The EFL League One season is quickly approaching with the campaign set to kick off in just under two weeks. As is natural, some fans have been arguing over who the promotion favorites are in the league and who will actually get promoted come next May.
With this being said, join us as we go through our EFL League One promotion predictions.
Luton Town
Firstly, we’d like to start with the bookie’s favourites Luton Town. Having just come off the back of back-to-back relegations, the Hatters will be hoping for a positive season and an instant return to the EFL Championship under Matt Bloomfield who was appointed in January.
Luton, who only just two years ago we’re preparing for life in the Premier League, now find themselves preparing for a season in the third tier of English football.
The Hatters have been very active in the summer transfer window making numerous signings in the hope of making it back to the EFL Championship at the first attempt.
One notable signing the Hatters have made is Nakhi Wells who has scored 174 goals in the EFL.
The striker joins after a five-and-a-half-year spell at Bristol City who reached the EFL Championship play-offs last season before losing to Sheffield United.
Matt Bloomfield said, “He’s someone with extreme know-how and a real desire to go and score goals.”
Another key signing Luton have made is Hakeem Odoffin. The 27-year-old was Rotherham United’s 2024/25 player of the season and joins after he turned down a new contract he was offered by the South Yorkshire club. Speaking on Odoffin, Matt Bloomfield said “Hakeem is a real leader and someone I have been aware of for a number of years.”
The last signing I would like to talk about is 22-year-old Dutchman Nigel Lonwijk who the Hatters have brought in on a season-long loan from Premier League side Wolverhampton Wanderers.
The Dutchman was previously on loan at Plymouth Argyle when Argyle won the League One title in the 2022/23 season which will be very encouraging for the Luton fans onlooking. The former Dutch youth international also has experience with EFL League One sides Huddersfield Town and Wycombe Wanderers.
Huddersfield Town
The next team I believe stand a great chance of returning to the Championship is Huddersfield Town who have come off the back of a disappointing campaign last season where the Terriers finished tenth and missed out on the play-offs.
Manager Lee Grant was appointed at the end of last season and will be the man to lead the Terriers into the upcoming season with high hopes of success.
To give themselves the best chance of being successful, Grant has made some experienced signings. Firstly, and most recently, Town confirmed the star signing of Alfie May who has joined from Birmingham City for an estimated fee of over £1 million.
May had 24 goal contributions in Birmingham City’s record-breaking promotion season last campaign. He also has 89 EFL League One career goals showing that he is a player who can perform at the top end of the third tier.
May said “It’s no secret that this is a club that I’ve come close to joining in the past, and I’m really pleased the opportunity has come again to become a Town player.”
Another experienced signing the Terriers have made is Marcus Harness on a free transfer from Ipswich Town. The 29-year-old joined the Tractor Boys the summer before their back-to-back promotions and played a key role in both promotion campaigns.
Harness operates comfortably in various positions in the final third and is arguably a great signing for the club. Lee Grant said, “I’m delighted to add Marcus to the squad this early in the summer and keep our momentum building.”
Bolton Wanderers
My final pick is Bolton Wanderers who have been stuck in League One for longer than they would have liked. The Whites are a former Premier League club who have flirted with promotion in the third tier in recent years but have never quite manged to make it happen. Wanderers’ manager Steven Schumacher has made some young dynamic signings to add to his squad.
Firstly, the Whites have signed Thierry Gale from Austrian side Rapid Vienna for a reported fee of £750,000. The Lower Tiers exclusively revealed that the Gale was set to sign for the Wanderers on the day of his signing a couple of weeks ago.
Gale scored 12 goals in 35 appearances for Dila Gori in the Georgian topflight which firstly prompted interest from Rapid Vienna. Gale said “I’m very happy to be here. Bolton are a huge club; I have always wanted to play in England.”
The next standout signing that Bolton have made is 22-year-old Xavier Simons for an estimated fee of £350,000 from Hull City. Simons is a former England youth international and has experience at this level through his time at Wycombe Wanderers and Fleetwood Town. Furthermore, the young talent made 20 appearances for Hull in the 2024/25 EFL Championship season scoring two goals.
When speaking on Simons, Steven Schumacher stated: “It’s great to get Xavier on board. He’s got the qualities and the hunger we look for in a midfielder.”
Through looking at their squad, we can see that Bolton have a good mix of youth and experience within their squad that their fans will hope to combine for a successful season for the Whites.
Thank you for reading our EFL League One promotion predictions. If you have feedback on this article or the author’s opinion, comment them below.
