5aside.com take a closer look at the clubs who are currently involved in the relegation battle this season. It involves a mix of former league winners, long-time established EPL teams, and newly promoted sides. We also take the long view, with the stories of five clubs that were relegated from the Premier League in the past.
Last season’s promoted teams are all struggling
When was the last time all three promoted sides got relegated from the Premier League? Well, unbelievably it has only happened once since the Premier League began. The 1997-1998 season saw all three promoted clubs, Bolton Wanderers, Barnsley and Crystal Palace, go straight back down.
Surviving in the EPL is difficult. The last time all three promoted sides stayed up was in 2017-2018 as Newcastle United, Brighton & Hove Albion, and Huddersfield Town remained in the Premier League.
This season’s promoted clubs, Fulham, AFC Bournemouth, and Nottingham Forest, have all had mixed starts to the season. Fulham currently sits 7th in the league, but despite their strong start, they have struggled against bigger teams in the league such as Newcastle United.
AFC Bournemouth had a poor start to the season with defeats to Liverpool, Arsenal, and Manchester City. However, the interim manager Gary O’Neil oversaw a six-match unbeaten run that came to an end as Bournemouth lost 1-0 at home to Southampton. At the moment, Bournemouth are 14th
Nottingham Forest’s return to the Premier League after 23 years has been difficult and they currently sit bottom of the league. At present, they only have two wins.
Premier League team relegation favourites odds
- AFC Bournemouth: 4/7
- Nottingham Forest: 8/15
- Wolverhampton Wanderers: 13/8
- Leeds United: 6/4
- Leicester City: 7/2
- Everton FC: 4/1
1. Premier League relegation favourites: AFC Bournemouth
Can AFC Bournemouth be relegated from the Premier League this year? While they have slightly started better than many expected, Bournemouth is still one of the favourites to be relegated this season. The Cherries are the second most likely side to go down with odds, at the time of writing (27.10.22 ) of 4/7, meaning there is a 62.11% likelihood they will go straight back down to the EFL Championship. If you want to see the latest Premier League odds, these sports betting sites offer an array of available markets.
Like Nottingham Forest and Fulham, AFC Bournemouth returned to the Premier League this season after a two-year absence. As one of three promoted clubs, the South Coast club instantly became favourites to be relegated. Although they defeated Aston Villa 2-0 on the opening day of the season at their home ground, the Vitality Stadium. Bournemouth struggled afterwards. Heavy defeats to Manchester City, Arsenal, and Liverpool saw manager Scott Parker be dismissed. While interim manager Gary O’Neil did temporarily revive their fortunes, AFC Bournemouth remains strong favourites for relegation.
Bournemouth have the worst defence in the Premier League
Which team has conceded the most goals in the Premier League? At the time of writing, AFC Bournemouth has conceded the most Premier League goals so far this season with 25 goals. This is partly due to their 9-0 defeat away at Liverpool on August 27th.
2. Premier League relegation favourites: Nottingham Forest
What are the odds of Nottingham Forest getting relegated from the Premier League? Well as EFL Championship Play-Off winners, the odds are Nottingham Forest being relegated are at 8/15.
Their poor star, combined with a squad overhaul of over 20 new players, has seen the Reds struggle to adapt to life back in the Premier League. With a 65.36% chance of relegation, many feel it will only be a brief return to the top tier for the “Tricky Trees”.
3. Premier League relegation favourites: Wolverhampton Wanderers
Will Wolverhampton Wanderers be relegated from the Premier League this season? There are odds of 13/8 and 6/4 of Wolves being relegated. With no manager and a lack of goals, Wolves are increasing favourites to be relegated from the Premier League. There is a 38.17% chance they will go down to the EFL Championship.
The Wanderers returned to the Premier League in 2018 and achieved successive 7th-place finishes. However, since the departure of the former head coach Nuno Espírito Santo at the end of 2020-2021 season, Wolves have regressed. His successor, Bruno Lage, finished 10th in his first season in charge and had a poor start to the 2022-2023 campaign, leading him to be sacked in early October. They have only scored 5 goals in their first 12 games, conceding 18. At present, they are 19th in the Premier League with 9 points.
