For many, the Championship is the best league in the world – and with good reason. Once again this year at the halfway stage, we have a title tussle, an unclear play-off picture and a frantic fight to avoid the drop.
More excitement is set to come the way of fans of second-tier clubs as the January transfer window opens for business. Running until 11pm on Monday 3rd February, it is a chance for all 24 teams to bolster their ranks ahead of the critical stages of the campaign.
The likes of Leeds United and Sheffield United are set to scrap for the Championship title, though Burnley are hot on their heels looking to steal an automatic promotion slot for themselves.
Winter transfer window 2025: All the latest deals from England and Scotland
Find out who is on the move this winter with our comprehensive list of done deals from the Premier League, EFL and Scottish Premiership.
ByStephan GeorgiouFeb 3, 2025
Sunderland look set to return to the play-offs under Regis Le Bris provided they can sustain their promising start, while surprise package Watford could yet upset perennial contenders such as West Bromwich Albion for a top-six slot.
At the other end, Plymouth Argyle look doomed, so may require some inspired business over the next month, while newbies Oxford United and Portsmouth are among those battling for Championship survival after testing returns to the second tier.
Here, we have every in and out from each Championship club throughout the winter window.
Note: Spending totals do not include undisclosed fees.
Blackburn Rovers Total spent: £0
John Eustace’s Blackburn are well in the play-off hunt, even amid a disappointing downturn in form since the new year. Eustace and Rovers will be hoping that the addition of Adam Forshaw – a promotion winner with Leeds in 2020 – can aid their play-off bid.
Experienced Championship defender Dion Sanderson is their only other arrival thus far, so bar a late flurry in the window’s final days, it seems as though Eustace will trust the players he has got to get over the line come May.
Fee
Fee
Augustus Kargbo (Cesena)
Undisc.
Joe Hilton (Bradford)
Undisc.
Yuri Ribeiro (Braga)
Undisc.
Kyle McFadzean (Chesterfield)
Free
Adam Forshaw (Plymouth)
Free
Leo Duru (Barrow)
Loan
Emmanuel Dennis (Nottingham Forest)
Loan
Jake Garrett (Tranmere)
Loan
Dion Sanderson (Birmingham)
Loan
Dilan Markanday (Leyton Orient)
Loan
Cauley Woodrow (Luton)
Loan
Connor O’Riordan (Crewe)
Loan
Bristol City Total spent: £0
Bristol City are yet to add in the winter window, despite starting to move into play-off contention in the Championship. Whether they decide to recruit a killer signing that makes the difference this term remains to be seen, but Liam Manning’s side have so far stuck with what they’ve got.
The only activity at Ashton Gate this January has been through the exit door, with attacker Fally Mayulu the latest to depart on loan to Austrian outfit Sturm Graz, having started just three second-tier games all season.
Centre-back Rob Atkinson was also among those to leave on loan, with the 26-year-old finally getting some game time after not getting a look-in this term.
Fee
Fee
None
Tommy Backwell (Cheltenham)
Undisc.
Omar Taylor-Clarke (Dunfermline)
Free
Rob Atkinson (Portsmouth)
Loan
Fally Mayulu (Sturm Graz)
Loan
Kal Naismith (Luton)
Loan
Ephraim Yeboah (Dunfermline)
Loan
Burnley Total spent: £3.33m
Scott Parker’s Burnley have been the most active side in the Championship early on in the window, with two incomings in the first couple of days.
One is a familiar face in Ashley Barnes, who re-joined the club after ending his contract at Norwich. The Austria international is something of a promotion specialist, so could be a handy addition to Parker’s side.
The other arrival has seen Denmark-born Peruvian Oliver Sonne join from Danish outfit Silkeborg in a deal worth around €3m (£2.5m). The full-back bolsters a Clarets defence that has conceded just nine goals in the Championship all season.
Fee
Fee
Oliver Sonne (Silkeborg)
£2.5m
John Egan (Hull)
Undisc.
Jaydon Banel (Bastia)
£830k
Jay Rodriguez (Wrexham)
Undisc.
Ashley Barnes (Norwich)
Free
Benn Ward (Accrington)
Undisc.
Jonjo Shelvey (Eyupspor)
Free
Joe Bevan (Carlisle)
Loan
Marcus Edwards (Sporting CP)
Loan
Dara Costelloe (Northampton)
Loan
Hannes Delcroix (Swansea)
Loan
Owen Dodgson (Burton)
Loan
Hjalmar Ekdal (FC Groningen)
Loan
Andreas Hountondji (Standard Liege)
Loan
Han-Noah Massengo (Auxerre)
Loan
Michael Mellon (Bradford)
Loan
Joe Westley (Swindon)
Loan
Cardiff City Total spent: £3.4m
Fee
Fee
Yousef Salech (Sirius)
£3.4m
Malachi Fagan-Walcott (York)
Undisc.
Will Alves (Leicester)
Loan
Manolis Siopis (Panathinaikos)
Undisc.
Sivert Mannsverk (Ajax)
Loan
Tom Davies (Newport)
Free
Joel Colwill (Exeter)
Loan
Kion Etete (Bolton)
Loan
Michael Reindorf (Bristol Rovers)
Loan
Ryotaro Tsunoda (KV Kortrijk)
Loan
Coventry City Total spent: £0
Fee
Fee
Matt Grimes (Swansea)
Undisc.
