Five Championship players out of contract this summer with important decisions required

Add as preferred source on Google

The Championship season is in its final straight, with just over a month of the campaign to go.

There’s still so much to play for, with both the promotion and relegation races seeing multiple teams separated by just a few points.

However, you can’t afford to be too short term in football no matter the stakes – and clubs will already be planning for next season, regardless of what division they end up in.

Position	Team	Played MP	Won W	Drawn D	Lost L	For GF	Against GA	Diff GD	Points Pts
1	Sheff UtdSheffield Utd	39	26	7	6	56	29	27	83
2	LeedsLeeds	38	23	11	4	76	25	51	80
3	BurnleyBurnley	38	21	15	2	52	11	41	78
4	SunderlandSunderland	38	19	12	7	55	37	18	69
5	CoventryCoventry	39	17	8	14	56	51	5	59
6	West BromWest Brom	38	13	18	7	48	34	14	57
7	Bristol CityBristol City	38	14	15	9	49	41	8	57
8	MiddlesbroughMiddlesbrough	38	15	9	14	57	48	9	54

Position	Team	Played MP	Won W	Drawn D	Lost L	For GF	Against GA	Diff GD	Points Pts
18	Oxford UnitedOxford United	38	10	12	16	39	55	-16	42
19	Hull CityHull City	38	10	11	17	39	47	-8	41
20	Stoke CityStoke City	38	9	12	17	37	51	-14	39
21	CardiffCardiff	38	9	12	17	42	62	-20	39
22	DerbyDerby	38	10	8	20	40	51	-11	38
23	LutonLuton	38	9	8	21	34	60	-26	35
24	PlymouthPlymouth	38	7	12	19	40	77	-37	33

Recruitment is such a crucial part of success in football, with a coherent squad building plan putting teams in the best possible position to do well.

Part of that means dealing with the players already at the club. More and more often now, footballers are running down their contracts in order to get the best possible deals for themselves.

It’s also a facet of the Championship that clubs who bounce between the division and the Premier League may be more cautious with contract renewals in case they’re stung financially.

It all leads to a variety of players seeing their deals run down, leaving openings for other clubs to possibly take advantage.

These are five Championship players who are currently out of contract this summer.

CJ Egan-Riley

Burnley defender CJ Egan-Riley has played a massive role in the Clarets’ record-breaking defensive effort this year.

Partnered up with Maxime Esteve, Burnley have conceded just 11 goals this season – including an astonishing run of clean sheets that lasted for 12 games.

They became the first team in the entire history of England’s second tier to keep 10 clean sheets in a row, before extending it by a couple more.

However, despite this Egan-Riley is set to be out of contract this summer. He’d joined the Clarets on a free transfer from Manchester City in July 2022.

It was only this season where the 22-year-old made his first league start for the club, having been sent out on loan to Hibernian and PSV in the last two January windows prior to this year.

But under Scott Parker’s management, Egan-Riley has been an ever-present and his performances have seen his market value rocket from £1.25m in December 2024 to £11.7m currently, according to Transfermarkt.

Fortunately for Burnley, Egan-Riley confirmed to BBC Radio Lancashire he has no intention of going anywhere else: “Of course I would like to stay. I’m loving my football at the moment.”

“This season has really opened my eyes to Burnley,” he added. “Before this season I had had a tough time and I probably didn’t feel that way towards the club, but this season has really opened my eyes to it and I now have a real strong connection to the club and I’m enjoying my football.”

The defender also told the radio station his future has already been discussed internally: “I’ve spoken to people about my contract in the last few months but I’ve had the same message all along, which is: ‘I’ve got a job to do this season’.”

Rhian Brewster

Sheffield United striker Rhian Brewster’s five-year deal at the club runs out this year, after joining for £23.5m from Liverpool in October 2020.

Brewster has had a mixed time at The Blades, in a spell that’s featured both Premier League and Championship action.

In 110 games, he’s scored just nine goals and made four assists. It’s not a great return considering the price paid for the forward, but he has also suffered from multiple serious injury setbacks.

