Championship winners Burnley will be hoping to avoid the fate that befell them in 2013/14, when they finished in the bottom three after achieving promotion to the Premier League the previous year. Sean Dyche is still in charge at Turf Moor and he and his players will have benefited from that experience two campaigns ago, although at this early stage the former Watford boss does not seem to have changed his approach too drastically: Burnley will again be relying on the core group of players who got them up to the top tier in the first place.
Middlesbrough joined the Clarets in the Championship’s top two in May, bringing a seven-year stint without Premier League football to a welcome end. At the time of writing no team in the division has made more signings than Boro, who have done extremely well to capture the likes of Alvaro Negredo, Viktor Fischer and Victor Valdes as Aitor Karanka looks to strengthen his squad for the task ahead.
At the other end of the spectrum are play-off winners Hull City, who have made just a single acquisition up to now – and that was 18-year-old goalkeeper Will Mannion from AFC Wimbledon. Manager Steve Bruce cited a lack of transfer activity as the reason for his surprise resignation last month; given that owner Assem Allam is also looking for a way out, it is not too difficult to see why many Hull fans are concerned about their team’s chances of securing their Premier League status at present.
Sunderland were the side who finished one place and two points above the dreaded dotted line last time out and could struggle again this year too. David Moyes is a fine appointment for the Black Cats but the fact that Sam Allardyce left so late in pre-season means the club’s preparations will have been heavily disrupted, and Sunderland could therefore take a number of weeks to truly get going.
Bournemouth, who finished 16th in 2015/16, should again have just enough to survive, likewise a Crystal Palace side who will have their eyes set on a top-half finish. Watford and Swansea City are the two teams who could be dragged into trouble after lower-mid-table spots last term, with Tony Pulis unlikely to be taking anything for granted at West Bromwich Albion despite his excellent record when it comes to avoiding relegation.
Taking everything into account, then, the three teams worth backing to fall through the trapdoor are Burnley, Hull and Watford. The former duo may lack a touch of quality to extend their stay in the top flight, while the Hornets could suffer second-season syndrome.
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