Bookmakers have predicted the final Championship league table

The summer transfer window saw a flurry of activity in its closing days as Championship sides up and down the land scrambled to get late business done in an effort to give themselves the best chance for the long haul that awaits.

We may only be five games into the new campaign, but that means there’s still a long slog ahead for clubs, with 41 matches remaining in the quest to reach the promised land of the Premier League. There were varying degrees of success on the transfer front for clubs, with some struggling to get the players in they wanted, while Coventry City are relatively happy with the business they have done, even though Mark Robins wasn’t able to draft in a dynamic midfielder to help fill the void left by Gus Hamer.

Relegated sides Leicester City and Southampton have splashed the cash this summer and are the leading favorites to make a return to the top flight, followed by Leeds. It’s not all about how much you spend though, as we have seen in previous years and current leaders Preston North End, along with Ipswich Town will certainly hope that’s not the case.

Now that the window has closed, how has that affected the odds for promotion? Experts at Oddschecker are backing Leicester and Southampton to claim the automatic promotion places, with Leeds tipped for a place in the play-offs and the Sky Blues – Championship play-off finalists in May – set to narrowly miss out this time around.

The expected final Championship table, according to bookmakers

Leicester City – 5/2

Southampton – 11/2

Leeds United – 8/1

Ipswich – 10/1

Norwich – 12/1

West Brom – 25/1

—

Coventry City – 33/1

Watford – 33/1

Sunderland – 33/1

Preston – 40/1

Stoke City – 40/1

Millwall – 40/1

Birmingham City – 50/1

Middlesbrough – 50/1

Blackburn – 50/1

Hull City – 66/1

Bristol City – 66/1

Swansea – 125/1

Cardiff – 200/1

Plymouth – 250/1

Sheffield Wednesday – 250/1

Huddersfield – 500/1

QPR – 500/1

Rotherham – 1500/1