The 2017/18 Championship campaign is now well underway with every side having played four matches. This means that despite being so early on in the season, we are starting to see evidence of teams who could make a push for promotion to the Premier League come next May. This season already appears to have the ingredients to be one of the best Championship campaigns to date.
A lot of sides have spent big money in the hope of achieving promotion to the top flight this season with the likes of Middlesbrough and Wolverhampton Wanderers being the biggest spenders. Middlesbrough, Sunderland and Hull City are all backed by parachute payments that come as a result of relegation from the top flight, but it is only Boro who have invested heavily this summer so far.
Many other sides were also among the favourites for promotion by the bookies who do not have these sort of funds available. Sheffield Wednesday has finished in the playoffs for two consecutive years under the management of Carlos Carvalhal and remains fancied by many to make it third time lucky. Leeds United agonisingly missed out on the playoffs last season under Garry Monk and were also put among the contenders for this season under new manager Thomas Christiansen.
We take a look at three teams who have gone under the radar through pre-season but have made a superb start to the campaign and might now be viewed as ‘dark horses’ for promotion to the Premier League.
2. Cardiff City (Current Position – 1st)
Despite Neil Warnock’s history of success in this division, it’s hard to believe that even he could have predicted such an impressive start to the season by his side. Warnock has acquired the services of many players this summer with the most notable of them all being Lee Tomlin.
The Bluebirds have so far seen off Burton Albion, Aston Villa, Sheffield United and Wolverhampton Wanderers in their perfect start to the season to put them above Ipswich in the league table on goal difference alone. Their home form is something that will be essential to continue if they are to have any chance of fighting for at least a play-off place.
The signing of forward, Nathaniel Mendez-Laing on a free transfer from Rochdale looks to be one of the most impressive deals so far this season. The winger got his fifth goal in four games on Saturday in the 2-1 win against Wolves at Molineux with yet another impressive strike. Warnock has a habit of getting the best out of players, and he looks to have done exactly that with Mendez-Laing.