4. Premier League relegation favourites: Leeds United
What is the possibility of Leeds United being relegated? The struggling Yorkshire club currently have odds of 6/4 to be relegated, giving the Whites a 36.36% chance of survival.
Leeds United returned to the Premier League after a lengthy absence in 2020. While their first season saw them finish 9th under the leadership of Marcelo Bielsa, the Argentinian struggled last season leading him to be sacked. His replacement, Jesse Marsch, led Leeds to escape relegation on the final day of the 2021-2022 season. However, the departure of key players Raphinha and Kalvin Phillips in the summer has led the Yorkshire side to struggle so far this season. Despite an impressive win against Chelsea, Leeds is floundering to find form and is currently in the relegation zone.
5. Premier League relegation favourites: Leicester City
How likely are Leicester City going to get relegated? Despite a poor start, it is looking likely that Leicester City may not get relegated. Their odds of relegation are currently 7/2, meaning the former Premier League winners have a 77.78% prospect of survival.
The East Midlands club have prospered in recent years. In addition to unexpectedly winning the Premier League in 2016, they won the FA Cup for the first time in 2021. Nonetheless, Brendan Rodgers had a difficult start to the 2022-2023 season. Having lost 7 of their first 12 games, the Foxes have suffered heavy defeats to Tottenham Hotspur and Brighton & Hove Albion. Regardless of this, they have found some form in recent weeks thanks to 4-0 wins against fellow relegation candidates Nottingham Forest and Wolverhampton Wanderers. The attacking talents of James Maddison and Youri Tielemans alone should be enough for Leicester to return to their more typical positions among the Premier League European places.
6. Premier League relegation favourites: Everton FC
What are the odds of Everton getting relegated? With Everton currently sitting 12th in the Premier League, it seems unlikely they will be relegated this season. With odds of 4/1, there’s an 18.18% chance that the Toffees will depart the Premier League for the first time.
After a disastrous 2021-2022 season, which saw manager Frank Lampard steer Everton clear of relegation, the former Chelsea boss has bought stability to the blue side of Liverpool. However, their form has been inconsistent so far this season, with three wins, four draws, and five defeats. Nevertheless, the recent 3-0 victory at home to Crystal Palace showcased their potential to keep Everton safe from relegation and maybe even push for European places.
The stories of 5 previously relegated teams: There’s hope as Leeds have proved!
The Premier League is over 30 years old and is one of the most-watched sports leagues anywhere on the planet. Since its inception in 1992, it has hosted some of the most magical moments in football history.
This includes monumental games such as Sergio Agüero’s last-minute league winner, Liverpool’s thriller against Newcastle in the mid-1990s, and Man United’s 8-2 thrashing of Arsenal.
This season has produced some incredible moments already, such as Erling Haaland’s outrageously good start to the campaign, as well as Arsenal sweeping past the likes of Tottenham and Liverpool to stake their claim as possible title contenders.
Liverpool have made a much slower season start than most anticipated. However, they should not be ruled out after handing City their first defeat in 2022.
Today, however, we’ll reach into the archives and pick out five teams that went from dizzying highs to excruciating lows over the course of a few years. Some teams have reached the division’s pinnacle, pushing title challengers all the way and falling at the last hurdle.
Blackburn Rovers
Kenny Dalglish’s Blackburn squad in the 1995 season was full of depth and quality – whether it was the Premier League’s all-time leading goal scorer Alan Shearer leading the frontline with Chris Sutton, or the fantastic Tim Sherwood in the centre of the pitch, they had the lot.
Shearer was signed for a record fee in a bid to push Blackburn Rovers to the highest echelons of the league. Jack Walker stopped at no cost to ensure Kenny Dalglish had all the money he needed to bring the league title to Ewood Park.
That’s exactly what he did, holding off a last-minute push from Sir Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United team. It was a triumphant moment for the club based in the North West of England, and the name Jack Walker still commands enormous respect in that part of the country.
