10 worst EFL Championship signings of 2025/26 ranked | OneFootball

FLW have looked into the biggest transfer mishaps made in the second tier this season

The Championship's regular season has almost reached its conclusion, and there have been plenty of players throughout the division who have emerged with credit for their performances.

Some of those, of course, have earned even more praise for making an immediate impact on one of the league's 24 clubs and their subsequent position in the table, as a result of signing for a new club either in the summer or winter transfer windows.

In recent seasons, the EFL, and in particular, the Championship has become a hotbed for talent, with players across all areas of the pitch seeing their future careers better served as a result of gaining regular first-team minutes and exposure as a result of permanent or loan transfers.

Many of the current England squad also fall into said category, with the likes of Harry Kane, Jude Bellingham, Eberechi Eze and Marc Guehi just four key examples at this moment in time.

However, as well as sourcing several bargain or impressive buys in the market, it is fair to say that some clubs have made some major mishaps when it comes to adding fresh faces to their squad, and this season has been no exception.

With that in mind, Football League World have ranked the 10 worst signings made by clubs in the Championship across various points of the 2025/26 season.

10 ? ? Brandon Williams - Hull City

Kickstarting this list is Brandon Williams, who some thought could potentially resurrect his career after agreeing an initial one-year deal with Hull City on a free transfer in August.

The former Manchester United man had previously been a controversial figure at former clubs, but added further depth to Sergej Jakirovic's squad with the Tigers operating under a transfer fee restriction.

However, the 25-year-old failed to do exactly that, as his struggles for fitness continued in East Yorkshire, playing just five competitive minutes for Hull in a 3-0 defeat to Blackburn Rovers on August 23rd, whilst only making the substitutes bench five further times before his contract was mutually terminated on February 3rd.

9 ? ? Yang Min-hyeok - Coventry City

Next up is Tottenham Hotspur's South Korean attacking prospect, Yang Min-hyeok, who has endured two rather mixed spells in the Championship this term.

However, it is because of how frustrating the second of those, with league-leading Coventry City of all teams, has proven to be in the second half of the season after registering three goals and a further assist in 16 appearances for Portsmouth in the first half of the campaign.

The 19-year-old was one of just four winter additions made by Frank Lampard alongside Frank Onyeka and the attacking duo of Romain Esse and Jahnoah Markelo.

After making his debut in a 2-1 defeat to Norwich City on January 26th, Yang appeared twice more off the bench, but has been omitted from Lampard's squad ever since, making the entire agreement with the North London club seem rather pointless.

8 ? ? Isaac Olaofe - Charlton Athletic

In eighth spot is Charlton Athletic striker, Isaac 'Tanto' Olaofe, with Stockport County of League One also very much involved in his recent transfer scenarios.

After an impressive season in which he scored 12 times in all competitions as County fell short in last season's play-off semi-finals, the forward would eventually join the winners in the Addicks ahead of their first Championship campaign in five years.

Given his physical presence, it was expected he would slot into Nathan Jones' side rather seamlessly after a £1.5m agreement was struck, but that has proven to be far from the case.

Charlton have struggled for goals all season, and Olaofe is an embodiment of those fortunes, scoring just once and starting in six of his 22 appearances, before returning to Edgeley Park on loan for the remainder of the season, where he has also been unable to emulate his prior fortunes.

7 ? ? Kaly Sene - Middlesbrough

Middlesbrough have enjoyed a strong season under both Rob Edwards and Kim Hellberg, but it's fair to say that neither have been able to get the best out of summer signing, Kaly Sene, who joined from Swiss side, Lausanne, for £1.5m.

The 24-year-old isn't the only forward at the Riverside Stadium who has struggled for consistency, with David Strelec also falling into the same category for large parts of the season. However, he is yet to make it to the 10-start mark under both of the club's head coaches as well as his poor form in front of goal.

Ironically, his most potent goalscoring patch to-date for the North East club came when he netted against West Bromwich Albion and Southampton in back-to-back games in September despite starting neither, but that has been as good as it's got.

If Boro are to return to the top-flight next season, it may be no surprise to see them already cut their losses with the Senegalese.

6 ? ? Louie Barry - Sheffield United

Up next is Louie Barry, who, like the aforementioned Olaofe, is back at Stockport after a dismal first half of the season with Sheffield United.

The Aston Villa man was once a highly-coveted prospect for many Championship sides, and there was hope he could kick on under Ruben Selles at Bramall Lane after the Spaniard had previously loaned the forward at Hull City, where injury problems struck.

