It is being cited as a 'doomsday scenario', but reports emerged this week that Championship sides are considering the possibility of group administration to avoid financial disaster.
With all professional football in the UK currently suspended due to coronavirus, the Daily Mail have reported that owners and chief executives in the second tier of English football have had conversations over a process known as group administration, which is being considered as a nightmare scenario.
The radical move would involve all 24 clubs going into administration on the same day and all players would become free agents, with staff temporarily let go, with each owner buying the club back and negotiating new contracts.
Unlikely? Yes, very.
But while such an extreme measure is even considered a possibility amid all the uncertainty, we take a look at the best Championship talent that would be available as a free agent should the unthinkable happen.
Ollie Watkins
Named EFL Player of the Year at the London Football Awards, 24-year-old Ollie Watkins has netted 22 goals in the Championship for Brentford this season and turned heads in the top flight.
Already linked with the likes of Tottenham Hotspur, West Ham United and Crystal Palace, the forward could launch an almighty scramble for his services were he to become a free agent this summer, while he has previously said his dream would be to play for Arsenal.
Goal-shy Palace could certainly do with his services, having averaged less than a goal a game this season yet amassing 39 points and looking set for Premier League football again next season.
Sebastian Haller has struggled to follow up on his early promise for West Ham, and Watkins could certainly challenge the Frenchman for the number nine spot up top in east London.
And were Harry Kane to move, could Watkins become the main man at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium?
Whatever happens this summer, free agent or not, he’ll be a man in demand.
Nathan Ferguson
West Brom defender Nathan Ferguson has emerged as one of the Championship’s brightest stars this season as West Bromwich Albion boss Slaven Bilic gave him a chance at the back.
A series of impressive performances in the first half of the campaign have shown Ferguson to be a versatile full-back, capable of playing on the left and right, offering a strong defensive presence while also grabbing an assist and a goal at the other end.
Crystal Palace almost signed him in January but the move collapsed due to a knee problem found in his medical.
Palace remain confident of a deal this summer, but as a free agent, Ferguson could be a risk worth taking for any top side.
Eberechi Eze
One of the standout performers in the Championship this season and a superstar for Queens Park Rangers.
The kind of player that generates stadium noise whenever he’s on the ball, Eze is a playmaker with an eye for the exceptional, fine control, a killer pass and plenty of pace.
With Dani Ceballos on his way out of Arsenal, they could certainly do worse than landing Eze to fill that hole in midfield. He can also chip in with a goal, having grabbed 11 in the league this season.
Clubs will clamber for his contract this summer, free agent or not. The Sun report that Tottenham are already favourites to sign him.
Luke Ayling
Leeds’ right-back has become an indispensable member of Marcelo Bielsa’s title-challenging side.
One of the best full-backs in England right now, Ayling can also show up at centre-back and defensive midfield. He’s two-footed, strong in the air, rarely makes a mistake and reads the game well.
He’s also handled the transition to Marcelo Bielsa’s unrelenting style of football, and hasn’t come up short of stamina making 38 league appearances last season.
Four goals this season also shows the defender isn't afraid to press on and have a go at goal.
As a free agent, Arsenal could certainly be interested in such an accomplished replacement for Hector Bellerin, while such a physical presence will not go unnoticed by Roy Hodgson at Crystal Palace either.
Max Bird
A wildcard but a midfielder with enormous potential and, one way or another, a likely future in the Premier League.
At just 19 years old, Bird has moved from the fringes of Derby County’s squad as a regular member of the first XI this season.
Chelsea Frank Lampard handed Max Bird his Championship debut at Derby County in 2018, and if he happened to be available on a free, he could give him his Premier League debut too next season.
The Blues would be one of the first on the phone were Bird to go on the market.
Tom Cairney
The Fulham midfielder has already shown what he can do in the Premier League and he is bossing Championship midfields again this season.
Tom Cairney is still one of the standout stars outside the top-flight and is doing his best to get Fulham promoted again.
The 29-year-old still has plenty to offer at the highest level, and Fulham rejected an £18m bid as David Moyes tried to bring him to West Ham in 2018.
Were Cairney to come free of charge, perhaps Moyes – now back in charge of the Hammers – will come calling once more.
