8 EFL Championship transfers you might have missed | OneFootball

Football League World looks at eight Championship transfers that have gone under the radar so far this summer

The summer transfer window is now in full swing throughout the EFL and beyond, with the rumour mill intensifying and an increasing number of sagas playing out behind the scenes ahead of the 2026/27 campaign's commencement next month.

There have already been a series of eye-catching deals made in the Championship this summer, and we're naturally only expecting that to amplify as the weeks toil on towards the latter stages of the window.

Ethan Galbraith's unprecedented move from Swansea City to Stoke for a sum reportedly in the £10 million region may just represent the second-tier's most significant - and shocking - transfer deal to date, whereas Wolves' double-signing of Kieran Trippier and Old Gold hero Raul Jimenez, Norwich City's raid of Andre Brooks from Sheffield United, Alfie Devine and Bobby Clark's respective big-money returns to Preston North End and Derby County and Southampton's deal for Lewis Dobbin have all been well-documented plays in the market.

However, what about the transfers that fly under the radar? With so many Championship outfits getting busier than ever in a bid to bolster their squads and no shortage of multi-million-pound sagas taking place, it's only natural that certain deals can tend to be more low-key and even be forgotten about entirely.

That's exactly why Football League World has decided to shine a light on the eight Championship transfers that may have escaped your memory already - and why they could turn out to be strong moves for the clubs involved.

8 ? ? Lisav Naif Eissat to Bristol City

Action Images

Bristol City have been among the busiest clubs in the division so far this summer following an inconsistent previous campaign in which the Robins flipped through two managers and failed to build upon their shock play-off charge in the 2024/25 term, and while moves for Sam Greenwood and Sam Tickle have sent tongues wagging alongside the impending arrival of Lorent Tolaj, there's one deal that has kept a low profile.

Lisav Naif Essat touched down at Ashton Gate earlier this month after Michael Skubala's side activated his reported €2.5 million (£2.1 million) release clause at Israeli top-flight side Maccabi Haifa, with the Romanian international defender putting pen to paper on a four-year contract.

Eissat came through the youth ranks with Maccabi Haifa and, after spending time on loan at Hapoel Hadera, made 35 appearances across all competitions for his boyhood club last time out as they finished fifth in Ligat hai'AI.

Though a central defender by trade, the 21-year-old can also operate at left-back and his flexibility will boost Skubala's backline heading into the new season.

Born in Israel to an Israeli father and a Romanian mother, Eissat represented them at youth level before deciding to commit to Romania, for whom he has earned four caps since debuting in October of last year.

Eissat's career is only just starting and he will face natural trials and tribulations in stepping up from domestic Israeli football to the Championship, but his age profile is promising and the Robins will have been sufficiently impressed in order to pull the trigger and meet his release clause - meaning his progression with City is certainly one to keep an eye on next season.

7 ? ? Kyliane Dong to Bolton Wanderers

Action Images

As for Kyliane Dong, the French winger has considerable shoes to fill at Bolton Wanderers but his arrival at the Toughsheet Community Stadium represents a thoroughly exciting one that has perhaps been overshadowed by a busy summer of activity under Steven Schumacher's watch.

The Trotters still have much work to do after ending a seven-year exile from the Championship by winning the League One play-offs despite already welcoming a host of signings, though one of the biggest challenges is replacing Amario Cozier-Duberry and they will hope to do exactly that with the signing of Dong.

His arrival hasn't gone under the radar among Bolton supporters by any stretch, many of whom are richly excited by the addition of a former France under-20 international with a solid body of work in Ligue 2 last time out.

Dong made a name for himself at Troyes by scoring four goals from 57 appearances before joining Bundesliga outfit Ausburg last summer and immediately heading back out on loan to French football's second-tier with Pau, where he found the back of the net on six occasions while providing three assists - though all but one of those strikes came in his the last five of his 29 league appearances.

The highly-rated winger will bring speed and trickery to Bolton's forward line, but it's the Cozier-Duberry X-Factor that Schumacher will really want to see.

