Henry to bring va-va-voom to Championship

The English Championship has become used to star-studded names in recent years, with the likes of Marcelo Bielsa and Frank Lampard currently holding managerial positions in the division.

However, there has been a certain buzz of excitement in recent weeks as it was rumoured that Belgium assistant boss and ex-World Cup winner with France, Thierry Henry is set to take his first role as a head coach, with struggling second tier side Aston Villa. 

There is more money in the division than ever before, with many clubs spending millions on new talent in the summer transfer window, and national team coaches calling up players who perform well with their Championship clubs. 

As recently as last week, England manager Gareth Southgate called up Jack Butland and Mason Mount,of respective Championship sides Stoke City and Derby County, in a signal for what is to come for the 'Three Lions' squads of the future.

No longer is it a pre-requisite that a player must play in a country's top league in order to earn a national call up. 

 

October 4, 2018

And now England's second tier is set to attract yet another top name in football management; Thierry Henry.

Sporting director of Norwich City football club, Stuart Webber, explained the recent rise of the second division in the English game, stating: "The stigma has gone. It has become the Premier League 2 in all but name and players and coaches are not dropping into football they feel is beneath them."

Webber continued: "The level in the Premier League has become so high, they can afford the best managers, the best players and it is hard to get a chance, so the Championship has become a breeding ground and the best players are capable of stepping up. "

Giving his opinion on Frenchman Henry's imminent arrival in the midlands, Webber lauded the move, saying: "Most clubs have international players and youth internationals and Bielsa is one of the best coaches in the world. It is a more credible league and this will only improve if Thierry Henry goes to Villa because there will be less snobbery about the Premier League. There is football outside the Premier League and it’s pretty good.’

 

October 6, 2018

The excellent progress of Wolves and Fulham in the top flight, after their promotion to the Premier League last year, clearly highlights the Championship's step up in class in recent years.

Gone are the days where promoted clubs are immediate picks for relegation at the start of every top flight campaign. Clubs are now better run in the second tier of the English game, and thus, promotion candidates are becoming increasingly capable of competing when they do achieve the dream move to the 'big time'. 

The English Football League's new domestic right's deal worth £600 million over five years, will come into affect next season, further boosting the transfer kitties of all clubs in England's secondary and tertiary divisions.  Transfer spending has increased by 400 per cent in the Championship alone since the 2012-13 season.

But ultimately, a place in the Premier League is the biggest driving force of all.  One of the great ironies within modern football; what makes the Championship so good, is the fact that every single club is desperate to find a way out.