar Davids - Free agent to Crystal Palace

Edgar Davids has made two rather extraordinary moves to the EFL in his career, and while his arrival at Barnet as player-manager in 2012 raised some eyebrows, it was nothing unfamiliar to the Dutch legend who had made the switch to the Championship two years prior with Crystal Palace.

The midfielder had played for some of Europe's biggest clubs in his career prior to moving to Selhurst Park, including the likes of Barcelona, AC and Inter Milan, and Juventus, but he looked for a new challenge in August 2010 as he joined the Eagles.

His contract with Ajax expired in June 2009, and while Leicester City withdrew an offer for him later that year, he eventually got his opportunity in the Championship. Nevertheless, he played just seven times for Palace on a pay-to-play deal and said on his departure (via: BBC Sport): "I want to thank all the people who supported me and gave me one of the greatest experiences of my life."

John Terry - Chelsea to Aston Villa

When John Terry left Chelsea in 2017, it looked as though one of England's greatest ever centre-backs was hanging up his boots and moving into the next stage of his career. However, just four days after his contract with the Blues came to an end, he signed for Aston Villa.

The Villans were embarking on their second campaign in the second tier, and with Terry turning down deals to continue in the Premier League due to not wanting to face his former side, he made his way to Villa Park. He played 36 games in all competitions, as his team made it to the play-off final.

However, Aston Villa missed out on promotion as they were beaten by Fulham at Wembley, and Terry brought his playing career to an end that summer after more than 750 games in club football - 492 of which came in the Premier League.

Taribo West - Al-Arabi to Plymouth Argyle

Taribo West is perhaps best known in England for his spell with Derby in the 2000/01 Premier League campaign, with the Nigerian centre-back playing a crucial role in keeping the Rams in the division while on loan from AC Milan.

Yet, in the summer of 2005, he joined Plymouth Argyle in the Championship. He had high hopes for his time in Devon, and said on his arrival (via: BBC Sport): "I like the ambition of the club and the heart of the coach. I am looking forward to my time here. I hope to play in the first team and help the club into the Premiership."

West played just five times for the Greens and his contract was terminated only three months after he put pen-to-paper on a one-year deal at Home Park. He later moved to Iran, but failed to start a single time for Paykan, and retired just two years after leaving Plymouth.

Ashley Cole - LA Galaxy to Derby County

When Frank Lampard was in charge of Derby in the 2018/19 Championship campaign, he made great use of his connections at Chelsea as he brought in Fikayo Tomori and Mason Mount on loan from his former club. But, they were not the only players at Pride Park with a Stamford Bridge connection that year.

Ashley Cole had spent three seasons in the MLS with LA Galaxy, but after his contract expired in late 2018, he reunited himself with his former Chelsea teammate, Lampard, in the East Midlands. Helping out at left-back due to Craig Forsyth's long-term injury, and he would make his debut against Hull City in February 2019.

Cole scored his first and only FA Cup goal for Derby against Brighton & Hove Albion in a fifth round defeat at the AMEX Stadium, before playing for one last time at Wembley in the play-off final, where his side were beaten by Aston Villa. This defeat denied him the opportunity of returning to the Premier League after 384 appearances in the division in his career.

Pontus Jansson - Leeds United to Brentford

Leeds United were beaten in the Championship play-off semi-final by Derby in 2019, a moment that left Pontus Jansson shocked and emotional as he tried to wrap his head around the game that had just unfolded in front of his eyes at Elland Road. It would prove to be his final act in a Whites shirt.

That summer, he left the West Yorkshire outfit to join Brentford, a side who were looking to improve after an underwhelming 2018/19 campaign in comparison to their high standards. It was a move that surprised many, with clubs in the Premier League looking to bring the Swedish defender away from Elland Road.

There had been disputes between Jansson and former Leeds boss Marcelo Bielsa, and these eventually led to his Elland Road exit, and he joined Brentford - a direct promotion rival. He eventually helped the Bees to the Premier League the following season.

Jay-Jay Okocha - Qatar SC to Hull City

So good they named him twice. Jay-Jay Okocha played a starring role during Bolton Wanderers' greatest days in the Premier League before joining Qatar SC. However, just a year later, he would find himself back in England with Hull City.

A legend for Nigeria, Okocha had played at the highest level for PSG and Frankfurt earlier in his career and his move to the Tigers after they narrowly avoided relegation to League One the year prior came as a great shock. Nonetheless, he played 18 times in the second tier as they won promotion to the Premier League through the play-offs.

His manager at the MKM Stadium was Phil Brown, Sam Allardyce's assistant at Bolton. It proved crucial in enticing the attacking midfielder to East Yorkshire, but injuries denied him the opportunity of playing more than he did. However, it was a move that shocked the Championship completely at the time.