That's a wrap for our big season build-up...

With every club reviewed it's time for the main event as we kick off the 2024-25 EFL season.

So head to our live coverage of tonight's four opening fixtures here.

And enjoy the season!

Steve Hermon
Reporter, BBC Radio WM

Image source, Rex Features

Despite American businessman Shilen Patel’s era having begun in February, the spectre of previous owner Guochuan Lai’s reign still hangs over The Hawthorns as West Bromwich Albion head into the new season – and the club’s financial situation continues to dominate fan chatter.

After guiding the Baggies to a top-six place last season, boss Carlos Corberan, who was linked with a few jobs during the summer, has already described the upcoming campaign as his "hardest challenge".

We’ve seen quite a large clear-out of last season’s squad, with 10 players having departed – a necessity as the club aim to avoid a breach of EFL financial rules, knowing that the next set of financial losses will be higher than the last.

High wage earner Matt Phillips was among those released, while Albion cashed in on Okay Yokuslu, top scorer Brandon Thomas-Asante and vice-captain Conor Townsend, all of whom were in the last year of their contracts. Player of the year Cedric Kipre was arguably the biggest loss after the expiration of his deal.

The replacements are largely untested at this level. Malian midfielder Ousmane Diakite, Norwegian defender Torbjorn Heggem, Italian left-back Gianluca Frabotta, Villa winger Lewis Dobbin and Devante Cole, who, at the age of 29, has only got one season of second tier football on his CV. But Karlan Grant is back from a loan with Cardiff, with the hope that Corberan can work his magic, as he did with Kipre and Alex Mowatt.

The fact Corberan is still guiding the ship is the biggest positive but whether he can replicate last season’s achievements remains to be seen. It could well be a season in transition with the hope that Albion simply stay within the financial rules.

Geoff Doyle
BBC Three Counties Radio sport

Image source, Rex Features

It was always likely to be a tricky summer for Watford with the Premier League parachute payments now over.

The Hornets would have been banking on promotion in the two years of receiving it but they never got close on either occasion and so become one of the ‘normal’ Championship clubs.

That makes life even more difficult reflected in what has so far been a frustrating summer in the transfer market with talented midfielder Ismael Kone leaving and marquee attacker Yaser Asprilla about to follow him out the door which will seriously affect Watford’s attacking threat.

There is also concern that player of the season defender Wes Hoedt could go too. The club will make a big chunk of cash selling these two or three but not much of it will get spent on new signings.

Veteran Moussa Sissoko is back and will fight for the cause and young striker Rocco Vata has shown signs of promise pre-season while others in have been loans and freebies.

Watford fans are rightly cheesed off with the seeming lack of ambition from the owner but fears of relegation seem wide of the mark.

Much is now going to rest on the shoulders of attacker Giorgi Chakvetadze who had a good Euros. Impressive young coach Tom Cleverley could do with more help from the board but I’d expect another mid-table season for the Hornets.

Rob Phillips
BBC Wales Football Correspondent on BBC Radio Wales

Image source, Rex Features

Patience might be the watchword for Swansea City fans. Luke Williams’ squad looks short of numbers heading into the new Championship campaign, but there is still time in the transfer window.

Williams goes into his first full campaign in charge with a decent looking first XI but few back-up resources after 13 departures this summer.

Replacing their three top scorers from last season, is the priority and the Swans have drafted in Slovenian Euro 2024 striker Zan Vipotnik signed from troubled Bordeaux.

Former Burnley keeper Lawrence Vigouroux will fill the shoes of last term’s excellent loanee Carl Rushworth while the Swans have gone global to secure Portuguese central midfielder Goncalo Franco and a rising talent in Korean winger Eom Ji-Sung.

Williams will hope Brazilian winger Ronald will build on the promise he has shown since his January arrival. Ensuring influential ex-Wales ace Joe Allen gets and stays fit will be a boon. Matt Grimes will again be a pivotal figure.

Williams has returned to the traditional Swansea way of playing, which has pleased fans. Now he must hope the owners deliver him the resources for the team to improve on last season’s 14th place.

Listen to coverage of Swansea City across the BBC on Radio Wales, Radio Cymru, online and on Sounds.

Nick Barnes
BBC Newcastle's Sunderland commentator

Image source, Rex Features

The wave of enthusiasm which has accompanied Sunderland’s home and away kit launches has masked a reserve among fans about the upcoming season.

The all too familiar call for a striker has become the soundtrack to pre-season.

Eliezer Mayenda has persevered. His commitment is unquestionable but his lack of experience is palpable. Nazariy Rusyn has played a bit part and Hemir looks set for a loan move.

It’s not for want of trying if the rumours are to be believed with Alexandre Mendy’s agent at Caen claiming his client is desperate to come to Wearside. But Ike Ugbo and other potential prospects have signed elsewhere and fans are frustrated.