Cozier-Duberry inspired Bolton's return to the Championship with nine goals and ten assists last time out in a memorable loan move from Brighton, and Schumacher has already spoken about how he hopes Dong can exert a similar level of impact to his predecessor - even if that will naturally be a rather tall order.

Nonetheless, the key point of difference now is that Bolton have an option to make Dong's stay a permanent one at the end of his loan spell next year, and if the Frenchman turns out to be half as good as Cozier-Duberry, his presence will not remain under the radar for too long.

6 ? ? Moussa Yeo to Swansea City

Action Images

Swansea City haven't undertaken mass work to date in this summer's window and the aforementioned sale of Galbraith has naturally dominated the headlines, perhaps serving to steal the spotlight over incomings in this corner of South Wales.

Vitor Matos will need to further bolster his squad if Swansea are to build upon a litany of mid-table finishes in recent campaigns, although the Jack Army can be excited by the addition of Moussa Yeo from RB Salzburg on a four-year deal earlier this month.

The 22-year-old heads to the Swansea.com Stadium with impressive pedigree, having scored nine goals from 70 appearances for RB Salzburg. It's there where he worked under Matos while the Portuguese boss was serving as assistant to Pep Ljinders in 2024, and with the Austrian outfit widely-regarded for having one of European football's most esteemed talent production lines, big things will be expected from the winger in 2026/27.

Yeo never quite established himself as a leading figure at the Red Bull Arena but he did manage to feature regularly across the last two seasons, with the 2024/25 term yielding six goals and four assists across all competitions, including ten appearances in the UEFA Champions league.

The gifted Malian wide-man featured on 33 occasions last time out and while he fell short of replicating his previous levels of output, he did notably find the back of the net in his side's 3-2 defeat to eventual Europa League champions Aston Villa in January.

Tipped to add a fresh injection of "creativity, energy and versatility" by Matos, Swansea have endured varying degrees of success when recruiting from overseas in recent years and will hope that Yeo can usurp the likes of Ji-Sung Eom, Zeidane Inoussa and Ronald Pereira, who have failed to kick on in Wales.

5 ? ? Rafiki Said to Wolves

Action Images

Wolves have attacked the summer window with an emphasis on quality over quantity after returning to the Championship for the first time since winning the 2017/18 title under Nuno Espirito Santo, and it's the aforementioned arrivals of Trippier and fan favourite Jimenez that have been the talk of the town at Molineux.

That's not without good reason, of course, with Tripper having enjoyed an outstanding career at the highest level with Tottenham Hotspur, Atleitco Madrid and Newcastle United while earning 54 caps for England. Jimenez requires absolutely no introduction, and though the 35-year-old may not be quite the same player who lit up this side of the Black Country during his first two seasons at Wolves, his performances for Mexico at this summer's World Cup show that his goalscoring pedigree remains intact and the pair could have a sensational impact in the Championship next term.

The same could be true for Rafiki Said, whose move to Cesar Peixoto's side naturally hasn't generated an equal level of traction but still represents an exciting move for Wolves and a sure-fire reminder of their intentions to make it back to the promised land at the very first time of asking.

Acquired from Standard Liege for a significant £7.7 million figure, the 18-cap Comoros international chalked up eight goals and four assists in the Belgian top-flight last time out following three successive nine-goal campaigns in Ligue 2 with Nimes and later Troyes.

A tricky and creative outlet with a real goal threat from wide areas, Said is most at home on the left-hand side and appears poised to orchestrate a sizeable influence of his own in the second-tier.

The winger's move to Molineux has perhaps gone under the radar a touch, but there's every chance he could follow Trippier and Jimenez in lighting up the Championship next season.

4 ? ? ??Rocco Shein to Portsmouth

Action Images

After a 12-year absence, Portsmouth returned to the Championship in 2024, and they've already consolidated themselves within two years - despite not exactly splashing the cash to bolster John Mousinho's squad in that time.

