Premier League dream turns sour for promoted clubs
The riches of the Premier League are on offer for Sunderland and Sheffield United as they face off in Saturday's Championship play-off final, but the promotion dream could quickly turn sour even for the winners.
For the second consecutive season all three promoted sides from the Championship have been swiftly dumped straight back into the second tier at the first time of asking.
Before the 2023/24 campaign, that had only happened once in English top-flight history, back in 1997/98.
The growing gulf between the two leagues is evidenced by the points tallies of the bottom three in the past two seasons.
Luton, Burnley and Sheffield United went down 12 months ago with the lowest combined tally of any three relegated teams in a 38-match Premier League season.
Leicester, Ipswich and Southampton are on course to smash that unwanted record with just 59 between them heading into the final weekend of the Premier League campaign.
The bottom three have won just two games between them in 2025 against the top 17.
"It's clear that the gap is big," said Ipswich boss Kieran McKenna, who had secured back-to-back promotions prior to this season's reality check.
"When that happens for two seasons in a row, that's 17 teams who have two full seasons of Premier League money and everything that comes with that. And it makes it harder for everyone to catch up."
Sheffield United received £110 million from the Premier League's television and commercial deals last season for finishing bottom of the table.
Once parachute payments, which are dished out to relegated clubs for a period of three years after they go down are factored in, one season in the English top-flight can be worth over £200 million.
The growing gulf between the top two divisions is not only a problem for the Premier League.
The English Football League have grown increasingly concerned over the competitive balance of the Championship due to the impact of parachute payments.
Should Sheffield United join Leeds and Burnley in going up, six of the last nine clubs promoted from the Championship would have done so in their first season after being relegated from the Premier League.
"The impact of these payments on the competitive balance of the Championship, and on the sustainability of all other clubs, is a major concern," said EFL chairman Rick Parry.
Parachute payments could be abolished once a new independent regulator for English football is appointed.
But that may only exacerbate the growing gulf between the Premier League and Championship.
They were initially designed to minimise the gap between the top two leagues by encouraging promoted clubs to invest enough in their squads to make them competitive.
Yet, the strength in depth of the Premier League means any newcomer has a mountain to climb just to survive.
With just one game of the season to go, Europa League finalists Tottenham and Manchester United sit 16th and 17th in the table.
"The longer the teams stay in the Premier League, the better they get," said Leicester boss Ruud van Nistelrooy.
"If the same 17 teams stay in they are all going to invest massive amounts of money and get better on top of how good they are. It appears the gap will only get bigger."
kca/dmc
TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR
Manchester United
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
India Gazette
an hour ago
- India Gazette
"Kuldeep has skills to be successful in England": Bharat Arun backs wrist spinner ahead of Test series
Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], June 7 (ANI): With the all-important five-match Test series taking place in England from June 20, former India bowling coach Bharat Arun has backed left-arm chinaman bowler Kuldeep Yadav, saying the wrist-spinner can be a key weapon in English conditions. While speaking to Boria Majumdar on Revsportz, Arun said, 'Wrist spinners have always been effective, especially in England. Maybe even initially, when there is a little bit of dampness in the wicket, there is help for those wrist spinners. And also, the roughs that the bowlers create. But again, using the rough is a separate art.' Arun couldn't help drawing comparisons with some of the greats of the game, stressing that wrist spin has always been a part of the sport. 'It's not just about bowling. I think somebody who instantly comes to our mind is Shane Warne. I think Kuldeep has got enough skills to be successful in England,' he remarked. India's new-look bowling attack will also hope their young guns rise to the occasion in England. According to Arun, these young talents have plenty of potential despite their inexperience. 'If you look at this bowling attack, yes, it is relatively inexperienced, but it's got huge potential,' he added. Kuldeep Yadav, in good touch across formats of late, may have a significant role to play in India's plans especially if conditions start to turn and bounce as the Test matches progress. India's Test squad for England series: Shubman Gill (c), Rishabh Pant (vc), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Karun Nair, Nitish Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel, Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav. (ANI)
News18
4 hours ago
- News18
Jasprit Bumrah 13 Wickets Away From Becoming 1st Indian Bowler To...