Except for Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea and Leicester City – Blackburn Rovers is one of only seven teams to have lifted the Premier League in 30 years.
Following Walker’s death, Blackburn began to decline. Despite winning the League Cup in 2002, the club was mismanaged. It spiralled down the divisions, ending in the third tier of English football in 2017.
Portsmouth FC
Portsmouth FC is a well-supported club on the south coast of England. Despite not having the stature of some of the other big names in English football, they more than held their own in the Premier League in the mid to late 2000s.
After bringing in Harry Redknapp as manager, they became the surprise package of English football. Their team contained regular England internationals such as Peter Crouch, David James and Jermain Defoe.
They had international players, too, like Nigeria’s Yakubu, and this solid squad managed to win the FA Cup in 2008. This was a landmark moment for Pompey, and it looked like they had the makings of a squad that would go on and push for the European places.
They also reached the FA Cup Final in 2010, before financial mismanagement and poor ownership brought the club to its knees. Unfortunately, they still haven’t recovered from this fall from grace.
They plummeted down the divisions at a frightening rate. They ended up in the bottom tier of professional English football – the fourth tier – just five years later. While they have bounced back slightly and are currently sitting in midtable in the third tier, they are a far cry from the team that took the FA Cup Final.
Wigan Athletic
Wigan lifted the FA Cup trophy in 2013, despite being relegated from the division in the same season. This is a rarity in English football but it has happened before.
Wigan Athletic are unique on our list as their high-to-low happened within the same calendar year. However, they have struggled to get back into the top flight of English football and still find themselves outside the competition.
Much like Portsmouth, financial mismanagement brought them to the brink of administration. They also ended up in the fourth tier of English football following this horrendous period where it looked like they may cease to exist.
Wigan has since picked up and won the League Two title last season. They will be hopeful they can continue climbing the ladder of English football and return to the Premier League. However, there is still a lot of work to be done at the DW Stadium if they’re to start reaching domestic cup finals again.
Bolton Wanderers
During the mid-2000s, Sam Allardyce turned Bolton Wanderers into a team that was regularly challenging for the European qualification places. He brought in continental talents such as Jay-Jay Okocha, Iván Campo and Nicolas Anelka.
Sometimes criticized for his negative football style, Allardyce squeezed out results with limited resources – especially when compared to the likes of Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United.
Despite this, he was ridiculed for his defensive style, despite the excellent Bolton Wanderers team being full of attacking talent.
Reaching the League Cup Final and getting through the group stages of the UEFA Cup on two separate occasions, Bolton Wanderers was a difficult fixture on the list for any English football club at that time.
However, much like their North West counterparts Wigan Athletic, they entered a period of financial difficulty. They were relegated in two successive seasons and eventually ended up in the bottom tier of professional English football.
They managed to avoid relegation, but it was a turbulent time for the Lancashire-based club, and they are still struggling to get back up to the top tier. They are now under new ownership and things look more positive for them than they have in recent seasons.
Leeds United
Leeds United are the outliers in this group as they are the only team currently in the Premier League.
Leeds followed a similar path to Portsmouth. Just a few years before Portsmouth lifted the FA Cup, Leeds United was one of the top teams in Europe. Their team contained quality players such as Harry Kewell, Mark Viduka and Rio Ferdinand.
This culminated in a Champions League semi-final in 2001 and a top-four finish in the Premier League. However – just a couple of years later, they found themselves in complete financial turmoil and relegated from England’s top flight.
This caused a quick-fire sale of their top talent – they lost their star defender Rio Ferdinand to rivals Manchester United and local fan favourite Alan Smith.
Smith’s transfer hinged on him choosing between Leeds going into liquidation or joining their biggest rivals.
It was a sad state of affairs for one of England’s oldest and grandest clubs, and luckily, they did not go into administration due to the sale of Smith. However, he was still not forgiven by large numbers of Leeds United fans – such is the ferocity of the rivalry between the two clubs.
The financial ruin they were left in by their previous owner almost caused them to go into liquidation. Although they are now back in the Premier League, the dizzying heights of Champions League finals and world-class talent in the squad are a long way from their current reality.
