Over the years we have seen many teams promoted from the Championship to the Premier League who have be able to compete from the off and have not looked out of place.
Likewise, with teams who were relegated to the Championship, regardless of the vast wealth the Premier League brought, it was never a guarantee that the three teams who came down would go straight back up.
However, this season appears to have bucked that trend, with all three relegated sides steam rolling the Championship whilst the three teams promoted to the top flight have all struggled and are in a relegation dogfight.
We’ve taken a look at why that might be…
Why are the relegated sides so much more dominant?
The three sides that came down, Southampton, Leeds United and Leicester City, have all thrived under new management in the second tier. Leicester appointed Manchester City assistant coach Enzo Maresca to lead their charge to the top of the table. Leeds hired former Norwich City manager Daniel Farke whilst Southampton signed up Swansea manager Russell Martin. All three have brought their own unique style, some more effective than stylish, but nonetheless they are all at the top for a reason.
All three teams lost most of their valued assets in summer clear outs, with James Maddison and Harvey Barnes leaving the Foxes for £35+ million each, Tyler Adams and Luis Sinisterra leaving Leeds to join Bournemouth for a combined £45 million and the Saints raking in around £150 million in player sales. This allowed them to balance the financial books as well as have the resources to bring in new players for the season.
None of the trio spent ridiculous amounts, but invested in either out of favour players in the Premier League or well established Championship players. This has clearly worked to great effect, with Leicester bringing in Conor Coady from Wolves and Harry Winks from Tottenham. Signing Premier League players for the second tier will instantly give you an advantage.
The promoted teams and their top flight struggles
It just has not worked out for the promoted trio of Luton Town, Sheffield United and Burnley. Whilst Luton and Sheffield United were barely given a sniff at survival at the start of the season, Burnley under Vincent Kompany were touted to make a seamless transition into the Premier League. However, it has been the Hatters under Rob Edwards who have been the most impressive and right now are the only promoted side not in the bottom three. Kompany’s Clarets have been underwhelming, with their attractive brand of football unable to deliver the desired results. And it has been a disastrous return to the top flight for the Blades, having brought back former boss Chris Wilder to replace his own replacement in Paul Heckingbottom.
Luton were always expected not to spend big, but smart, and they have done just that. They’ve invested in the depth of the squad whilst adding quality to key areas, with Ross Barkley, Issa Kabore and Sambi Lokonga all playing starring roles for the Bedfordshire side. Burnley made 14 signings in the summer transfer window and an additional three players came through the door in January. It seems the Lancashire club have a contingency program, with the slow edging out of the players from the Sean Dyche era, and the bedding in of highly sort after talents around Europe. Whilst it has not worked out thus far, the signs of progress are there.
United, meanwhile, were hit with two big departures in the form of Sander Berge and Iliman Ndiaye, and their recruitment has been far from impressive. Cameron Archer looks to be an interesting signing but has shown inconsistency. Midfielders Gustavo Hamer and Vini Souza, the other two costly signings, have also showed glimpses of potential but not enough.
Money making it harder for long-time Championship clubs
It would be a shock if just one of the three relegated sides did not go up, and it would not be a shock if all three promoted sides went down. The money involved in the Premier League including the parachute payments have become paramount to how sides dropping down to the second tier operate. The more money that comes into the top tier, the harder it will be for teams in the second tier or below to realise their top flight dreams. Those relegated to the second division of English football have much bigger resources than those who have not been in the Premier League of late but are still finding it difficult to compete once they face teams who have been in the top league for a longer period.
It appears as though the gap between the Premier League and Championship is continuing to widen, and could create a group of clubs in between the two leagues which are too good for one division but cannot seem to compete at the level above.