However, that, again, couldn't have been further from reality, as Barry featured just nine times for United, with the majority of those outings coming before Selles was sacked and replaced by Chris Wilder in September.

By early November, the 22-year-old was featuring for the Blades' Under-21s, and it was eventually confirmed on January 3rd that, amid a knee injury, he had returned to Villa Park before linking up with the Hatters once again, where he can still play some part between now and the end of the season.

5 ? ? Samuel Iling-Junior - West Bromwich Albion

At the halfway stage is another Villa loanee, this time, Samuel Iling-Junior, who failed to win over West Bromwich Albion supporters in a brief stint across the West Midlands.

After a previous spell with Middlesbrough at this level, the versatile figure gave Baggies fans a potential glimpse of what could have been with a stunning finish in his first start for the club against Leicester City on September 26th.

However, just like some others on this list, that proved to be the high point, with supporters at The Hawthorns growing increasingly frustrated with his performance levels as Albion slipped down the table under Ryan Mason before his January sacking.

Indeed, a toxic 3-0 defeat to Portsmouth within Eric Ramsay's dire tenure proved to be the last of the England Under-21 international's 24 games for West Brom, and he has since struggled to improve his fortunes in Serie A with Pisa.

4 ? ? Chuba Akpom - Ipswich Town

After being at the centre of a dramatic transfer saga between Ipswich Town and Birmingham City in August, Chuba Akpom's season at Portman Road couldn't have gone much worse from a personal point of view.

It has been well-documented that Town are rather stacked with Championship quality and experience, and the former Golden Boot winner only added to that in his move from Ajax, and the move could still be turned permanent for £7m if they are promoted back to the Premier League.

Even though Kieran McKenna's side have been one of the most entertaining sides to watch this season in terms of goals scored, the 30-year-old has only made a handful of starts and failed to score anywhere near the number of goals as many would have envisaged.

As such, it could still prove to be an even costlier mishap despite the joy which could be felt in Suffolk in the coming weeks.

3 ? ? Kasey McAteer - Ipswich Town

Another Tractor Boys man is taking up third place on this unwanted ranking too, with Republic of Ireland international winger, Kasey McAteer, also unable to justify the £12m fee paid to Leicester in the summer.

Even though Town and the Foxes may be two divisions apart at the start of next season, it is the relegation-threatened side who have been the winners of this agreement, as the 24-year-old has largely been unable to impact games in the same manner which the likes of Jack Clarke and Jaden Philogene have done in wide areas.

Ultimately, some outsiders may also not be surprised to see McAteer feature on this list, as there were plenty of eyebrows raised when his four-year deal was finalised in the first place, and it remains to be seen what the future holds for him at Portman Road, particularly if McKenna's men are to be promoted.

2 ? ? Damion Downs - Southampton FC

The second-largest transfer mishap in the Championship this season relates to another of last season's relegated trio in the form of Southampton's young striker, Damion Downs.

The USMNT international was signed for £7m from Bundesliga side, FC Koln, after helping them regain their German top-flight status, but he was unable to have any sort of initial impact as the South Coast side started the season in dismal fashion under Tonda Eckert's predecessor, Will Still.

In the midst of featuring 14 times for the club thus far and posting a solitary assist, FLW's Southampton fan pundit, Martin Sanders, stated that Downs was "probably one of the poorest strikers I've seen at Saints in a very long time," whilst also criticising the hierarchy for signing an inexperienced forward in a key position.

Back in January, Downs was loaned out to Hamburg SV and has, frustratingly, continued to be goal-shy despite a handful of starts as they look to consolidate their position in the Bundesliga.

1 ? ? Kyogo Furuhashi - Birmingham City

However, it may come as no surprise that topping this list is Birmingham City striker, Kyogo Furuhashi, who was part of a deal worth up to £10m in July.

The 23-time Japanese international is best known for his spell of 85 goals in just 165 games for Celtic, and there was hope that he could rekindle that goalscoring touch despite an underwhelming six-month stint in France with Stade Rennais.

Despite seeing an impressive strike against Ipswich on the opening night of the season ruled out, followed by his first goal coming in the EFL Cup against Sheffield United days later, Kyogo has missed several big chances for Blues whenever he has featured.

As such, transfer speculation about his future has already come to the fore, with it being reported in January that a hefty £40,000 per week wage put pay to a return to Parkhead under Martin O'Neill.

To then add further insult to a frustrating first year in the West Midlands, it was revealed in April that the 31-year-old would play no further part in Birmingham's season after undergoing surgery on a shoulder injury.