Bristol Rovers, Chesterfield and York City will be sweating at League Two transfer trend | OneFootball

Salford City's summer transfer activity may alarm their fellow League Two promotion hopefuls, including Bristol Rovers, Chesterfield and York City.

As the new EFL season approaches, it is shaping up to be another exciting campaign in League Two.

After a competitive battle for the top three, Bromley, MK Dons and Cambridge United secured automatic promotion last season, with Notts County joining the trio in League One after a 3-0 victory over Salford City in the play-off final at Wembley.

At the other end of the table, Harrogate Town and Barrow's six-year spells in League Two came to an end as they were relegated to the National League, with Crawley Town, Tranmere Rovers and Newport County all narrowly avoiding the drop on the final day of the season.

Salford City have sent clear promotion message with summer transfer business

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With just over two weeks to go until the start of the new season, it is the time of year when predictions are made for the upcoming campaign, and Salford are widely expected to be in the automatic promotion conversation.

Despite accumulating a total of 81 points, the Ammies missed out on a place in the top three on the final day of the regular season, and their promotion dreams came crashing down as they were outclassed by a dominant Notts County at Wembley.

Just over a week after their play-off final defeat, Salford sacked head coach Karl Robinson after just under two-and-a-half years in charge, replacing him with former FC Tokyo and Malaysia boss Peter Cklamovski.

If the Ammies' left-field managerial appointment was not eye-catching enough, their summer transfer activity has certainly made a few headlines, with a number of high-profile names arriving at the Peninsula Stadium as co-owners Gary Neville and David Beckham provide Cklamovski with strong backing in the market.

In what is the biggest deal of the window so far in League Two, Salford signed striker Macaulay Langstaff from Championship side Millwall, and having scored 28 goals during his previous season in the fourth tier with Notts County, many are tipping him to be the division's leading marksman.

As first exclusively revealed by FLW, the Ammies completed another blockbuster addition this week as they brought in winger Luke Molyneux, who scored eight goals and provided 11 assists for League One side Doncaster Rovers last season and was expected to be Championship-bound if he departed the South Yorkshire outfit.

As well as the marquee arrivals of Langstaff and Molyneux, Salford have also signed plenty of other players with proven EFL quality this summer, including the likes of Will Norris, Will Aimson, Elliot Bonds, Joe Powell and Abraham Odoh, giving them a squad that will be the envy of many of their League Two rivals.

Bristol Rovers, Chesterfield and York City may be concerned by Salford City developments

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Salford are far from the only team being tipped for big things in League Two this season, but some of the other favourites for the title may be concerned by events at the Peninsula Stadium.

Bristol Rovers were in serious danger of back-to-back relegations when Steve Evans took over at the Memorial Stadium in December, but he inspired a remarkable turnaround in the second half of the season to steer his side clear of trouble.

Indeed, not only were the Gas one of the form teams in the division after the turn of the year, they also went on an incredible run of eight consecutive victories towards the end of the campaign, and that form has led to them being billed as one of the main automatic promotion contenders this time around.

Another team who are highly fancied heading into the new season is Chesterfield, who have suffered play-off semi-final heartbreak in each of the past two years, but having been held to 16 draws in the previous campaign, it remains to be seen whether they will be able to find the consistency required for a title charge.

York City won the National League title last season after a dramatic final day showdown with Rochdale, but despite a record-breaking campaign that saw his side rack up 108 points, the Minstermen made the shock decision company with manager Stuart Maynard on Sunday.

Maynard's exit has caused widespread outrage among the York faithful, and the appointment of Scott Lindsey, who was sacked by Crawley in March with the club sitting just outside the relegation zone, as his replacement has done little to calm their anger, and it now looks doubtful whether the club can challenge for back-to-back promotions as most expected.

After an eighth-placed finish in their first season back in the division, Barnet could be one of the dark horses for automatic promotion this time around, but much will depend on how they cope without talisman Callum Stead, who has joined League One new boys Cambridge after scoring 15 goals in all competitions at The Hive last season.

Swindon Town could be another potential candidate, but manager Ian Holloway's description of one of his side's recent pre-season performances as "absolute tinpot garbage" suggests all may not be well at the County Ground, while the Robins' collapse in the second half of last season that saw them miss out on the play-offs entirely does not offer much reason for optimism.

Big Gary Neville, David Beckham gamble could cost Salford City this season

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As things stand, Salford look like the team to beat in League Two this season, but there are a few factors that could prevent the Ammies from winning promotion.

Cklamovski does have plenty of managerial experience under his belt, while he also worked under Ange Postecoglou with the Australia national team and at Yokohama F. Marinos, but there is no doubt that the Ammies have taken a big risk in appointing the 47-year-old.

Salford's squad may be stacked with talent, but it is unclear how Cklamovski will adapt to League Two management, and, therefore, it is difficult to confidently back them for the title with a huge question mark remaining about their new head coach.

Having invested heavily and assembled what many consider to be the best squad in the league, the Ammies will also have to handle the pressure of significant internal and external expectations this season, which has been something of an issue for the club in recent years.

If Cklamovski can get his star-studded squad to gel, it would be no surprise to see Salford take the fourth tier by storm this season, and further big name additions in the final month of the transfer window cannot be ruled out.