More signings don't mean more success
And that, ladies and gents, is why we're changing the way we cover transfers.
Transfer coverage has been at the heart of NTT20.COM ever since we started out on Substack.
Back then, we had a pretty simple conviction: the EFL transfer window lacked proper, detailed coverage. It wasn’t ignored, exactly, but it was rarely treated with real depth or seriousness. So, we decided to do something ambitious, possibly ridiculous: cover every single signing in the EFL.
For five windows, we stuck to it. Every club. Every move.
The instinct wasn’t wrong. EFL clubs deserved better copy than players “looking forward to a new challenge” and managers “very excited to bring him in”. And our subscribers deserved a place where the whole thing was taken seriously.
We do take it seriously. That’s why we’re changing the way we cover the window.
More signings don’t mean more success
If you read my recent article on set-pieces, you’ll remember that Coventry, Lincoln and Bromley — the three 2025/26 league champions — all scored the most set-piece goals in their respective divisions. You could add another line to that list of shared characteristics.
Coventry, Lincoln and Bromley all signed fewer players than their respective league average in the summer of 2025.
Average number of summer signings in each league
Coventry, Lincoln and Bromley contradict the drumbeat we have built up in our transfer coverage, which unconsciously suggests that the clubs who are doing the most are the clubs doing the best work. That is something we absolutely do not believe.
Case in point:
The average number of signings per EFL club last summer was 11
Among the clubs that went on to finish in the play-off places or better, 13 of 19 signed on or below the all-EFL average.
Only 6 of those clubs signed more players than the average, and in almost all cases, by the barest of margins. See:
Instead, we know that good squad building and smart recruitment are about much more than volume, high or low. By covering every deal individually, we sometimes gave the most attention to the noisiest clubs rather than the smartest ones. We were tracking movement, when the better question was what the business for each club actually meant when applied to their specific context.
So, this summer, NTT20.COM is changing its approach – not to cover less, but to cover better. The rhythm of the transfer window on NTT20.COM will now be built around four regular strands, and we’re buzzing to get cracking.
What’s changing?
#1 Rebuild Series
Some clubs enter the summer with a squad. Others don’t. Our Rebuild series will focus on the latter caucus, providing a club-by-club deep exploration of the biggest rebuilds in the EFL.
🚨 Coming up
REBUILDING: Sheffield Wednesday
REBUILDING: Middlesbrough
Let us know who else you think needs covering
#2 NTT20 Scouts
The best part of the transfer window isn’t necessarily the done deal; sometimes it’s the player you keep hearing about. The one whose numbers jump out. The one who looks ready for the next level. The one who fits the gap you know a club has, or else is just a bloody bargain.
NTT20 Scouts will focus on players who are worth knowing about before they move. Instead of starting with a club’s new signing and working backwards, this time we will start with the player and move forwards: scouting out choice individuals and suggesting which profile of clubs should take a look at them.
🚨 Coming up
Favourite Frees
League One Striker Special
Premium EFL Talent
National League Special
#3 Done Deals
We are not abandoning completed transfers. Far from it. Done Deals will be our regular round-up of every move, with write-ups of our favourite deals.
🚨 Coming up
Every Friday morning between July and deadline day
#4 DAG Summer Transfers Pod
And because some of the best transfer-window thinking happens in conversation, the DAG Summer Transfers Pod will run throughout the summer….
🚨 Coming up
Ali and George joinining from the USA and England Pod duty
We’ll hit paid subscribers up for questions
Looking forward to it! Thanks 🙏🏻
Exeter City will be in the rebuild category 🫤