Pre-season has, despite the striker worries, gone reasonably well. The club seems well placed to keep hold of its talented young players although the chances are Jack Clarke will depart at some point. Dan Ballard, Dan Neil, Anthony Patterson and Trai Hume all look likely to stay and the welcome addition of Alan Browne adds some much wanted experience to midfield. Hopefully Ian Poveda isn’t as brittle as his history suggests.

It's too early to say whether Regis Le Bris has got what it takes but his ambitions for an attacking style will be tested if a number nine fails to arrive.

Matt Sandoz
BBC Radio Stoke sports editor

Image source, Rex Features

Just like the last six seasons that have gone before, every Stoke City supporter is hoping that this is the year the club finds its feet and pushes for a return to the Premier League.

The reality though is somewhat different. From the Boothen End to the new safe standing zone, everyone is just wanting Stoke to be more competitive and better.

One reason for optimism is how Steven Schumacher’s side ended last season, as Stoke signed off with three consecutive wins, three clean sheets and eight goals - performances that left the fans thinking things will be better.

Player of the season Bae Junho has had 12 months of adjusting to English football. What impact will he make with more expectation on him? And it looks like Schumacher has strengthened at the back by bringing in one of the Championship's best goalkeepers Viktor Johansson and the experience of Ben Gibson at centre-half.

The big question remains over who scores the goals? Tyrese Campbell has moved on, for multiple reasons Ryan Mmaee hasn’t found his stride in the Championship and it’ll be interesting to see how new signing Sam Gallagher fits in.

Stoke are still short on numbers and quality, but things could look very different in a couple of weeks. This summer will be the biggest test so far for sporting director Jon Walters as he and new head of recruitment, Lee Darnbrough, go about helping Schumacher build a team that can be consistently competitive in the Championship.

Rob Staton
BBC Radio Sheffield

Image source, Rex Features

What a difference a year makes.

Sheffield Wednesday are in a totally different place since last summer. They have a manager in Danny Röhl that has become a Hillsborough icon.

They got most of their transfer business done early. I spent time at their two pre-season camps and saw the team working hard on their playing style and shape.

Everything is set up for a very different season, having only stayed up on the final day last time.

The main reason for that was the impact of Röhl, a young manager destined for big things. If you visit Hillsborough this season, you’ll hear the supporters loudly singing his name to the tune of Boney M’s ‘Daddy Cool’.

Supporters have started to believe anything is possible with the German in charge.

You can listen to commentaries on Sheffield Wednesday throughout the season on BBC Radio Sheffield and have your say on your club every weeknight on Football Heaven.

Andy Giddings
BBC Sheffield sports editor

Patience is vital for Sheffield United.

The revamp is significant after their Premier League relegation and the protracted, proposed, takeover of the club has led to transfer delays.

Even if said takeover happens in time in this transfer window, and the signs of that are said to be positive, it’s seemingly inevitable that Chris Wilder’s squad will be under strength at the start of the season.

It’s also easy to think the January window will be just as significant as the current one, if not more so.

This summer the build-up has been to a campaign where promotion will and should be the aim. More positively, Wilder has the know-how with four previous promotions on his CV – two with the Blades – and the squad already has several promotion winners in it, plus there are some great emerging young stars, first among them Oli Arblaster who looks a top talent.

There’s no reason to be dismissive of promotion talk with Sheffield United but it may be a season they have to grow into.

Image source, Rex Features

Phil Parry
BBC Radio London

Image source, Getty Images

The arrival of Marti Cifuentes at Queens Park Rangers last season proved to be a hugely galvanising moment both on and off the pitch last season. Performances improved, the style of football became more pleasing on the eye, and belief grew in the stands.

With a full pre-season and some work in the transfer window there was a growing feeling that the R’s could be pushing upwards in the right direction this season.

The warm up games have been against challenging opposition and while goals have been scarce the manager has been positive about what he has seen.

The impact that new signing the Slovenia international striker Zan Celar will make is going to be interesting along with a couple of other transfer tweaks made by the west Londoners.

But as with last year one key area will be the head coach. Cifuentes has already proven his worth on the training ground and dug out and attracted attention, but his continued presence in Shepherds Bush will be important.

Gary Hunt
BBC Radio Lancashire Sport

After several seasons of mid-table finishes, many North End fans will be sceptical about the prospects of any marked improvement in the upcoming campaign.

Last season saw the club finish in a respectable 10th place and with a handful of games left they still had an outside chance of a late dash to the play-offs but the inconsistency that has hampered their progress in recent seasons cost them dearly again.

That, alongside the departure of long serving club talisman Alan Browne has given the home faithful some cause for concern.

