Will Any of the Three Newly Promoted Teams Survive in the Premier League in 2025-26?
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Every fan of an English football team shares a common dream: to see their beloved team play in the Premier League. The Premier League is the world's most popular, exciting, and richest club competition. Reaching the promised land of the Premier League is a massive challenge, but staying there is another matter.
The financial gulf between the Premier League and the Championship, English football's second tier, is well documented. For example, Leeds United won the Championship title during the 2024-25 season and received approximately £11 million. Compare that to the £110.9 million Southampton earned for finishing rock-bottom of the Premier League table with only 12 points, and you can quickly see the disparity.
Since the Premier League's launch in 1992, there have been only four seasons where at least one newly promoted club has not been relegated after one season. All three newly promoted clubs were relegated the following season in the 1998-98, 2023-24, and 2024-25 seasons. That could happen again in 2025-26 because the sites at Online Sports Betting price Sunderland, Burnley, and Leeds United as the trio most likely to face the dreaded drop come next May. However, which of these teams is best equipped to stay out of the bottom three and retain its Premier League status?
Sunderland
Of all the three newly promoted teams, Sunderland is the least equipped and least likely to still be a Premier League team come the end of the season. The Black Cats gained promotion via the playoffs, beating the much-fancied Sheffield United at Wembley Stadium, the home of English football. Not including the playoffs, Sunderland only won two of their final nine Championship games and lost five in a row as the season concluded.
Where most Premier League teams, particularly those new to the upcoming season's competition, are looking to invest in new talent, Sunderland has lost two key personnel from its promotion-winning squad. Tom Watson, who scored the winning goal in the playoff final, has joined Premier League rivals Brighton & Hove Albion for £11 million. At the same time, Jobe Bellingham is now a Borussia Dortmund player, having completed a £32 million transfer on June 10.
Sunderland's only signing since their promotion is Enzo Le Fee, who was on loan with the Black Cats last season. Sunderland was obligated to make his transfer permanent for £19 million.
Sunderland's biggest worry will be attracting good players to keep them in the top flight. Sunderland is not attractive for players, and those who head to the North East typically sign for Newcastle United. A lack of squad depth, limited funds, and an inability to attract players will likely see Sunderland finish at the bottom of the table, possibly with a record-low points tally.
Burnley
You may think Burnley has an excellent chance of staying in the Premier League after Scott Parker's men embarked on a 33-game unbeaten streak, finished on 100 Championship points, and conceded only 16 goals in 46 games. The latter set the record for the best defensive record in English football league history. However, it will be a lack of firepower that should worry Burnley's loyal supporters.
Burnley has traditionally struggled to score goals whenever the team has enjoyed Premier League status. If you look at the current Burnley squad, not a single player plays as a striker or center-forward who will scare opposition defenders. Similarly, the team lacks a goal-scoring threat from midfield and other areas of the pitch.
The Clarets have spent over £25 million acquiring Jaidon Anthony, Marcus Edwards, Zian Flemming, and Bashir Humphreys, but none of those players is an out-and-out number nine who can score goals for fun.
Burnley will undoubtedly be difficult to beat if the team defends as it did in the Championship, but a lack of a goal threat will ultimately condemn the team to one of the three relegation places this season.
Leeds United
Leeds United is one of English football's most famous teams, but it has recently spent far too long outside the top flight. During the 2023-24 season, Leeds finished with 90 points yet did not gain automatic promotion and lost to Southampton in the playoff final. Last season, Daniel Farke's men accumulated 100 points and won the Championship, scoring an impressive 95 goals along the way.
Most pundits agree that Leeds is best equipped to stave off relegation during the upcoming campaign. However, they also agree that the Yorkshire-based club must get its recruitment right if it is to do so. Leeds invested heavily when they were last in the Premier League, but they spent more than £100 million on sub-standard players who were not up to the grade. The club is still paying for several of those costly mistakes, which will limit its ability to bring in fresh faces and much-needed reinforcements in key positions.
Leeds is sailing close to the wind with the Profit and Sustainability (PSR) rules, so it will be hamstrung in the transfer market despite having the financial might of the San Francisco 49ers' investment arm behind them. The team's starting XI is strong enough to keep them in the Premier League, but that squad does lack strength in depth.
Fans of the Peacocks hope the management team brings in a new goalkeeper, a left-back, a creative number ten, and a proven goal scorer before the transfer window closes. However, it is unlikely any signings will be made before July 1, when football's new financial year begins.
Will Any of the Newly Promoted Teams Stay Up?
All three newly promoted teams are odds-on favorites with bookmakers to be relegated after only one season in the Premier League. Sunderland has probably gained promotion a couple of seasons too early and has lost two of its best players before the season starts. Burnley will not score enough goals to stay afloat and will likely return to the Championship, too.
Of the three clubs, Leeds United has the best chance of keeping its head above water and retaining its Premier League status. However, Leeds may have to make do with the squad it already has, plus a sprinkling of loan signings and budget transfers to bolster its numbers.
It will be a challenge for any of the teams to stay up, but you can guarantee all three sides will fight tooth and nail for every available point from the moment the referee blows his whistle in the first game until the final whistle 38 Premier League games later.
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