EFL round-up: Transfer window slams shut; Stoke break winning duck and more

By Rob Beezley

The EFL continued its fast start over the last few weeks, as teams completed a round of midweek fixtures across Tuesday and Wednesday.

Most teams will now play on Tuesday and then Saturday right up until the international break in September.

Several struggling sides picked up wins as Stoke City finally broke their winning duck as they overcame an underperforming Norwich City side 1-0 at the Bet365 Stadium.

Goalkeeper and captain Viktor Johansson showed his delight at the final whistle, as he joined in the fans’ celebration and relief. 

He also gathered his team-mates to enjoy the club’s first win of the season.

Leicester City also picked up a win to ease the pressure on manager Russell Martin as the Foxes ran out 2-0 winners at home to Plymouth Argyle.

Here we take a look at five talking points from those games and we look ahead to this weekend’s calendar as well.

The transfer window slams shut

The summer transfer window closed on Tuesday evening, leaving clubs in all three divisions to contemplate whether they signed the right players to fit their systems.

If they haven’t then there’s the free agent market but most clubs have secured their targets for the rest of the season.

Of course, there is the January window where clubs can add to their ranks but that’s more to fine-tune and to tweak.

The summer window has mostly been the one where clubs typically do most of their business.

Underfire teams finally pick up maximum points

Leicester City, Stoke City and Derby County all picked up wins in midweek, as the pressure was eased on Russell Martin, Mark Robins and John Eustace respectively.

All three were expected to do well in their divisions but have struggled to adapt to life in this new campaign.

The Foxes were 2-0 victors over Plymouth Argyle, whilst Stoke battled to their first win of the season against Norwich City.

The Rams have been under a lot of pressure recently with issues arising from a failed takeover and also unrest within the club.

Injuries are also an issue with spells on the sidelines for key men such as Matt Clarke and Carlton Morris. John Eustace’s side picked up a much-needed win away against Portsmouth on Tuesday evening.

Whilst teams have started to pick up form, one team that is struggling is Preston North End with pressure continuing to mount on manager Paul Heckingbottom.

The manager was even more bemused when the club made a bizarre announcement of two new signings on the big screen in the ground during North End’s 3-1 loss at home to Bristol City.

Five games to look forward to this weekend

Swansea vs Wrexham is one to keep an eye on in the Championship, as the two Welsh sides face off for the first time this campaign.

The Swans have had a perfect start to the season winning three and drawing one of their four opening games.

Wrexham, meanwhile, have struggled to gain any form and sit towards the relegation places.

Another game that looks set to catch the eye is Stoke vs Charlton as the Potters host the Addicks.

Mark Robins’ side will be looking to build on that win against Norwich City and kickstart a tough start to the season, whilst Charlton will want to continue their own impressive start to the campaign.

In League One, top of the table Huddersfield Town host Notts County, as second-placed Sheffield Wednesday travel to Peterborough United with sides looking to keep their own great starts going.

Whilst the game of the weekend in League Two sees fourth-placed and unbeaten Crewe Alexandra host seventh-placed York City.

The Alex have won two and drawn two in their four games whilst the Minstermen have won two, drawn one and have one defeat to their name.

Have Lincoln City found a gem in Deji Elerewe

Lincoln City completed the signing of Deji back in January of this year and have had to be patient with the 22-year-old.

He did not make his debut until March in a game where he appeared from the bench during the 1-0 win against Exeter City.

His full debut would come towards the end of the season as the Imps played Wycombe Wanderers.

The former Bromley man has started all five games for Lincoln this campaign including the victory over Derby County in the Carabao Cup.

Deji has created a solid back three with fellow defenders Ryley Towler and most recently Callum Elder, himself signed from the Rams in the summer.

Deji has shown his defensive skills and solid tackling whilst also getting forward on both runs and at set pieces.

The 22-year-old has completed over 60% of his aerial duels and has a 100% cross success rate. He has also managed an impressive 70% pass accuracy (all stats FotMob)

Could it be that if Elerewe continues this sort of form and consistency, someone comes and puts in an offer that the Imps can’t refuse… the club have always said they won’t stand in a player’s way.

Six teams remain unbeaten in League Two

The start to the season in League Two has been kind to a sextuplet of clubs.

Barnet, Walsall, Crewe Alexandra, Tranmere Rovers, Grimsby Town and Fleetwood Town are all awaiting their first defeats of the campaign.

Whilst some of those six are sitting pretty with Barnet, Walsall and Crewe sitting second, third and fourth respectively, Tranmere, Grimsby and Fleetwood sit 10th, 11th and 12th.

The latter three have won one and drawn three whilst the former have won two and drawn two.

The entire division is set apart by just seven points, showing how difficult life is in a challenging division where anybody can hit form with just one or two wins. 

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