The signings of midfielders Stefan Thordarson and Sam Greenwood in early July have only been followed by wing-back Kaine Kesler-Hayden from Aston Villa on Wednesday.

Given the club’s admission that they need more defensive cover, it remains a worrying scenario for the Deepdale club.

Thordarson reportedly cost £800,000 and along with Greenwood and last year’s star buy Mads Frokjaer it is hoped they can provide the creativity that has been so badly lacking in recent seasons.

Image source, Rex Features

Ian Wilding
Commentator, BBC Radio Solent

Image source, Rex Features

Excitement's in the air at Portsmouth going into their first ever Championship season for 12 years.

Recent performances in pre-season have been flat and concerns have grown from supporters about the strength in depth of the squad.

Those worries have been eased though this week with the addition of 34-year-old Matt Ritchie following his release from Newcastle United, coming back to his boyhood club 13 years after leaving Fratton Park, while ex-QPR midfielder Andre Dozzell arrived on Monday.

I’ve seen a few people predicting Pompey to finish 15th/16th, but I think staying up would be a success to start with considering it’s their first campaign back in the second tier for more than a decade.

It would give them something to build on and hopefully be the first step towards becoming an established Championship team in the future.

A bit of breaking transfer news for you.

We've just had Hull City's preview and Mike White spoke about them making two signings this week... Well, make that three!

The Tigers have JUST added Canada international winger Liam Millar for an undisclosed fee from Basel.

Brent Pilnick
BBC Sport

Image source, Rex Features

All the summer talk has surrounded Argyle’s new boss Wayne Rooney – can this be the club where his managerial career really takes off after previous spells in the Championship with Derby County and Birmingham City?

Having stayed up last season on the final day at Birmingham’s expense, Argyle will be hoping to improve after a second half of the season that saw their results plummet under Ian Foster’s brief time in charge.

Key to their success will be the goals and assists of Morgan Whittaker – if Argyle can keep him. He was the subject of interest from Lazio in January and Rangers have also been trying to prise away last season’s 20-goal top scorer.

Eddie Odhiambo
Former Oxford defender, BBC Radio Oxford

Last season peaked with a euphoric promotion. Manager Des Buckingham’s domestic success cemented his burgeoning reputation. Retaining his services and staving off a relegation fight against the Championship heavyweights are United’s biggest challenges.

With shrewd player recruitment the squad has balance and competition.

Louie Sibley and Will Vaulks are experienced, robust players who will share the load with the talismanic, Swiss Army knife of a midfielder Cameron Brannagan.

The strategy behind the scenes is working.

Oxford have made habit of signing players who are low risk gambles that have hit the jackpot. Joe Bennett and Owen Dale spring to mind. Another is Mark Harris who has earned the opportunity to be a Championship centre forward again.

Twenty-five years is a long time to wait for second-tier football. If home form matters, they’ll have to, however reluctantly, make the Kassam Stadium their fortress. As they prepare for life in a new league, hopefully this season will also bring news of a new stadium to host Championship football in the campaigns to come.

Image source, Rex Features

Chris Goreham
BBC Radio Norfolk commentator

Image source, Rex Features

Last season Norwich City made the play-offs, didn’t lose a home game after 5 November and extended their unbeaten run against Ipswich Town to 15 years.

But it didn’t feel like a successful season.

Many supporters were unconvinced by head coach David Wagner and new sporting director Ben Knapper shared their concerns.

After replacing Stuart Webber midway through last season Knapper, who was previously loans manager at Arsenal, has set about stamping his mark on a club that can no longer rely on Premier League parachute payments. A challenge underlined by the need to sell Brazilian midfielder Gabriel Sara to Galatasaray.

Their third straight season outside the top flight sees 35-year old Dane Johannes Hoff Thorup in charge. He has promised a quicker, more dynamic style of play and to develop young talent from the Canaries’ academy.

Much will depend on how smartly Knapper can recruit and whether key players like Jonathan Rowe or Josh Sargent follow Sara out of Carrow Road before the end of August.

The Canaries enter the new season feeling like a work in progress.

You can hear full commentary of every Norwich City game on BBC Radio Norfolk FM, DAB and Freeview.

Phil Parry
BBC Radio London

Image source, Rex Features

Millwall have again this summer had to deal with heartache following the awful news of the sudden death of goalkeeper Matija Sarkic in early June, coming a year after the tragic loss of former owner and chairman John Berylson. The club will pay tribute to Sarkic ahead of their opening fixture at home to Watford.

The Lions thrive on their closeness and collectivity and have again reached into that well to cope with the challenges that the close season has confronted them with. That DNA is something that Neil Harris knows well and he used it to great effect in the back end of last season to steer the club to safety and galvanise the home form.

