Championship 2022-23: How will Burnley, Watford and Norwich City fare?
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Vincent Kompany, Rob Edwards and Dean Smith have been tasked with leading Burnley, Watford and Norwich respectively back to the Premier League at the first attempt
The new Championship season gets under way on Friday, when Burnley travel to Huddersfield Town.
The Clarets, alongside fellow relegated sides Watford and Norwich City, will all be targeting an instant return to the Premier League - and not for the first time either.
Last time each of these clubs dropped into the second tier they all went back up at the first attempt, with the Hornets and the Canaries achieving the feat just two seasons ago.
You have to go a bit further back for when Burnley were last in the Championship, with Sean Dyche leading them to the title in 2016 - a year after also being in charge when they went down.
Norwich also opted for continuity two seasons ago, with Daniel Farke rewarding the club's loyalty by winning the division for a second time.
However this time, the Canaries are the only one of the three to start the new season with the same boss in the dugout in Dean Smith, with Burnley and Watford taking different approaches and recruiting new managers.
And with the transfer window still open for another five weeks, how well are the relegated trio prepared for the Championship season ahead?
Burnley
Who's in charge? Burnley have opted for a big name in Vincent Kompany to replace Dyche, who was sacked at Easter after nine and a half years in charge at Turf Moor, and lead a promotion challenge.
The former Manchester City captain, 36, is no stranger to English football, having won four Premier League titles, two FA Cups and four EFL Cups during more than a decade at the Etihad.
However, management in the Championship is new to the former Belgium international defender.
He joins the Clarets with three years in charge of Anderlecht behind him, leading them to third place in each of the past two seasons.
Scott Twine scored 20 goals and registered 13 assists as MK Dons reached the League One play-offs last season
What's the squad like? It's been a summer of change in Lancashire, with a number of high-profile departures, as Burnley adjust to the financial realities of being back in the second tier.
England goalkeeper Nick Pope has joined Newcastle, Nathan Collins and Dwight McNeil have moved to Wolves and Everton respectively for fees of around £20m each, and defensive stalwarts Ben Mee and James Tarkowski both left at the end of their contracts.
January signing Wout Weghorst has also joined Turkish side Besiktas on a season-long loan, while speculation continues to swirl around the future of another saleable asset in Maxwel Cornet.
There have been some new arrivals though, with one of League One's standout players of last season, forward Scott Twine, coming in from MK Dons, while defender Luke McNally has also joined from Oxford for a reported £1.6m.
Kompany has recruited two players he knows from Anderlecht in Republic of Ireland midfielder Josh Cullen and centre-back Taylor Harwood-Bellis, and has used his knowledge of Belgian football to sign midfielder Samuel Bastien from Standard Liege and Cercle Brugge's Brazilian full-back Vitinho.
His Manchester City connections have also helped to recruit goalkeeper Arijanet Muric and defender CJ Egan-Riley.
How will they fare?
BBC Radio Lancashire's Dan Jewell
It's the start of a new era for Burnley and nobody can be entirely sure what it's going to bring.
Vincent Kompany's arrival has energised a lot of fans and the summer transfer activity has seen a crop of younger players arrive at Turf Moor.
The manager himself has said he's in it for the long term and isn't thinking just in terms of this season.
But following Premier League relegation last year there must surely be pressure on the Clarets to return to the top flight as soon as possible.
Watford
Who's in charge? If Burnley have gone for the big name in Kompany, then Watford have opted for a relative rookie.
Rob Edwards has arrived at Vicarage Road with just one full season of managerial experience in the EFL behind him, leading Forest Green to the League Two title last term.
The 39-year-old former Wales and Wolves defender is the Hornets' eighth permanent manager in just over four years but comes with a reputation as a forward-thinking, personable manager garnered from his time in Gloucestershire and with England's youth teams.
In the past, Watford owner Gino Pozzo has been quick to change managers, but will Edwards be given the time and opportunity to buck that trend?
