The Championship is one of the most competitive and entertaining leagues in the world, despite being England's second division.

Each year it seemingly gets harder and harder to get out of the division, and this year will be no exception.

Newcastle, Norwich and Aston Villa, who all come down from the Premier League, will be harbouring ambitions of an immediate return, alongside the best of the rest from last year including Brighton, Derby and Sheffield Wednesday.

On top of them, Cardiff and Ipswich didn't miss out on the play-offs by much, and Brentford will fancy their chances on getting into the play-offs again after a one year absence.

There always seems to be a surprise package in the promotion race; last season it was Brighton & Hove Albion whilst the year before it was AFC Bournemouth, who looked very good and won the league.

Here, in the opinion of FLW's Ryan Evans, is THREE teams that could surprise a few next season....

 

Leeds United

Leeds are quietly going about putting together a very good squad.

After appointing new manager Garry Monk, they have brought in Marcus Antonsson, as well as Swansea duo Matt Grimes and Kyle Bartley on loan.

They've also brought in the experienced Rob Green either as a number one or as back-up to Marco Silvestri.

They may need a few reinforcements at the back, and another striker, but, in my opinion, they have pulled off the signing of the summer so far in Kemar Roofe.

Roofe demonstrated last season at Oxford that he can create chances, take on defenders and dictate his team's play, and was one of the stand out players in League Two last season, starring as his team won promotion to League One.

17 goals and ten assists means he was involved in more goals than most others in the division, and he is amazingly versatile.

He played as a centre-forward and right winger 15 times a piece last season, also operating as a number ten and at left midfield on a number of occasions. The Peacocks also have a highly intelligent manager in Monk, who was sacked at a time where his Swansea players had been playing poorly.

There is no doubt that Monk could send Leeds back to the big time, should he get the unconditional support of the board and fans. We've seen this all before, a highly rated manager that goes into Leeds who ends up being fired by Massimo Cellino, but, if the club want to win promotion, they aren't going to get a better opportunity than this season under Garry Monk.

However, if it doesn't go right for Monk early in the season, Elland Road could turn into a very lonely place for the ex-Swansea boss.

Fulham

Following their relegation from the Premier League, the Cottagers haven't shown the Championship much in the way of positive things. Last season they managed to be one of the highest scoring teams despite finishing in 20th position, thanks to Ross McCormack and Moussa Dembele's goals. However, now that Moussa Dembele has moved to Celtic, they're going to have to go about the league in a different way.

Slavisa Jokanovic has already brought in Sone Aluko, and he could team up with Tom Cairney to make another formidable attacking line for Fulham next season.

The speculation surrounding star man Ross McCormack has died down, with nothing concrete coming since the final day of the January transfer window. The player signed a new deal at the time, so he may well stay at Craven Cottage.

However, they will need to add a decent defence to mount any sort of charge up the table. Andy Lonergan has moved on, and they secured a deal with Chelsea for highly sought of centre-back Tomas Kalas.

They also signed Michael Madl and Denis Odoi, and Fernando Amorebieta did well for Middlesbrough on loan there last season, so should be able to lead a back four for the side. They may need to add a few more, and are in desperate need for a 'keeper, but otherwise could well be ones to keep an eye on next season.

Wigan Athletic

Following their promotion as champions of League One last season, Wigan are probably best equipped of the three promoted teams to remain in the second tier.

Their midfield is highly impressive, Emyr Huws has been linked with some big clubs, Yanic Wildschut was involved in 21 goals last season in a variety of positions, and they have the one and only Will Grigg.

As well as this, Gary Caldwell has brought in Nick Powell, with the ex-Manchester United striker rejoining the side that he scored seven times for in 31 games back in 2013-14, in the Championship as well. He can play in a few positions, leaving the Wigan boss to fit him in wherever he needs it.

Max Power is another who had a fantastic campaign last time around, with six goals and eight assists in his 44 appearances. However, it will be his first time at this level, a common theme running through this Wigan team. It will be hit or miss, but the Latics have what it takes to survive in this division.

Between the sticks, they have veteran Jussi Jasskelainen and the young Lee Nicholls, with the Finn making 35 appearances last season to the Liverpudlian's 15.

Championship fans, what do you think? Who will be the surprise teams next season? Will the above three be amongst them? Let us know your opinion below!