Everton and Leeds set for another relegation battle next season - at least according to bookies
- Paul Okey
- 30 May 2022
Promoted trio are favourites for instant return to the Championship, but Everton, Leeds, Southampton and Brentford predicted to be battling down the bottom with them.
Everton may still be celebrating their Premier League survival (and Liverpool's Champions League failure) but it looks set to be another season of struggle in 2022/23.
Following Nottingham Forest's promotion to the top flight via the play-offs on Sunday, bookmakers have priced up the relegation odds for next season.
Predictably, Planet Sport Bet have the three newly promoted teams as favourites to fill the bottom three spots, with Bournemouth 4/6 to go down and Forest 5/6. Fulham are 6/5, with Leeds United at 5/2 to suffer the drop following on from their dramatic final-day survival in 2021/22.
Brentford are also tipped to be battling it out at the wrong end of the table, with Thomas Frank's side 11/4 to fall victim to the second season syndrome and return to the Championship.
Southampton, who endured a sorry end to their campaign, are 7/2 to be relegated, with Everton, in Frank Lampard's first full season as manager, next-best at 9/2.
Aston Villa and Crystal Palace are both 11/2 to go down, while Manchester City and Liverpool can be backed at 2000/1 to go from the top two to the bottom three.
And for Everton and Leeds fans who think their escapes can be the springboard to glory akin to Leicester City's in 2015/16, the top-four odds are also out (let's not totally lose our minds here by suggesting a title push).
Everton are 25/1 to secure a Champions League spot under Lampard, while Leeds are 50/1.
Once again Manchester City and Liverpool are expected to lead the way. However, there is a a little bit of deviation in the betting, with City 1/100 with Planet Sport Bet to finish inside the top four and Liverpool 1/40.
Chelsea (8/11) and Tottenham (11/10) are the two teams tipped to join them, although there is little to choose between Spurs and Manchester United (6/5) who remain an unknown quantity under new boss Erik ten Hag.
