In the wild west of the European football Leagues, “the Premier League” survival is a privilege few newly promoted teams have come to enjoy.
What used to be seen as a welcome-to-the-big-leagues fairytale has more recently started to resemble a one-season sightseeing tour before a quick return to reality in the Championship.
The 2023/24 season was a brutal reminder of just how unforgiving the English top flight can be: Luton Town, Burnley, and Sheffield United all went down just as quickly as they came up. Three up, three down – Premier League bingo, but the prize is heartbreak.
This marked only the second time in Premier League history – the first being back in 1997/98 – that all three promoted clubs were relegated immediately.
And while that sounds like an anomaly, we are on the brink of getting the third occasion where all promoted teams are seen back off to the championship.
In four of the last five seasons, at least two promoted teams have been sent packing after just one year.
The only exception? The 2022/23 campaign, when Fulham, Bournemouth, and Nottingham Forest beat the odds and clung on for dear life.
A Brutal Five-Year Snapshot in the Premier League
Let’s break it down:
- 2019/20: Norwich City were relegated after one season. Aston Villa and Sheffield United survived.
- 2020/21: Fulham and West Bromwich Albion dropped straight back down. Leeds United stayed up.
- 2021/22: Norwich and Watford couldn’t hold on. Brentford, the outlier, thrived.
- 2022/23: All three stayed up – a grand miracle.
- 2023/24: A clean sweep. Luton, Burnley, and Sheffield United were all relegated.
This 2024/25 season, well we all know that story, all promoted teams have more or less secured a position for the next season’s Championship.
What was previously 8 of 15 promoted teams going straight back down within one season in the last 5 years would soon turn into 11 of 18 in the last six years, with the inevitable fallout from the bottom three teams.
This would increase the numbers to over 60% of promoted sides in the last six seasons getting relegated in their debut campaign.
It paints a bleak picture of a Premier League that is less a welcoming party and more of a bleak reality.
Possession-Based Football: Ambition or Suicide Mission?
One of the more curious trends among promoted teams in recent years is the tactical bravery – or perhaps tactical naivety – they bring with them.
There’s been a clear shift from the gritty, grind-it-out, defensive-first approaches of yesteryear to a brand of football that aims to play like Manchester City without the budget, squad depth, or frankly, Erling Haaland.
Take Burnley, for example. Under Vincent Kompany, they took the Championship by storm with a slick, possession-based style that made them look like Pep Guardiola’s second cousins.
But in the Premier League? That same approach often looked like a Makeshift spaceship trying to break into orbit with duct tape and good vibes.
A more recent example is Southampton, who found a way to have more minutes caressing the ball than actually threatening the opposition’s final third. Looking back, Southampton had already sealed their fate 16 games into the Premier League.
Possession-based football is beautiful – when it works. But it requires players with incredible technical quality, positional intelligence, and the ability to make split-second decisions under pressure.
In the Premier League, where pressing systems are sharp and individual errors are ruthlessly punished, playing out from the back with second-tier quality often ends in disaster.
The Elephant in the Room: Money
Here’s the real kicker – Premier League wealth is immense, and Championship clubs can’t keep up.
The Premier League distributes broadcasting revenue, unlike any other league in the world, with even the 20th-placed side earning more than some European champions. That kind of money buys you depth, quality, and survival.
Promoted teams do get parachute payments and increased TV revenue, but they often spend most of it just to get to the Premier League in the first place.
Squad depth remains thin, and bolstering it is no simple task. You need more than a war chest; you need scouting, planning, and a bit of luck.
The top flight has become a glass ceiling for these clubs. The Championship is still incredibly competitive, but the moment you step into the Premier League, it’s like swapping five-a-side with your mates for a UFC title bout.
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So, What’s the Fix?
There’s no magic wand here, but there are lessons to be learned. Tactical flexibility is one. Trying to mimic the best sides in the world without the tools just doesn’t cut it.
Brentford’s data-driven recruitment, strong defensive foundation, and willingness to suffer without the ball have made them a blueprint for smart survival.
Another is timing. Many clubs spend big after promotion, but scattergun signings don’t always help.
Nottingham Forest stayed up with a bloated squad, but it could have easily backfired – quality over quantity matters.
Perhaps, most importantly, there needs to be a realistic assessment of what Premier League survival takes. It’s not just heart and grit, though those help, but a genuine plan that balances ambition with caution.
As it stands, the gulf between the Championship and the Premier League is so wide for reasons like financial power, but not just that alone. It’s tactical, technical, and psychological.
Until promoted teams stop trying to punch above their weight with one glove on, that gap is only going to grow wider.
And for fans of those yo-yo clubs, it might be time to invest in a reversible scarf.
Main Photo
Credit: IMAGO / Every Second Media
Recording Date: 21.04.2025