Finishes of 16th and 18th in the second tier have been solid for the south coast outfit, but the general consensus is that more funding is needed from the Eisners for Mousinho to take Pompey to the next level - and that looks set to happen.

And one big move they have made already this summer is a deal to bring Estonia international midfielder Rocco Shein to Fratton Park, having beaten a number of clubs to the 23-year-old's services.

Shein was plying his trade for Norwegian outfit Fredrikstad, having notched four goal contributions so far in the 2026 Eliteserien season from midfield, as well as six assists in the 2025 campaign, but a £2 million bid was accepted, and he's now a Portsmouth player.

Having lost Andre Dozzell on a free transfer, and last season's moves for Luke Le Roux and Mark Kosznovszky not really working out, the engine room was an area of the pitch that Mousinho needed to work on this summer - the deal to bring Shein to the club, as well as Odin Bailey joining on a freebie from Stockport County, is a good start to that.

3 ? ? Ivan Mesik to Charlton

Action Images

A poor run of form in the final third of the 2025-26 Championship season for Charlton Athletic saw them finish in 19th position in the standings - and that came after a year in which the ownership invested heavily in Nathan Jones' squad following promotion from League One.

The Addicks' late-season form though was somewhat a cause for concern, and Jones has gone about his early summer business by bolstering his defensive options for the upcoming campaign.

Not only has ex-Liverpool starlet Billy Koumetio arrived from Dundee, but the Dutch market has also been delved into with a move for Heracles left-sider Ivan Mesik.

The Slovakia international has been well-travelled already despite only being 25 years of age, having taken in stints in Denmark, Norway, Italy and the Netherlands before arriving at The Valley this summer, and he's set to bring some European experience to both the centre-back and the left-back position, dependent on which system Jones decides to use more often this coming campaign.

Mesik played most of last season's football as a left-back in a back four, but what he's definitely going to offer Charlton is more balance after Luke Chambers' loan spell from Liverpool came to an end - the Eredivisie is a competitive division, and his experience at that level could make him a good fit for the Championship.

2 ? ? Tairyk Arconte to Millwall

Action images

In the last few years, Millwall have well and truly broadened their horizons in the transfer market - Zian Flemming's move from Fortuna Sittard which ended up making the club a healthy profit when he moved on to Burnley was the best proof of that.

The club-record signing of Serbian striker Mihailo Ivanovic was more evidence that the Lions were looking outside the box, and whilst there's been plenty of domestic shopping too, there's one club in particular that seems to have caught their attention.

Just a year after bringing French midfielder Derek Mazou-Sacko from Rodez, Millwall have this summer returned to the Ligue 2 outfit to bring forward Tairyk Arconte to The Den.

A Guadeloupe international, Arconte had a big year in the French second tier in 2025-26, scoring 14 times and also notching four assists as Rodez missed out on promotion to the top flight.

His performances as a centre-forward though did not go unnoticed, and Arconte switched hands for a fee of £2.6 million - it's somewhat of a gamble for Millwall, who will be looking to go one better this coming season after their play-off semi-final elimination at the hands of Hull City,

1 ? ? Eoin Kenny to Portsmouth

Action Images

The aforementioned Shein isn't the only new Portsmouth signing to make this list, as they have raided the League of Ireland for one of its most promising talents.

The Republic of Ireland's top flight, whilst perhaps lacking in overall quality compared to the Championship, can always throw up a few gems, especially youngsters, and John Mousinho will be hoping Eoin Kenny is one of them rather than a bust.

20-year-old winger Kenny came through Dundalk's youth system, and after five goals and five assists in 22 league outings in 2026, he has made the move across the Irish Sea - and goals like this a month ago probably caught Portsmouth's attention massively.

It's been reported that Pompey have paid a small sum of £34,000 for Kenny's services, but he's likely got a bit of developing to do before he's ready for Championship football.

As Terry Devlin showed though after coming from the Northern Irish leagues, there are some sensational bargains to be had in both Irish countries, with the midfielder/right-back coming on leaps and bounds with his Championship experiences.