Following two straight seasons that saw all three promoted teams immediately relegated back to the Championship, fans across the Premier League will be watching this year's newcomers, Leeds United, Burnley and Sunderland, with the expectation that at least one of them survive the season. But do these teams have what is needed in order to beat the drop?
Leeds United
Leeds return again to the Premier League following a two year stint in England’s second tier. The Whites will be hoping to emulate their last season as a promoted team, 2020/21, which saw them finish 9th.
Pros
There is plenty of Premier League experience within the squad, with a number of players remaining at the club since their last top flight stint; Illan Meslier, Daniel James, Jayden Bogle, Wilfried Gnonto and Pascal Struijk have all experienced Elland Road in the Premier League. Additionally, Leeds have been active in the transfer market without going overboard. Sean Longstaff will add to the team's Premier League experience, while Bundesliga recruits Anton Stach and former Manchester City youngster Lukas Nmecha are intelligent deals by the club. Rather than trying to completely remake the squad, they are trusting in the core of players that got them promoted and are seeking to increase quality where necessary without destroying the dressing room dynamics that will have built up over the last two seasons.
Cons
The biggest question mark hanging over Leeds is their manager, Daniel Farke. Farke made a name for himself in England with Norwich City, who he successfully guided to two promotions. Unfortunately, he also saw that Norwich team finish 20th both years in the Premier League, although he was not in charge by the end of the second of those seasons. Even after their 100 point campaign last season, questions arose about whether Farke would be trusted to take the team into a division that he has never found any success in. These questions were quickly dismissed by chairman Paraag Marathe, who confirmed that the German was to be trusted for the upcoming campaign. Regardless, this will almost certainly be Farke’s final chance to prove himself in the Premier League. Relegation here will, rightly or wrongly, be pinned on him because of his track record.
Burnley
The Clarets make an immediate return to the Premier League under the stewardship of Scott Parker, and will be hoping to make more of an impact this time than they did under Vincent Kompany in 2023/24.
Pros
Burnley’s record-breaking defence in last year’s Championship, which saw them concede an incredible 16 goals in 46 games, will surely provide a strong foundation for the club’s season. Even with the loss of goalkeeper James Trafford, who returns to his former club Manchester City, Parker’s defensive structure should make the team hard to play against. The Clarets have also been quieter in the transfer market than they were last time they got promoted, but players like Loum Tchaouna from Lazio and Marcus Edwards from Sporting, the latter of which spent the second half of last season on loan at the club, will add some needed depth and quality in attack. Burnley might not be exciting to watch, but if they can keep opposition teams from scoring against them then the burden on their attackers becomes simply to find and take one or two opportunities. Even games that they lose, they will be able to take heart in that they were competitive, and that mental boost might be enough to see them over the finishing line
Cons
Burnley’s main problem this season could be the speed with which they returned to the top flight. The moniker of ‘yo-yo club’ will surely loom large should they fall straight back to the Championship for a second time in a row. But more importantly, it will probably bear in their minds should they find themselves struggling early in the season. That mental hurdle, made worse by the previous two seasons of promoted teams falling immediately back down, could make things difficult if they find themselves in a tight relegation scrap. What Burnley need, more than anything else, is a strong start to the season. Not incredible, but if they could find themselves mid-table by November, their quality and structure should be able to navigate any further difficulties the season might bring. A relegation battle might not be something Burnley can endure, so avoiding it altogether could be the only way to survive the season.
Sunderland
Sunderland return to the Premier League for the first time since 2017, following stints in the Championship and League One. This gap in time leaves the Black Cats as the biggest unknown of the three promoted sides.
Pros
The simple fact that it is their first time in the division in nearly a decade will provide a massive boost to the club. The Stadium of Light will not be a treasured away game for any of the other 19 teams in the league, and their away support will surely enjoy getting to travel around the nation's biggest stadiums once again. Adding to this, Sunderland have been the most active of the promoted teams in the transfer market. Club record signing Habib Diarra, Dutch goalkeeper Robin Roefs, and former Arsenal midfielder and Bundesliga Invincible Granit Xhaka make up a few of the signings in a strong transfer window. Making a lot of purchases has not always worked out for promoted clubs, but there is a control to these that feels somewhat different from the haphazard approach some clubs have gone with in the past.
Cons
Despite all of this, Sunderland will still head into this season as many people’s relegation favourite. Ultimately, this can somewhat be put down to jadedness among those who think survival is basically impossible for promotion teams. If the signings don’t work out, Sunderland will struggle massively to match the quality of their opposition. Another unknown is their manager, Régis Le Brie, who will be entering his second season at the club and only his fourth as a first team manager. If he is unable to cope with the pressures that being a Premier League manager bring, things could come undone very quickly for the club.
Conclusion
It is easy to fall into the trap of believing that promoted teams simply cannot compete with the Premier League anymore. This is, I strongly feel, lazy analysis based off of a sample size of two seasons. Perhaps I will be wrong, but it is my strong belief that one or two of this season’s newcomers will find the quality and strength to beat the drop.
