Last season saw two massive names in EPL football relegated from the league to the Championship and the second tier as Newcastle and Aston Villa were relegated alongside the promoted Norwich City. Will we see some big names exit the top flight of English football this season too?
Online sportsbook Bet365.com do not believe so as they’re 2016/17 EPL relegation odds suggest that it’ll be the promoted trio of Hull, Burnley and Middlesbrough that make an immediate return back to the Championship. We preview the chances of these promoted teams and see if they can upset the odds to remain in the top flight.
The biggest favourites to return to the second tier are Hull City (who can be backed @ 1.61 to be relegated this season) and the reason for this is that with the season about to begin they are in disarray. Manager Steve Bruce, who secured promotion via the Play Offs last season, left the club at the end of July and there has been very little movement with regards to a replacement and his number two Terry Phelan will take charge of the side for the opener against Leicester this weekend. Add to this a very real lack of transfer market movement, with Mohamed Diamé leaving for Newcastle the only in or out for the first team, and things are looking very bleak for the side from the North East of the country.
Next up is the winners of the second tier last season, Burnley (2.00), as they too have made very little movement in the transfer window. So far only Icelandic winger Jóhann Berg Guðmundsson, who impressed at the Euros this summer, and goalkeeper Nick Pope have arrived from Charlton while Liverpool defender Jon Flanagan joins on a season long loan. This is very few additions to the side and with Burnley manager Sean Dyche notoriously frugal this could another long season for The Clarets who have finished 18th in both of their two EPL seasons so far.
Although third favourites for relegation at a price of 3.00 Middlesbrough have approached this season very differently to the other promoted sides as they have spent well and brought in some big names this pre-season. They have added seven permanent players and two loan players, including former Barcelona goalkeeper Victor Valdes as well as Real Madrid and Man City striker Alvaro Negredo plus creative midfielder Gastón Ramírez, as they have bulked out their squad and sent a message to other sides in the Premier League about their intentions for the season.
After winning just two of their final 12 games of the 2015/16 season and then firing manager Quique Flores Watford are the same price as Middlesbrough to be relegated this season. Walter Mazzarri takes charge of the side for this season despite being out of work for almost two years after leaving Inter Milan and there have been a number of incomings and outgoings at the side this summer, but there is very little experience of the EPL coming into the Vicarage Road side. They will need to rely again on Troy Deeney and Odion Ighalo for goals this season and they’ll need a good start as if the begin as they ended last season the odds of 3.00 to go down could be a great price.
Perennial relegation battlers West Brom and Sunderland (3.25 and 3.50 respectively) are next in the betting markets. The Baggies have trouble amongst their ranks as Saido Berahino wants away from the club and their deal to bring in Diafra Sakho from West Ham collapsed due to an injury to the player. Berahino will remain at the club and leaves only midfielder Matt Phillips having arrived at the club this summer.
Sunderland have lost Sam Allardyce to the English national side and they have brought in former Everton and Man United boss David Moyes to manage the side. The Black Cats have only signed central defender Papy Djilobodji from Chelsea this summer while releasing a number of more experienced players and after some poor performances at Old Trafford there are questions over how Moyes will cope with a heavy relegation battle.
Who’ll go down?
Unless things change very drastically for both Hull and Burnley, we cannot see them surviving this season due to their lack of new additions as they come from the second tier to the top flight. The Premier League is a different type of football and the same squad will not cut it in the EPL, so both of these are in trouble.
Of the other four sides looked at Middlesbrough are the most likely to stay up as they have made a very real effort to invest in quality players, while Watford also have enough quality to remain in the top flight too. Should Tony Pulis remain at West Brom then his side should have enough to stay up, but it will be close between West Brom and Sunderland who stays and who goes.
We feel that there are enough questions over the Sunderland squad and manager to believe that they will struggle this season and be relegated.
Our 2016/17 EPL relegation bets are as follows:
Our best bet is back Burnley to be relegated @ 2.00 with Bet365.com.
We are also backing Hull and Sunderland to be relegated @ 1.61 and 3.50 respectively in the Bet365 Sportsbook!