The new Premier League season is almost upon us. After a dramatic final day last season, Manchester City clinched their fifth consecutive league title under Pep Guardiola, with those regularly betting on football torn between a three-way race for the trophy between City, Arsenal and Liverpool.
At the other end of the table, the pressure of the English top-flight was too much for Luton Town, Sheffield United and Burnley, who were all relegated in their first season back in the Premier League, with many wondering if this year’s newly promoted sides will suffer similar fates.
In this article, we examine the three newcomers from the Championship and their chances of survival in the Premier League.
Leicester City
We begin with Championship winners and 2015/16 Premier League champions, Leicester City. The Foxes have endured a strange couple of years, suffering relegation unexpectedly under Brendan Rodgers but bouncing back the first time of asking under Enzo Maresca.
However, the Italian, who led Leicester to 97 points and the title, has departed the King Power Stadium for Chelsea, leaving Steve Cooper in charge this season.
The former Nottingham Forest manager is no stranger to life in the East Midlands, nor the relegation battle.
His experience beating the drop is noteworthy, although Leicester could well begin the season with a points deduction if they are convicted of any violations of the Premier League’s profitability rules, making relegation more of a reality than many Foxes fans would like to admit.
It will be a challenging season for Leicester, who are favourites to go down. However, they have a tight-knit squad despite the loss of Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and will fight until the final whistle.
Ipswich Town
One of the surprise packages last season, Ipswich Town made it back-to-back promotions as the return to the top flight for the first time since 2002.
Kieran McKenna has built a hungry side at Portman Road, but it will be interesting to see if the style that the former Manchester United assistant has implemented can work with the ruthless nature of the Premier League.
Ipswich require a lot of possession to create their chances, and if they are wasteful, this squad, which already lacks a lot of experience, will be consistently punished in the early weeks of the season.
The Tractor Boys have a tough start to the season, facing Liverpool and Manchester City in their first two fixtures, making it hard to build any kind of momentum as they look to ensure survival.
Southampton
Last season’s Championship play-off final winners, Southampton beat Leeds United at Wembley to return to the Premier League after their relegation in 2023.
The strike partnership of Adam Armstrong and Ché Adams contributed over 40 goals last season as the Saints looked to rebuild under Russell Martin.
Carlos Alcaraz returns from his loan at Juventus, adding plenty of talent alongside Samuel Edozie, who enjoyed his best individual season since signing from Manchester City in 2022.
The weak link that could cost Southampton is their defence. They shipped 63 goals in the Championship last season – the most out of any in the top five – and if reinforcements aren’t arriving on the south coast, it will be challenging for Martin to accommodate so many attackers if the back line is proving to be leaky.
The permanent signing of Taylor Harwood-Bellis might help, but more needs to be done to avoid a return to the second tier at St Mary’s Stadium.
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