Watford FC & Swansea City eyeing up award-winning EFL star | OneFootball

Peterborough United's Archie Collins could be getting a move to the Championship this summer

The EFL transfer window may not yet be officially open for the summer, but clubs who know what division they're going to be plying their trade in for the 2026-27 season are starting to put their plans into place.

And with retained lists for clubs starting to be released following the end of the regular season matches, a number of players will already be looking for fresh starts elsewhere.

Two clubs who finished in mid-table in the Championship - Watford and Swansea City - are some of many who will be eyeing up fresh faces whilst other potential rivals still have play-off matches to play, and they both have their eyes on a League One player that is looking to move up the pyramid.

Watford FC & Swansea City in hunt for Peterborough United's Archie Collins

According to a report from the Peterborough Telegraph, both the Hornets and the Swans are eyeing up Peterborough United's midfield star Archie Collins this summer.

The 26-year-old's contract at the Weston Homes Stadium is due to expire at the end of June, and given his age, Posh will not receive any form of compensation for Collins' services, unlike last summer when they managed to get £900,000 for out of contract Kwame Poku from QPR.

Collins came through the Exeter City academy that has produced the likes of Ethan Ampadu, Ollie Watkins and Matt Grimes, turning professional with the Grecians in 2017 and making 221 appearances for the Devon outfit in all competitions.

Moving to Peterborough in the summer of 2023 for a 'big six-figure fee' in the words of chairman Darragh MacAnthony, Collins has been a stalwart in the middle of the park for the Cambridgeshire club for three seasons, winning back-to-back EFL Trophy campaigns in 2024 and 2025.

In all competitions, Collins appeared 159 times for Posh over the three-year stint, scoring eight goals and notching 14 assists - seven of which came in League One in 2025-26, and he was the winner of the club's Player of the Year award for the most recent campaign.

With a departure from United already confirmed by the club as he seeks a new challenge, Collins could now be looking to make the move to a second tier outfit, and interest is mounting.

Watford may be a better home for Archie Collins than Swansea City

Collins has more than proved his worth at League One level to be given a chance at the Championship, and as he prepares to turn 27 in August, he is theoretically reaching the peak years of his career.

One player has already made the move from Peterborough to Watford in the last 12 months, with Hector Kyprianou making the jump to the Championship, although after making 25 appearances in the league for the Hornets, he missed the final three months of the campaign with an ankle injury.

And it's within the setup of the Hertfordshire outfit where Collins may find more opportunities than at Swansea City, where a lot of competition would await with Goncalo Franco, Ethan Galbraith, Marko Stamenic and others.

Whereas at Watford, Edo Kayembe, Pierre Dwomoh and Nampalys Mendy are all out of contract and Imran Louza will surely be exiting Vicarage Road for a top-flight club - there may be space therefore for Collins to get his Championship move.