Warnock's bold picks clash with clubs' uphill battles in the EFL

Neil Warnock, the 77‑year‑old Championship icon, has singled out Middlesbrough, Birmingham City, Southampton and Norwich as the clubs most likely to challenge the promotion favourites in the EFL this season, a view that sits opposite the heavy financial and injury burdens many of those sides already face.

Promotion race reshaped by play‑off expansion

Warnock’s optimism arrives as the play‑off format has been expanded from three to eight places, meaning a third of the 24‑team division now has a shot at promotion either as champions, automatically or at Wembley. The change follows a season where only one newly‑relegated side managed an instant return to the Premier League.

Last season, Coventry City claimed the title with 95 points, Ipswich finished second 11 points behind, and Hull City, placed sixth on 73 points, secured promotion by winning the play‑offs. Those figures illustrate how tight the top of the table can be when the play‑offs open to more clubs.

Warnock also warned the newly‑relegated trio of West Ham United, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Burnley, noting that two of those clubs have newly‑appointed head coaches – Cesar Peixoto and Nicky Hayen – adding further uncertainty to the promotion scramble.

Clubs grapple with finances and injuries

Kim Hellberg’s Hull City, despite missing out in May’s Wembley final, have invested heavily in seven new signings, with Radek Vitek, Sebastian Berhalter and Will Lankshear highlighted as standouts, while a targeted deal for Ash Phillips from Tottenham Hotspur aims to bolster Middlesbrough’s defence.

Middlesbrough’s recent activity includes hefty fees paid for players from Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur, underscoring the club’s ambition to break into the automatic promotion spots.

Birmingham City’s return to the Premier League is a stated goal, with Chris Davies working to plug gaps through experience and quality, even though no specific transfer fees have been disclosed this summer.

Norwich, revived under Belgian manager Phillipe Clement, has won 20 of his first 35 games, but the loss of Canadian international Josh Sargent and a long‑term injury to Ali Ahmed have tested the Canaries’ depth.

Southampton start the season under a four‑point deduction linked to the Spygate scandal, and a possible FA ban on manager Tonda Eckert, potentially effective in September, could further hamper their campaign.

Action Images By Benedict Ferraby Published Aug 14, 2026, 6:30 PM GMT+1. Benedict is an EFL‑accredited self‑publishing writer and sub‑editor for FLW, covering all three divisions whilst strongly focusing on developments at Hull City and Birmingham City. He graduated with a 2:1 (Hons) in Multimedia Journalism at the University of Wolverhampton in September 2024, achieved a Merit in MA Sports Journalism at Coventry University in 2025, previously covered Rugby League and non‑league football, and interned with Wolves' Academy between 2023 and 2025.