Only once before have all three newly promoted teams ended up being relegated again after just one season in the Premier League. It last happened in the 1997/98 season, and may happen again this year. With three league rounds left to play, Luton, Burnley and Sheffield United are below the mark. The three clubs from the Championship have struggled at the top level, and the latter is already without hope of survival.
At the same time, the three clubs that were relegated from the Premier League last year, Leicester, Leeds and Southampton, have the opportunity to move up. The former are already poised for promotion after securing the league title on Monday night – eight years after lifting the Premier League trophy.
Leeds also have the opportunity to secure direct promotion if Ipswich does not do the job, while Southampton must hope for a playoff.
Never before have all teams relegated from the Premier League gone straight back up at the first attempt in the following season. This time it can go either way, so that we end up with the Premier League looking exactly the same in 2024/25 as it did in 2022/23.
This is how the table looks before the last series round is played at the weekend. The top two go directly up, while teams three to six go into a playoff for the last ticket to the Premier League.
Ipswich have a game to spare and can secure the upper hand if they take a point against Coventry on Tuesday night. Should they manage to get promoted, it will be a huge achievement, as they are newly promoted from League One this season.
A problem?
The English Football League, which consists of the Championship, League One and League Two, has allowed itself to be frustrated by the fact that it often ends up with teams relegated from the Premier League going up again at the first attempt. Stories like Ipswich are rare.
The reason for this is the parachute payment the clubs receive when they are relegated. It means that they can safely spend much more money than their rivals at level two, and some believe it should rather be called a trampoline payment.
The EFL has produced studies showing that clubs receiving parachute payments have three times the chance of promotion to the Premier League as the other clubs. Therefore, they have asked to change how the money from the Premier League to the EFL is distributed.
That argument has been going on for a long time, and for now we are no closer to a solution. The Premier League believes the parachute money is necessary for the clubs that go down so that they do not end up in financial problems, while the EFL therefore believes it is unfair.
The matter is likely to be resolved by the independent body being set up by the UK government. The body must ensure that the interests of English football are safeguarded in a fairer way than what we see today.