The transfer market has been quiet and I am sure that some more additions will be on the agenda so they go into the new campaign with a familiar looking squad.

It might mean that again they fly a little under the radar but as defender Shaun Hutchinson told us at BBC Radio London, that is something they can actually use in a positive way.

Mark Drury
BBC Radio Tees commentator

Image source, Rex Features

Last season’s promotion hopes were torpedoed by a dreadful start to the season when Michael Carrick’s side failed to win any of their first seven games and also lost talisman Chuba Akpom to Ajax.

His goals were always going to be missed but Boro fans have taken a new hitman to their hearts in Emmanuel Latte Lath. After a slow start he found his form and ended his debut season with 18 goals.

Boro’s run to the League Cup semi-finals was a remarkable achievement given a staggering injury list and they ended strongly with just one defeat in their last 12.

Key players Hayden Hackney and Rav van den Berg have been retained while Riley McGree has signed a new four-year deal. Additions have also been made in the shape of Dutch forward Delano Burgzorg and American midfielder Aidan Morris. Changes have also been made behind the scenes as the club try to improve last season’s horrendous injury record.

Boro remain keen to do more business before the window shuts as they look to return to the Premier League for the first time since 2016.

Start the season strongly and Boro fans will back Carrick to get them over the line.

You can listen to commentary of every Boro game on BBC Radio Tees Sport 95FM and Freeview Channel 714.

Simon Oxley
BBC Three Counties Radio

Image source, Rex Features

Losing player of the season Ross Barkley was not a surprise, and fellow midfielder Sambi Lokonga was only on loan from Arsenal, so those departures were expected.

Much will depend on how many of those, who despite relegation made a name for themselves last season, stay at Kenilworth Road. The likes of Teden Mengi, Alfie Doughty, Tahith Chong and Elijah Adebayo have all been linked with moves elsewhere.

Boosted by the Premier League revenue there's no pressure to sell, and many fans will expect some spending.

A number of players are also yet to resume following injuries which kept them out for lengthy spells last season. If everyone stays, and others get fit, they will have a squad more than capable of challenging for an immediate return.

That will turn the focus onto manager Rob Edwards whose leadership impressed so many in the top flight. He knows the pressure will be on to get back there, despite Luton in many ways still punching above their weight.

Adam Pope
BBC Radio Leeds commentator

Image source, Rex Features

As soon as the whistle blew at Wembley to confirm the play-off final defeat by Southampton, it felt inevitable that Archie Gray and Crysencio Summerville would not start another season in the Championship for Leeds United.

Gray went quickly to Spurs for £40m and Summerville’s £25m departure for West Ham means there remains time in the window to bring in another winger.

A full-back and a midfielder to add to the arrivals of Jayden Bogle and Joe Rothwell would be preferable too. I expect further signings to be made.

Manager Daniel Farke has had the advantage of a full pre-season, unlike last year, and whilst a 100% record in terms of results helps, it appears that team bonding has been enhanced around raft building and go-karting whilst in Germany.

I feel this campaign may see United have a less talented squad but one more designed to secure promotion by functioning as a unit rather than relying on individual brilliance.

Defender Joe Rodon’s return on a permanent basis, despite Premier League interest, is a testament to what Farke is building.

Key areas include more goal contributions from midfield and if Rothwell and Brenden Aaronson can supplement Dan James, Willy Gnonto and Georginio Rutter, then I feel Leeds will be challenging for the top two spots again.

Keeping hold of Gnonto is important but if I was to pick out a player to watch then it would be young striker Mateo Joseph, who has already set his stall out by saying this is his season.

After announcing himself with two goals at Chelsea in the FA Cup he has bided his time and proved this summer that he is worthy of leading the line.

Hear every Leeds United game on BBC Radio Leeds 92.4FM this season.

Mike White
BBC Radio Humberside sports editor

Image source, Rex Features

All change this summer with Liam Rosenior replaced by German head coach Tim Walter and key players Jacob Greaves, Jaden Philogene and Ozan Tufan among a large number of departures if you include returning loanees, several of whom played a significant part in their seventh-placed finish.

Add to that a slow-burner approach as far as incomings with full-backs Ryan Giles, Cody Drameh and midfielder Marvin Mehlem eventually followed this week by two more - keeper Anthony Racioppi and winger Liam Miller from Basel on permanent deals Man City centre-back Finley Burns - on Thursday and Friday respectively.

However, Giles (signed after an initial loan due to an obligation to buy) – has been linked with a relatively swift departure to former loan side Middlesbrough, although owner Acun Ilicali moved to play that down this week.

For some fans, they’ve been concerned and/or frustrated (can probably include Walter himself in the latter although this week’s additions seem to have lifted his mood) whilst some maintain belief the club will come good by deadline day but right now, it’s tough to predict what City’s season will look like.