Predicting the Premier League: Who’ll be the top promoted club?
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It’s Premier League Eve-Eve which means in less than 48 hours time we’ll see the first top-flight ball of the season kicked. And our latest prediction feature focuses on the top promoted club from last season’s Championship.
Though Middlesbrough and Burnley battled it out for top-spot last season, it was the Clarets who eventually won the race for the title by four points. But how are we rating their chances to finish above their rivals of last year?
Burnley to be Top Promoted club – 12/5
It’s perhaps a generous price for Sean Dyche’s Burnley side, given that the last time they reached the Premier League they finished 19th, but one quick glance at the history books will tell you all you need to know.
In three of the last five seasons, the team who topped the Championship table in May ended up finishing bottom of the promoted teams – with two of those sides being relegated (Cardiff City and Reading).
But if Burnley wanted to mimic any of the last five sides to win the Championship, it’d undoubtedly be Leicester City. In the 2013-14 campaign the Foxes topped the second-tier table and went on to finish higher than both promoted clubs in the top-flight the following year.
What they did last season wasn’t bad either.
Middlesbrough to be Top Promoted club – 17/20
There’s a reason Boro are favourites in this market – in fact, there’s nine reasons, each of which are their summer acquisitions.
Aitor Karanka has arguably done the best business of any promoted club in Premier League history as he looks to maintain the Teesside outfit’s status in the top-flight.
In goal he has six-time La Liga and three-time Champions League winner Victor Valdes, at the back he’s added ex-Valencia star Barragan, in the middle of the park there’s real competition for places following the arrivals of Marten de Roon and Gaston Ramirez, while up-front Viktor Fischer and Premier League winner Alvaro Negredo will be challenging Jordan Rhodes for a starting place.
Brad Guzan, Jordan McGhee and Bernardo complete Karanka’s summer spree, but with three weeks remaining before the transfer window slams shut, expect at least one more name to head to the Riverside Stadium.
Hull City to be Top Promoted club – 11/4
It’s been a tough old summer for Hull fans, and with no light in sight at the end of their tunnel, we think they’re in for a difficult year.
Their lack of players combined with an empty managerial seat in the dugout means they’re probably the least prepared team in the league.
The bad news doesn’t end there for the Tigers, either – as the last two teams to be promoted via the play-offs have been faced with instant relegation from the top-flight the following year.
But fear not Hull fans, as there are still three weeks of the transfer window remaining, and owners are insisting that they are working on bringing in the right man for the job.
Should a top boss come in and bring some new faces with him, we could soon see fortunes change at the KCOM Stadium.
All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing.
