After more than nine months of action the EFL season concluded on Bank Holiday Monday when AFC Wimbledon secured their return to League One after three years away by beating Walsall in the League Two play-off final.
It’s been another campaign full of drama, ecstasy, agony and of course, plenty of managerial changes, but Sunderland, Charlton and the Dons ensured it would be a memorable one at the weekend, while Sheffield United, Leyton Orient and the Saddlers must lick their wounds and bounce back.
Those in the EFL will now head off for some well-deserved rest and recuperation before they do it all over again when the 2025-26 campaign kicks off on Friday, August 1.
Leicester, Ipswich and Southampton will return to the Championship one year on from being promoted, while Barnet – and one of Southend or Oldham – will be in League Two after navigating themselves out of the National League. Carlisle and Morecambe are heading the other way.
Despite the campaign concluding, there is plenty to keep an eye on over the summer and Mail Sport has highlighted 10 things you should watch out for in the coming months.
The EFL season concluded on Monday as AFC Wimbledon secured their return to League One
On a bumper weekend of play-off finals, Sunderland (above) and Charlton also got promoted
But it was agony for Sheffield United (above), Leyton Orient and Walsall who must bounce back
Wrexham to target experience again
It was another year and another promotion for Wrexham as they became the first team to go from the National League to the Championship in three seasons.
The second tier will be a big step up for Phil Parkinson’s side, yet you wouldn’t bet against the Hollywood-backed club exceeding expectations again.
Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds are desperate to reach the Premier League and Mail Sport understands that plan involves targeting experienced top-flight players.
Throughout Wrexham’s remarkable rise, there has always been a focus on bringing in older stars with pedigree above the level the club is playing at, such as Ben Tozer, James McClean, Steven Fletcher and Matty James.
And we can reveal that this time the Red Dragons are keen on West Ham pair Danny Ings and Aaron Cresswell, who are both out of contract this summer, along with Fulham’s Tom Cairney – although Cottagers boss Marco Silva recently revealed talks are ongoing over a new deal for his captain.
Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds will target Premier League experience this summer
How will Beckham and Neville fare at Salford?
There was bombshell news earlier this month when David Beckham and Gary Neville led a new consortium that gained control of Salford City, buying out their former Class of 92 team-mate in the process after major backer Peter Lim stepped away from his ownership position last year.
After an incredible rise from the Northern Premier League Division One North to the EFL in five years, Salford have somewhat stagnated in League Two since 2019, making the play-offs on just one occasion, so fresh ideas are timely.
This is particularly pertinent given the club posted a £5.3million loss in their 2023-24 accounts, taking the total deficit to more than £28m under the Class of 92s ownership.
The new group – who are targeting the Championship within five years – have already made a splash, with Karl Robinson’s side releasing 17 players at the end of the season, so it will be fascinating to see how they approach the window.
Neville has insisted Salford won’t invest to the levels that Wrexham and Birmingham have and he has called for sustainable growth, but following an eighth place finish, a strong summer would put the Ammies in a great position heading into next season.
Gary Neville and David Beckham led a new consortium that took over Salford earlier this month
Time for Will Still
In what is one of the most exciting EFL managerial appointments in years, English football will finally get to see Will Still in 2025.
The 32-year-old went viral a few years ago when he became the youngest manager in Europe’s top five leagues as the boss of Reims in France at the age of 30.
His journey into coaching was partly inspired by his passion for the video game Football Manager, which has only added to his allure, and after impressing in Ligue 1, Still has finally made the move to England after turning down Sunderland last summer.
Despite Southampton’s disastrous campaign, they have an impressive squad for the second tier and Still’s progress will be fascinating to follow.
Will Still has made the move into English football and his progress will be fascinating to follow
How will Leicester’s FFP charge affect them?
Leicester’s torrid season got even worse last week when they were charged with an alleged breach of the EFL’s financial rules, meaning the Foxes could face a points deduction next season.
A lengthy legal battle will now ensue, which in itself is an unwelcome distraction and likely to have a significant impact on Leicester’s hopes for an immediate return to the Premier League.
The future of manager Ruud van Nistelrooy is also uncertain, with the Dutchman primed to leave and be replaced by Russell Martin.
Martin would be a great appointment, yet a looming points penalty may impact the Foxes’ ability to recruit the players they want and if Leicester get stuck in the second tier, finding a way out of their financial issues will become harder.
Leicester were charged with an alleged breach of financial rules and may face a points penalty
Birmingham’s bold ambitions
Birmingham romped to the League One with 111 points after compiling a squad that was more than good enough to compete in the Championship.
Yet, the ambitious Tom Brady-backed owners are seeking to emulate Ipswich by jumping from League One to the Premier League in consecutive seasons, so it promises to be another exciting summer at St Andrew’s.
The Blues signalled their intentions last year when they paid about £15m to sign Jay Stansfield from Fulham – comfortably a record fee for a club in England’s third tier.
And this time around Birmingham will offer their signings huge salaries, even as high as £30,000 a week, in an attempt to go back to back, with Peterborough’s Ricky-Jade Jones known to be one target.
