What Sunderland can expect in the Championship based on previous teams which have been promoted from League One

The Black Cats beat Wycombe 2-0 in the League One play-off final and players will now have some time off after a long and arduous campaign.

Still, Sunderland face a quick turnaround and the squad will be back at the Academy of Light for pre-season testing on June 22, before the start of the Championship campaign on July 30.

There will be several things to resolve over the next few months, with clear gaps in the squad which need addressing.

To get a better indication about the jump from League One to the Championship, we’ve taken a closer look at teams which have been promoted over the last three seasons and how they have fared in the second tier.

2018/19 season

Promoted automatically: Luton and Barnsley

Play-off winners: Charlton

Sunderland missed out on promotion via the play-offs three years ago, and a look at other teams’ performances suggests the Black Cats would have struggled in the Championship.

Luton and Barnsley narrowly avoided relegation the following season (the latter would have gone down if it wasn’t for Wigan’s points deduction), while Charlton were sent back to League One and have been stuck there ever since.

The progress made by Luton should give promoted teams encouragement, though, with the Hatters improving year on year following the return of Nathan Jones.

In the last three seasons Luton have finished 19th, 12th and 6th in the Championship – and were beaten in the play-off semi-final this campaign.

Jones has also kept Luton competitive on a tight budget, predominantly signing players on loan deals and free transfers.

Barnsley also surprised many by reaching the Championship play-offs in the 2020/21 season, with Valerien Ismael’s direct style catching a lot of opponents off guard.

The French boss left Oakwell last summer, though, and a lack of identity cost the Tykes as they were sent back down to League One this term.

2019/20 season

Promoted automatically: Coventry and Rotherham

Play-off winners: Wycombe

This was the season which was cut short by the Covid-19 pandemic, and the following campaign was predominantly played behind closed doors.

Few will have given Wycombe a chance in the Championship, yet, with a significantly reduced budget compared to other teams in the second tier, The Chairboys were relegated by a single point.

Gareth Ainsworth’s side almost bounced back immediately following their relegation to League One, before losing to Sunderland in the play-off final.

Rotherham were also relegated straight back to League One after being promoted two years ago, but were also stronger when they returned to the third tier.

Paul Warne’s side more than held their own during the 2020/21 Championship campaign and were unfortunate to have several games called off due to Covid-19 issues.

Despite a late wobble, Rotherham were a force to be reckoned with for much of this season and, with Warne at the helm, the Millers’ stability in the dugout is a big strength.

The same could be said of Coventry and Mark Robins, who rejoined the Sky Blues in March 2017.

After winning promotion from League One, Coventry made some shrewd signings to bring in Callum O'Hare on loan, who they have since signed permanently, and Gustavo Hamer for a fee exceeding £1million.

Striker Viktor Gyokeres was also brought in for just over £1million last summer and has netted 18 league goals this term.

After finishing 16th in their first year back in the Championship, Coventry finished 12th this season, and were even threatening to break into the play-offs at times.

2020/21 season

Promoted automatically: Hull and Peterborough

Play-off winners: Blackpool

Of the last three seasons, Blackpool are the only side to go up via the play-offs and survive in the Championship.

Despite picking up just two points from their first five games, the Tangerines rarely looked like getting dragged into a relegation scrap in the second half of the campaign as they recorded a 16th-place finish.

Under Neil Critchley, Blackpool had a better defensive record than most of the teams around them, while their goals were distributed around the squad.

Striker Shayne Lavery joined the club on a free transfer from Northern Irish club Linfield last summer and scored 10 Championship goals, while winger Josh Bowler was also a free agent from Everton and has also been a key player.

Full-back Jordan Lawrence-Gabriel, who was linked with Sunderland, was the club’s most expensive signing following Blackpool’s promotion, signing for a reported fee of just under £1million.

Hull were also able to survive after winning the League One title last year and finished 19th this season.

Encouragingly, most of Hull’s players who played regularly this term were at the club a year ago, with players such as Keane Lewis-Potter, George Honeyman and captain Richard Smallwood making the step up.

Now the club is under new ownership the Tigers could spend more money this summer, while the club parted company with Grant McCann in January and replaced him with Georgian boss Shota Arveladze.

On the flip side, Peterborough are an example of a club which hasn’t been able to maintain their Championship status – with the club finishing 22nd and four points from safety.

Attacking midfielder Joel Randall was Posh’s most expensive signing last summer, joining the club for a reported fee of over £1million, yet the 22-year-old made just 11 league appearances this season.

Peterbough’s woes were compounded by lengthy injury lay-offs to players such as Jack Taylor, Jonson Clarke-Harris, Jack Marriott, Mark Beevers, Ricky-Jade Jones and Kwame Poku.

Manager Darren Ferguson also resigned in February, with McCann taking charge at London Road.