Football Season Guide

Paul Warne will be hoping to record a third promotion with Rotherham United as they look to bounce straight back following relegation from the Championship. The Millers were relegated from the second tier of English football in 2017 but Warne took them straight back up in his first full season in charge in 2018. Relegation followed in 2019 and they were promoted again in 2020. The pattern continued last season and Warne will be hoping that history repeats itself yet again. Many supporters feel a change is needed after failing to stay up however owner Tony Stewart remains loyal to his manager, recognising the stability he has brought to the New York Stadium. Warne has kept most of his squad together this summer with the key departure that of goalscoring midfielder Matt Crooks. He has joined Championship side Middlesbrough for a fee that could rise to £1m. The loss of loan midfielder Lewis Wing, who has returned to Boro, will also be keenly felt. Central-defensive partners Angus MacDonald and Michael Ihiekwe and strikers Freddie Ladapo and Michael Smith were regulars last season and are likely to play a crucial role again in any success that comes their way. It has been a quiet summer so far with just one addition in versatile midfielder Shane Ferguson. Warne is likely to be busy in the transfer window right up until it closes at the end of August and, if he can make the right additions, they will be challenging for promotion once more.