In truth, it is a brilliant time to be a Birmingham fan, with owners Knighthead Capital Management having also outlined plans to build a 62,000-seater stadium in the east of the city as part of a £2billion Sports Quarter development.
Birmingham may have got promoted, but their owners have bold ambitions for next season
Other transfers to keep an eye on
Amid all the spotlight on the promotions of Wrexham and Birmingham, the achievement of Nathan Jones and Charlton in returning to the Championship after five years away should not be ignored.
The Addicks’ initial focus will be on survival and they can take confidence from the fact that Derby, Oxford and Portsmouth – the three promoted teams in 2023-24 – all stayed up.
Jones will be keen to strengthen and his side are looking at Jordan Gabriel of Blackpool, although wing back Thierry Small is attracting interest from Preston.
Elsewhere, West Brom’s Tom Fellows enjoyed a stunning year for the Baggies and has Premier League admirers, including Everton, who also like Liverpool’s Ben Doak after he shone at Middlesbrough on loan.
Meanwhile, Blackburn wonderkid Silver Eze, 16, has caught the eye of Juventus, while Chelsea are monitoring Leicester defender Ben Nelson, who was part of Enzo Maresca’s title-winning squad at the King Power and impressed on loan at Oxford in 2024-25.
West Brom’s Tom Fellows enjoyed a stunning year for the Baggies and has Premier League admirers, including Everton
A busy managerial market
EFL dugouts will have a different feel come August with several coaches and clubs having already endured managerial churn in the off-season.
Hull City, Watford, Notts County and Bristol Rovers sacked their managers after finishing the campaign, and while the Hornets and Rovers have appointed new ones – along with Southampton and Newport County – there are still multiple vacancies.
Plymouth, Hull, West Brom, Cardiff City, QPR are all searching for a new boss while Norwich are in the process of appointing Bristol City’s Liam Manning in a major shake-up to the second tier.
Ruud van Nistelrooy is also unlikely to be in charge of Leicester next season, so there is plenty to keep an eye on over the coming weeks.
Bristol City boss Liam Manning is set to take over at fellow Championship side Norwich City
Can Walsall pick themselves up?
It was hard not to feel sorry for Walsall and Mat Sadler at Wembley on Monday as their promotion hopes finally came to a cruel end.
Having been 12 points clear at the top of the table – and 15 clear of fourth – earlier this year, a torrid run of three wins in 21 games saw them pipped to automatic promotion on the final day by a last-gasp Bradford goal.
Hope was restored following an impressive play-off semi-final victory over Chesterfield, the division’s in-form team, but they struggled to break down a resolute AFC Wimbledon after going behind in the final.
Sadler tried to remain upbeat after the game, focusing on how far the club had come, but with several loanees, including Tommy Simkin, Nathan Asiimwe, George Hall, Alfie Chang set to depart, along with stars like Jamie Jellis and Liam Gordon out of contract, there is likely to be a large turnover of players this summer.
Sadler, a thoroughly decent guy and impressive coach, is a victim of his own success having overachieved massively in the first half of the season, yet co-chairman Ben Boycott stopped short of publicly backing him at Wembley.
He deserves another crack and certainly has the fire in his belly do so, although he will have to use all of his coaching acumen to get his players over the scars of this season.
Walsall missed out on promotion to League One after losing the League Two play-off inal
The Reading rebuild
It was welcome news earlier this month when former Wycombe owner Rob Couhig finally ended the ruinous reign of Dai Yongge at Reading.
The Royals, who missed out on the play-offs on the last day of the campaign, faced the threat of extinction at points in 2024-25 after different takeover deals fell through, while boss Ruben Selles was poached by Hull and top scorer Sam Smith was signed by Wrexham.
Given the uncertainty surrounding the club, only six players were under contract for next season and the Royals acted swiftly to offer deals to 11 more, with midfielder Lewis Wing the first to sign.
There will be other additions as Reading can finally operate without restrictions, but keeping the majority of the remaining 10 will be crucial to maintain the momentum that was built up under boss Noel Hunt.
Whatever happens, it promises to be a busy few weeks as Hunt, Couhig and chief executive Joe Jacobson rebuild and try to lead the Royals back to where they belong.
Reading boss Noel Hunt will have a busy summer after Rob Couhig completed his takeover
Crunch time for Huddersfield
The first two years of Kevin Nagle’s ownership at Huddersfield have not gone to plan, with four permanent managers having departed and the Terriers dropping from 18th in the Championship to 10th in League One.
This campaign was particularly deflating, as a collapse of form in the second half, including six defeats to end things, saw Huddersfield finish 14 points adrift off the play-offs.
Nagle, who is outspoken on social media, has come under further fire from supporters for a hike in season ticket prices, although he did appoint former Man United coach Lee Grant as the club’s new manager on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, 18 players were released earlier this month, highlighting what a dismal campaign it was, but with fans starting to turn on Nagle and the team, the next few months will be key for Huddersfield if they are to mount a serious promotion push in 2025-26.