Having showed early Championship promise on loan at Swansea City, scoring 10 goals in the 2019/20 season, he’s yet to score more than four goals in a single campaign since then.

However, his seven goal involvements this season suggest he’s on the up. He’s also managed to play 30 games so far, the most he’s played in an entire year for Sheffield United.

The Liverpool youth product also scored the decisive goal in The Blades’ 1-0 victory in the Sheffield derby before the international break.

Sheffield United manager Chris Wilder confirmed to The Star that discussions have begun over extending Brewster’s contract.

Wilder showed his personal support for the striker, who he signed for the club in his previous spell in charge, as he spoke about the 24-year-old bagging the winner in the derby.

“He’s had a tough time. He’s had to receive criticism. I’m a big backer and a big fan of him, and I’ve told you all along about his injuries and how difficult it has been for him. So it was really a massive reward, a moment like that, to savour, for him.”

“I’m sure he can kick on now,” the manager added. “Be lucky with injuries and stay healthy. He does everything he can do to stay healthy, by the way; he lives his life in a proper and professional way.”

Junior Firpo

Leeds United full back Junior Firpo is out of contract in the summer after four years at the club.

He signed from Barcelona for £13m in July 2021, and has been divisive figure in Yorkshire ever since.

Joining the club when they were in the Premier League, he struggled to nail down a starting spot before Leeds were relegated at the end of the 2022/23 season.

The left back played a lot more in his first season in the Championship, even managing an impressive eight assists.

However, his skills going forwards have never been in question for the Elland Road side. His defensive displays have been a source of frustration for fans, particularly in the 2023/24 season.

This season has seen a lot more consistency from the 28-year-old, with a string of impressive displays leading to calls from fans for his contract renewal to be a ‘priority’ for the club.

Leeds United fans have even been suggesting Junior Firpo could be used in a different position.

There’s been no official word from Leeds or manager Daniel Farke on Firpo’s contract, but if he keeps his current performances up then he could give them a serious decision to make.

Josh Brownhill

Burnley midfielder Josh Brownhill is a high profile Championship player that’s out of contract this summer.

The 29-year-old has been a key player in both of The Clarets’ recent Championship campaigns, leading them to the title in 2022/23 and hoping to get them up again this year.

He’s already bettered his 2022/23 tally of seven goals and eight assists with 13 goals and four assists this year, and in doing so has attracted some interest in the transfer market.

Josh Brownhill could leave Burnley for Monaco or a Premier League side, especially if the Turf Moor outfit fail to achieve promotion back into the top divison.

The Manchester United youth product has opened up about his future in an interview with the Burnley Express: “It’s an important season for us all and we’ve got one goal: to get promoted out of this league and that’s my full focus. After that, we’ll decide.”

When asked if promotion is the crucial factor in sealing his signature, he said: “I think there’s a lot of other factors. It’s not just that factor, there’s a lot of other things that go into it. But yes, our goal is to get promoted and we’ll sort it from there.”

With a market value of nearly £11m according to Transfermarkt, Brownhill would be a big loss for the club if he left on a free transfer.

Tyrhys Dolan

Blackburn Rovers winger Tyrhys Dolan is out of contract in the summer after five years at the club.

The 23-year-old has been an ever-present for the Lancashire club, racking up 23 goals and 21 assists in 202 games.

Unfortunately for Rovers, it’s looking more and more likely he’ll leave the club on a free in the summer as the clock ticks down with no apparent movement on a new contract.

The last update came in February from former manager John Eustace – before his controversial move to Derby County.

Asked about the winger’s future at Blackburn, he told the Lancashire Telegraph: “Ty is someone that I’ve said that the club should look to extend his contract. He’s 22, with a lot, nearly 100 games possibly under his belt, whatever it is. That’s very sought-after.”

“I think his level of performances for Blackburn, since I’ve been here, have been very good and he’s still developing. He’s still a young player and he’s going to have a big future.”

Fans will have to hope Eustace doesn’t come calling if he avoids relegation, though Opta’s supercomputer predicts Derby County will be relegated at the end of the campaign.