Kai Andrews (Motherwell)
Loan
Fabio Tavares (Burton)
Loan
Derby County Total spent: £4.84m
With Derby now in a spot of relegation bother, new signings could be crucial as they bid for Championship survival. They have welcomed two new arrivals so far this month, with striker Lars-Jorgen Salvesen joined by Middlesbrough’s Matt Clarke – both on permanent deals.
Salvesen hit the ground running with a goal on his first start, albeit in a defeat to fellow strugglers Cardiff City. Meanwhile, Clarke will look to get his first taste of football in a Rams shirt ahead of their upcoming clash with Sheffield United.
Fee
Fee
Sondre Langas (Derby)
£4m
Eiran Cashin (Brighton)
£9m
Lars-Jorgen Salvesen (Viking)
£840k
Ben Radcliffe (Crawley)
Undisc.
Matt Clarke (Middlesbrough)
Undisc.
James Collins (Lincoln)
Free
Harrison Armstrong (Everton)
Loan
Sonny Bradley (Wycombe)
Loan
Hull City Total spent: £4.2m
Incoming Hull City manager Ruben Selles has wasted little time replenishing his side as they battle the drop, with five new players through the door as we enter the final 10 days of the window.
The new faces are a mixture of top-flight experience in the shape of ex-Watford attacker Nordin Amrabat, while Leeds forward Joe Gelhardt will be among those eager to impress with chances few and far between at Elland Road.
The Tigers were thought to have spent around £2.5m to bring striker Kyle Joseph to the MKM Stadium from League One outfit Blackpool. Selles and co will be hoping that their new arrivals can help spur them to safety amid a tight battle to turn their season around and avoid relegation.
Fee
Fee
Kyle Joseph (Blackpool)
£2.5m
Ryan Longman (Wrexham)
£500k
Eliot Matazo (Monaco)
£1.7m
Will Jarvis (Notts County)
Undisc.
Matt Crooks (Real Salt Lake)
Undisc.
Ryan Giles (Middlesbrough)
Loan
John Egan (Burnley)
Undisc.
Marvin Mehlem (Paderborn)
Loan
Nordin Amrabat (AEK Athens)
Free
Anthony Racioppi (Koln)
Loan
Louie Barry (Aston Villa)
Loan
Xavier Simons (Wycombe)
Loan
Joe Gelhardt (Leeds)
Loan
Andy Smith (Gillingham)
Loan
Lincoln (Fenerbahce)
Loan
Leeds United Total spent: £0
Fee
Fee
None
Sonny Perkins (Leyton Orient)
Undisc.
Charlie Crew (Doncaster)
Loan
Joe Gelhardt (Hull)
Loan
Luton Town Total spent: £7.5m
Luton’s return to the Championship is on the verge of becoming a total disaster, with the Hatters in danger of falling through the proverbial trap door as they face the prospect of successive relegations.
They have spent in recent days by welcoming the likes of League One duo Thelo Aasgaard and Millenic Alli, while Luton have also recruited from Championship rivals Middlesbrough and Bristol City to bolster their ranks ahead of the crunch period of the season.
The biggest outgoing of the month was undoubtedly Rob Edwards, who was relieved of his duties amid the side’s freefall to the Championship drop zone just 18 months after promotion.
Fee
Fee
Thelo Aasgaard (Wigan)
£3m
Joe Taylor (Huddersfield)
£2.8m
Lasse Nordas (Tromso)
£3m
Allan Campbell (Dundee United)
Free
Millenic Alli (Exeter)
£1.5m
Tom Holmes (Dender)
Loan
Isaiah Jones (Middlesbrough)
Undisc.
Pelly Ruddock Mpanzu (Rotherham)
Loan
Christ Makosso (RWD Molenbeek)
Undisc.
Bim Pepple (Chesterfield)
Loan
Josh Bowler (Nottingham Forest)
Loan
Cauley Woodrow (Blackburn)
Loan
Kal Naismith (Bristol City)
Loan
Erik Pieters (Released)
n/a
Middlesbrough Total spent: £8.1m
With the window entering its final week, Middlesbrough picked up two key arrivals as they look to bolster their bid for the play-offs. Having won just two of their six games in January, the captures of Plymouth’s Morgan Whittaker and Ipswich’s George Edmundson could yet provide Boro with solidity and improvements at both ends of the pitch.
Michael Carrick has also seen Ryan Giles join from Hull as the Riverside Stadium outfit seek a return to the Premier League for the first time since 2017.
After reaching the play-offs in his first season in charge, Carrick will be hoping their latest flurry of transfer activity can spark a turnaround that ends in glory at Wembley Stadium.
Fee
Fee
Morgan Whittaker (Plymouth)
£7.5m
Emmanuel Latte Lath (Atlanta United)
£22.5m
George Edmundson (Ipswich)
£600k
Matt Clarke (Derby)
Undisc.
Josh Dede (Celtic)
Undisc.
Isaiah Jones (Luton)
Undisc.
Ryan Giles (Hull)
Loan
Ajay Matthews (Millwall)
Undisc.
Kelechi Iheanacho (Sevilla)
Loan
Alex Gilbert (Charlton)
Loan
Samuel Iling-Junior (Aston Villa)
Loan
Micah Hamilton (Stockport)
Loan
Mark Travers (Bournemouth)
Loan
Zach Hemming (St Mirren)
Loan
Sammy Silvera (Blackpool)
Loan
Matthew Hoppe (Released)
n/a