Keeping Emmanuel Dennis and Ismaila Sarr at Vicarage Road could be key to Watford's chances in 2022-23
What's the squad like? Edwards has ruled out doing "loads" of business this summer although there has been turnover, with veteran goalkeeper Ben Foster, midfielder Moussa Sissoko and forwards Cucho Hernandez, Andre Gray and Joshua King among those moving on.
Ivory Coast striker Vakoun Bayo and Albania forward Rey Manaj have come in from RSC Charleroi and Barcelona respectively to bolster the forward line, and experienced keeper Ben Hamer has also joined after leaving Swansea at the end of last season.
Most importantly, perhaps, for Watford is that they still have big hitters like Ismaila Sarr and Emmanuel Dennis on their books, both of whom will be a real handful for Championship defences if they stay beyond the 1 September transfer deadline.
How will they fare?
BBC Three Counties Radio sports editor Geoff Doyle
Watford supporters are really, really hoping Rob Edwards succeeds. The appointment of a young, hungry, ambitious British manager with experience and some success in the Football League is a move away from Watford's normal hiring of foreign - sometimes unknown - managers.
The last time the Hornets were relegated, Vladimir Ivic was chosen to coach the team. His replacement, just five months later, was another name we had to look up, Xisco Munoz.
Edwards did well at Forest Green in his first EFL management job but this is a big step up for him.
Signs have been encouraging so far. Teamwork, patience, trust and rebuilding have been early buzzwords. He exudes a positive, warm, fresh approach which is hugely encouraging.
The fans will hope he gets off to a good start and doesn't run into early trouble. The club say they want to change the culture of hiring and firing and want to create more stability at Vicarage Road. So if Edwards does have a tough period - which most managers do - will they stick by him? That will be the crunch point and when we will see if the owner and board are true to their word.
The fans want more stability too. They understood the model when the club was on the up and staying safe in the Premier League. But two recent relegations has seen them grow cold on the model and wanting change. The club seem to have responded.
Norwich City
Who's in charge? After the big name and the rookie comes the tried and tested Championship boss in Smith - the only one of the three to also have been in charge last season, after replacing Farke in November.
Although 51-year-old Smith's aim was to keep Norwich up last season, his appointment was arguably with one eye to the future given the side were five points adrift of safety and had won only one game when he took over.
The former Walsall boss has plenty of managerial experience in the second tier, helping establish Brentford as a force in the division before leading Aston Villa to promotion in the 2019 Championship play-off final.
Teemu Pukki (right) scored 26 goals as Norwich won the Championship title two seasons ago
What's the squad like? Full of proven Championship performers who know what it takes to win promotion from the division.
Striker Teemu Pukki has scored more than 50 goals during the Canaries' past two seasons at this level to fire them to the title both times and, in keeper Tim Krul and captain Grant Hanley, they boast plenty of experience through the spine of the team.
That has been bolstered further by the loan arrival of Isaac Hayden from Newcastle, while the signing of Brazilian midfielder Gabriel Sara from Sao Paulo should help add a creative spark.
How will they fare?
BBC Radio Norfolk's Norwich commentator Chris Goreham
Dean Smith could do with a good start in the Championship to help heal the scars of another meek relegation.
Smith inherited a squad that was already struggling and, by his own admission, the priority was to fight fires rather than impose his own stamp on the team.
He won't have the same mitigation this season. Norwich have players that aren't just tried and tested in the Championship but are proven promotion winners.
Adding Isaac Hayden to a squad that already includes Teemu Pukki, Max Aarons, Grant Hanley and Tim Krul, to name just a few, means they start among the favourites for promotion.
Gabriel Sara, the Brazilian midfielder, is an intriguing signing. There are also a host of players like Todd Cantwell, Danel Sinani and Jordan Hugill who were loaned out last season and could be like new signings if Smith can unlock their undoubted potential.