Last Updated: World No. 1 Test bowler Jasprit Bumrah has picked up 37 wickets for India in eight Test matches played so far against England in England. Jasprit Bumrah will lead India's bowling attack in the five-match Test series against England, which is set to start on June 20 in Leeds. During the five-match series, which will be first for India under Shubman Gill's leadership, Bumrah, who is the world's No. 1 Test bowler, will have a chance to create history. If the 31-year-old fast bowler from Ahmedabad, who won the ICC Cricketer and ICC Test Cricketer of the Year awards in 2024, manages to take at least 13 wickets in the next five matches in England, then he will become the first Indian bowler to take 50 Test wickets against Poms on English soil. As of now, the record of taking most wickets for India in Tests played against England on English soil is held by Ishant Sharma. Ishant, who is still an active cricketer, has played 14 Test matches against England in England and picked up 48 wickets. On the other hand, Bumrah has dismissed 37 batters in eight matches. In the list of Indian bowlers with the most wickets against England in England, Ishant is followed by Kapil Dev, who finished his career with 43 wickets in 13 matches. Most wickets for India in Tests against England in England The overall record of taking most wickets in Test matches between India and England in England is held by James Anderson. The legendary fast bowler finished his 21-year-long Test career with 105 wickets against India in 22 Tests played on English soil. Most wickets in India-England Tests (in England) Bumrah, who is arguably India's greatest bowler of all time, has played a total of 14 Tests against England so far and has 60 wickets to his name. He needs at least 26 wickets in the upcoming series to go past Kapil's tally of 85 wickets and become India's most successful pacer in Tests against England. Bumrah was on fire for India in the last Test series played against Australia. He played all five matches against the Baggy Greens and picked up 32 wickets. For his super show with the ball, Bumrah won the Player of the Series award, but his performance was not enough to help India avoid the series defeat with a scoreline of 1-3. During the 2024-25 edition of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, Bumrah suffered a back injury, and as a precaution, the Indian team management could rest him for a couple of matches in the series against England. First Published:
India.com
5 hours ago
- India.com
Indias Likely Playing XI For 1st Test Against England: Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul As Openers, This Batter To Replace Virat Kohli At No. 4
photoDetails english 2912636 The Indian cricket team will start a new era in Tests with a five-match series against England. With Shubman Gill as the new Test captain and Rishabh Pant as vice-captain, India are all set to enter the transition phase after the retirements of Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Ravichandran Ashwin. The first Test between India and England is set to be played from June 20 at Headingley, Leeds and the Shubman Gill-led side is expected to field a balanced playing XI, leveraging English conditions. Here's India's likely Playing XI for the 1st Test against England: Updated:Jun 07, 2025, 11:06 PM IST 1. Yashasvi Jaiswal 1 / 11 Young left-handed batter Yashasvi Jaiswal, who has been very consistent in the recent past, is all set to open the innings for India in the first Test against England at Headingley, Leeds. 2. KL Rahul 2 / 11 KL Rahul, who brings that much-needed experience, is likely to open the innings for India alongside Yashasvi Jaiswal in first Test against England at Headingley, Leeds. Rahul did well for India as opener during the last tour of England. 3. Karun Nair 3 / 11 India have two good options in Sai Sudharsan or Karun Nair, who could bat at No. 3 in the first Test against England at Headingley, Leeds. Both Sudharsan and Nair are technically sound and going through good form as well. The 33-year-old Nair recently hit a double hundred while playing for India A against England Lions in a four-day practice game in Canterbury. His impressive performance in the practice game might give him a preference over Sudharsan in the Indian playing XI for the first Test. 4. Shubman Gill (Captain) 4 / 11 Shubman Gill will lead India in the first Test against England at Headingley, Leeds. The 25-year-old Gill has mostly batted at the top of the order or at number three in his Test career so far but he could take the big responsibility of replacing Virat Kohli at No. 4 spot in the Indian cricket team. Gill might bat at No. 4 spot for India in the first Test against England. Him moving to No. 4 spot could be a game changer moment for Gill and might elevate his Test career. 5. Rishabh Pant (VC & WK) 5 / 11 Explosive middle-order batter and wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant is all set to bat at No. 5 for India in the first Test against England at Headingley, Leeds. Pant has been one of the best batters for India in Test cricket in the last few years and the team would be expecting some counterattacking knocks from him during the tour. 6. Ravindra Jadeja 6 / 11 Ravindra Jadeja will give that perfect balance to the Indian team with his all-round skills during the upcoming England tour. He is likely to bat at No. 6 for India in the first Test against England at Headingley, Leeds. 7. Nitish Kumar Reddy 7 / 11 Nitish Kumar Reddy, the young all-rounder will offer batting depth and pace bowling options to the Indian team during the upcoming England tour. Nitish is likely to bat at No. 7 for India in the first Test against England at Headingley, Leeds and bowl some crucial overs as well. 8. Shardul Thakur 8 / 11 All-rounder Shardul Thakur has done well for England in Test cricket in the past. Once again, he is going to play a crucial role for India and his performance with both bat and ball can determine the fate of India in the first Test against England at Headingley, Leeds. 9. Jasprit Bumrah 9 / 11 Pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah will lead the Indian bowling lineup in the first Test against England at Headingley, Leeds. A fully-fit Bumrah will be a lethal weapon for India against England. 10. Mohammed Siraj 10 / 11 India would expect a lot from Mohammed Siraj in their first Test against England at Headingley, Leeds. Siraj, who has enough experience now, is expected to lead the attack alongside Bumrah in English conditions. 11. Prasidh Krishna 11 / 11 India have plenty of options in Prasidh Krishna, Arshdeep Singh and Akashdeep, when it comes to picking their third pacer for the first Test against England at Headingley, Leeds. Prasidh Krishna's brilliant performance in the Sydney Test against Australia earlier this might help him in getting that preference over Arshdeep Singh and Akashdeep.
