Sunday, 25 May 2025, will seem a long way away for most people, but for fans of teams trying to stave off relegation from the Premier League, the date of the final day of the season is looming large.
For some of the teams down at the bottom, their fate may already have been sealed by then, but with plenty of twists and turns between now and the end of the season, nothing can be taken for granted.
The Promoted Teams
The three teams promoted from the Championship last season face the unenviable prospect of promptly returning to where they came from. In doing so, they will follow the same fate that befell Burnley, Sheffield United, and Luton Town the year before.
Surprisingly, that was only the second time in Premier League history that all three promoted teams had gone straight back down again after the relegation of Barnsley, Bolton, and Crystal Palace in the 1997-98 season.
Despite many fans and pundits bemoaning the money and skills gap between the Championship and the Premier League, all three promoted sides – Fulham, Bournemouth, and Nottingham Forest – successfully avoided the drop in 2022-2023, marking the fourth time the feat has been achieved.
While the latest relegation odds confirm there is little to no chance of all three promoted teams escaping the trap door this time, there is every chance one or more may survive.
Leicester City
The Foxes have been in and out of the relegation zone so far this season and perhaps look the best placed to leap to safety. Manager Steve Cooper was sacked early in the season when results were not going well and was replaced with former Manchester United striker Ruud Van Nistelrooy.
Results have not improved dramatically, although they managed an impressive 1-2 victory away at Spurs at the end of January, which renewed fans’ hope. However, the January transfer window continued, with only one squad addition arriving.
Frenchman Woyo Coulibaly cost £3m from Italian club Parma. The 25-year-old right-back provides much-needed cover in defensive areas, but neither the fans nor the manager were pleased with their transfer business, which saw more outgoings than incomings.
The team is overly reliant on veteran striker Jamie Vardy, while the centre of their defence still looks unable to compete at this elite level. The Spurs’ result provides hope, but the squad’s lack of quality will leave fans’ nails nibbled to the bone.
Southampton
The writing has been on the wall for Southampton all season. They arrived playing exciting possession-based football, but a run of defeats saw their promotion-winning manager, Russel Martin, lose his job.
Croatian Ivan Jurić was appointed in December after a spell with Roma, and while performances have improved, results have not. The transfer window saw no big signings, with 18-year-old French centre-back Joachim Kayi joining from Valenciennes the most notable addition. Adam Armstrong, Gavin Bazunu, Shea Charles, and Ben Brereton Díaz sealed loan deals away from the club.
The Saints look guaranteed to play Championship football again next term, and the rest of this season will be about building for a promotion push next year.
Ipswich Town
Of the bottom six teams in the league, only Ipswich have kept faith with their manager, Kieran Mckenna. The highly respected manager coached at Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United before being appointed as manager of Ipswich Town in 2021. Since then, the club has become only the fifth club to achieve back-to-back promotions.
The team spent a lot in the summer transfer window with a net spending of £107.6m, placing them second in the league by that measure. They added Rory Delap and Kalvin Phillips from Manchester City, Jack Clarke, Sammie Szmodics, Aro Muric, and Omari Hutchinson.
An indication of the Tractor Boys’ determination to stay up was evident in the winter transfer window. Former Everton defender Ben Godfrey joined from Atalanta as they looked to bolster their leaky defence with some proven Premier League experience. Meanwhile, Aston Villas’ Jaden Philogene offers some much-needed attacking trickery. However, perhaps the most exciting signing was the loan deal that saw Brighton’s exciting Paraguayan international Julio Enciso join until the end of the season.
Ipswich looks the most capable of escaping the dreaded drop of all the promoted teams. The squad looks strong, and keeping faith in the manager could be a masterstroke.
Wolves
In truth, there are only four clubs that are realistically in the relegation battle, and that fourth club is Wolverhampton Wanderers. They, too, sacked their manager, Gary O’Neill, who was replaced back in December with Vitor Pereira. The experienced Portuguese coach has won league titles in Portugal, Greece, and China and agreed an 18-month deal with the club.
Wolves’ best bit of winter transfer business was holding onto their main man, Brazilian striker Matheus Cunha. However, the Wanderers also spent big money, with Marshall Munetsi arriving for £16.6m from Stade de Reims and Nasser Djiga joining from Red Star Belgrade for £10m.
In truth, Wolves should pull away from the relegation places as they have the quality and experience to do so. But football never makes total sense, and teams better than the Wanderers have succumbed to the drop. Either way, you can be sure it will go all the way to the final day of the season.
