In the modern Premier League, no one outside the big six is safe. Who will be in the relegation scrap in 2018-19?
Collectively, Brighton, Huddersfield and Newcastle made a little bit of history last season. For only the third time this millennium, and for the first time since 2012, all three sides promoted to the Premier League stayed up. In fact, all 16 promoted sides across all five league levels of the English game stayed up. That had never happened before.
This season’s promoted contingent in the Premier League could raise that benchmark even further. Not in a generation has a team dominated the Championship like Wolves did last season, while Fulham have made some ambitious signings over the summer. Neil Warnock’s Cardiff are more of an unknown quantity, but nonetheless, the quality coming up from the second tier is perhaps higher than it has been for a long time, maybe ever.
Wolves have caught the eye most, not just this summer, but over the past 18 months. Their links with super-agent Jorge Mendes has shaken up the English game, upsetting some who believe it gives them unfair and unlawful access to a market far above their natural level. How else can signings like Portuguese national team goalkeeper Rui Patricio and former Monaco midfielder Joao Moutinho be explained?
Fulham’s summer transfer business has been just about as impressive. Jean Michael Seri was picked up having been linked with clubs of Barcelona and Manchester United’s stature for months. Alfie Mawson, one of the brightest young defenders in the top flight, has been signed from Swansea, while Aleksandar Mitrovic has been kept on a permanent deal and Andre Schurrle, the former Chelsea star and World Cup winner, has been added on loan.
It’s not just Fulham and Wolves who have made waves in the transfer market, though. Brighton look to have bought smartly, signing last season’s top scorer in the Eredivisie, Alireza Jahanbakhsh, from AZ Alkmaar, on top of Yves Bissouma from Lille, Bernardo from RB Leipzig and Florin Andone from Deportivo La Coruna.
Then there’s Crystal Palace, who pulled off one of the moves of the summer by signing Max Meyer on a free transfer from Schalke. Cheikhou Kouyate has also been signed from West Ham, giving the Eagles some real presence and guile in the centre of the pitch that should compensate for the return of Ruben Loftus-Cheek to parent club, Chelsea.
Billions in television revenue has warped what is expected of clubs in the bottom half of the Premier League. Clubs like Fulham and Wolves can now outbid much of the wider European game for players like Moutinho and Seri, theoretically raising the quality of English soccer from the bottom upwards.
Naturally, the mainstream focus will fall on the top end of the Premier League table for much of the campaign. A compelling title race might be in store, with Liverpool in particular equipped to challenge Manchester City’s supremacy. Arsenal and Chelsea also have new managers and so there’s no shortage of storylines and plots to follow.
However, if it’s competitiveness you’re after, the bottom half of the Premier League is where the most entertainment might be found. Even at this early stage, with the transfer window open and the first fixtures still to be played, this is shaping up to be the tightest Premier League relegation scrap in years.
It’s difficult at this point to determine which clubs will be involved in the battle down the bottom of the table. Wolves, for instance, have been tipped for a top half finish. Newcastle, who finished 10th last season, are currently weighed down by a deep sense of malaise and a lack of investment. Even Burnley, last season’s surprise package, could be drawn into things near the bottom three.
This is the modern nature of the Premier League. Outside the top six, the elite of the elite, nobody is safe. A few bad results in succession can set the tone for a sharp decline that can quickly snowball into a full-blown fight against the drop. Nobody is really certain how this will pan out, although most are certain Fulham and Wolves shouldn’t worry.