Championship chaos spills into pre-season as Stoke City quietly go about business

A summer of upheaval in a division packed with storylines isn’t settling down everywhere

The Championship has proven over the last couple of months that even the close-season is no escape from the drama. Stoke City, busily but quietly going about their work at Clayton Wood, have been outliers.

It has been a hectic couple of months in terms of managerial switches since the last day of the 2024/25 campaign and it has taken until the eve of pre-season for it to show signs of finally settling down, albeit not everywhere.

There are new bosses in place at Norwich, West Brom, Watford, Hull, Southampton, Bristol City, Sheffield United and Middlesbrough while QPR have finally formally cut ties with Marti Cifuentes to bring in Julien Stephan. Stephan could be boosted by a sell-on clause for Spurs-linked Eberechi Eze, which would help fund eye-popping wages for players like Kwame Poku, who they are planning to bring in from Peterborough.

Leicester City could swing the axe on Ruud van Nistelrooy on July 1, the first day of the new football accounting year – when an automatic reduction in wages is likely to kick in and subsequently soften any pay off. Sean Dyche is favourite to replace him.

The club is expecting a hefty points penalty after being accused of Financial Fair Play breaches while owners King Power are “engaged in high-stakes talks in Thailand as they seek to save the profitability” of their duty free business empire, reports LeicestershireLive.

Sheffield Wednesday remain in turmoil and under a three-window transfer ban due to unpaid wages. It has seemed clear that manager Danny Rohl wants out of the Hillsborough soap opera.

Wednesday are due to report back for training tomorrow but the Sheffield Star reports that there has been “a delay in the completion of vast improvements” at their Middlewood Road base.

They add: “It’s understood efforts have been made to source an alternative venue for the early stages of their pre-season programme, but that as things stand a two-day testing period on Thursday and Friday will take place at the training ground with some workarounds in place.”

Vacancies have come and gone with Rohl being linked but not appointed. However, “sources close to the football side of the club and with knowledge of the situation have indicated to The Star that they do not expect to see the 36-year-old” back.

“The vast majority of Röhl’s coaching staff out of contract at the end of the month and not expected to re-sign,” it adds.

Birmingham City have given interim chief executive Jeremy Dale the job on a permanent basis. The former Microsoft executive has been involved with the club since the takeover from Knighthead in 2023 and replaced Garry Cook as CEO in January.

Blackburn Rovers owners Venky’s have to go through red tape in India to “match every pound (invested in the club) with a personal guarantee” and have had to go through Delhi High Court to cover Ewood Park liabilities from April to June, reports the Lancashire Telegraph.