Slowly but surely the team has transformed as more new signings have joined the club.
Femi Azeez, Tristan Crama, Camiel Neghli, Mihailo Ivanovic, Josh Coburn, Caleb Taylor and Zak Sturge are among those who have been brought in over the past couple of years and become important squad members.
The Lions twice broke their own transfer record to sign Neghli from Sparta Rotterdam and Coburn from Middlesbrough.
Crama and Neghli’s versatility in particular has been vital to the team this season. Crama has been equally comfortable slotting in at centre-back or charging down the touchline at right-back, while Neghli has performed wherever he has been asked to play.
They have been smart with their outgoings too, turning profits on Japhet Tanganga and Zian Flemming, who were sold to Sheffield United and Burnley respectively, as well as selling academy graduate Romain Esse to Crystal Palace for a reported initial fee of £12m last year.
“This football club has really evolved with the way they play the transfer game. They were late to the party in terms of smart recruitment,” said Aaron Paul, presenter of BBC Radio 5 Live’s EFL podcast 72+.
“They didn’t really spend too much money under John Berylson but his son James, in his quest for the Premier League, has gone ‘no, we need to change our recruitment game’.”
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