The quiet transfer market in the English lower leagues
Far from the Premier League glare, the English Football League is still getting business done. Opta has picked out ten signings across the Championship to League Two. Here are the ones worth a look.
Wolverhampton, after relegation, are chasing an immediate return. The club has backed Comoros winger Rafiki Said, who arrived from Standard Liege. He delivered eight goals and four assists last season in Belgium, along with 69 successful dribbles, one of the best totals in the Belgian league.
Derby County, meanwhile, need goals. The Rams missed the play-offs by four points. Filip Bilbija has arrived from Paderborn with 15 goals and the best conversion rate in Bundesliga 2: 15 goals from 47 shots.
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Reinforcements aimed at the top
Bolton have tightened up at the back. The club has brought in full-back Gaizka Larrazabal, who scored five and set up four for Casa Pia in Portugal. That was the second-best attacking return by a defender in the Primeira Liga, and he also chipped in with 50 tackles and 83 clearances.
Swansea have pulled off a tidy bit of business. Elijah Just has left Motherwell after a season of seven goals and seven assists in Scotland. The New Zealand midfielder also comes off a World Cup with three goals, including a brace against Iran.
In League One, Sheffield Wednesday are starting again under new ownership. The club have brought back club icon Barry Bannan and signed Billy Mitchell, a holding midfielder from Millwall. He finished second in his team for tackles last season and will do the dirty work alongside Bannan.
Four division bets
Port Vale have snapped up Kyle Dempsey on a free, with 402 Football League appearances behind him. A box-to-box midfielder, he won 5.73 duels per 90 minutes last year. Salford have spent on Luke Molyneux, who posted eight goals and seven assists in League One for Doncaster. Only two midfielders bettered his 10.95 expected goals.
Crewe round things off with the return of defender Luke Offord, who ranked third in League Two for interceptions last season. A reminder, if one were needed, that the transfer market does not belong to the Premier League alone.
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