Relegation battle in the Premier League 24/25: Top Contenders

Some unexpected sides listed!

The 2024/25 English Premier League season has passed its halfway point, and bookmakers already have both clear contenders for the title and the ones for relegation. You can read about the odds and chances for winning the Premier League title here, and now it's time to analyse those who are threatened with relegation.

Southampton

Unfortunately, the Saints are drowning. After 20 rounds, they have only six points and just a single victory over another troubled side, Everton (1:0). Surprisingly, such a team reached the quarter-finals of the EFL Cup and went beyond the third round of the FA Cup. Alas, it can’t save Southampton from the possibility of becoming the worst team in the history of the Premier League.

Russell Martin's stubbornness regarding his playing style has returned to haunt him. Another young and ambitious manager has failed because he refused to adapt his gaming philosophy to a higher level competition. Yes, Southampton averaged 55% possession, and they are in the top five of the league in this component. But how did this help them? Along with Everton, Southampton are the only team to have scored fewer goals in the Premier League than the number of games played! 

Eventually, Russell was sacked and it was logical. However, the appointment of Ivan Jurić, who has only been in charge at Roma for two months, is strange. It will not be surprising if Southampton change their second manager this season. The Saints are currently the leading contender for relegation and have almost no chance of remaining in the league for the next season. Their best player is goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale, who has a rating of 7.18 on SofaScore. No one else among the Saints has even 7.

Southampton to be relegated

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1/100

Leicester City

While Claudio Ranieri's joke "We are not relegated, that's good" was seen as funny in 2016, it is not anymore for the Foxes’ fans. If Leicester City don't get relegated this season, that would be really good.

Like in the case of Southampton, Leicester's best player is their goalkeeper, Mads Hermansen, who has a 7.19 SofaScore. But at least the Foxes aren't as hopeless as the Saints: They've scored 23 goals in 20 games while conceding 44. That's why they have 14 points instead of six, which at least saves the hope for salvation. Moreover, Leicester City weren't fined for failing the league's profit and sustainability rules (PSR).

A 6:2 win over QPR in the FA Cup lifted the mood at the King Power Stadium, with Van Nistelrooy declaring that he wanted to see his side play like this all the time:

Leicester City to be relegated

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1/5

Ipswich Town

The poorest team in the Premier League, with a squad value of €243.80m according to Transfermarkt, looks good. It’s not just the limited financial resources that justify Ipswich Town, but also their absence in the Premier League for 22 years.

Kieran McKenna has finally proven that he is a strong coach and is capable of managing at the highest level independently. However, sometimes, he strives to play too boldly against organised teams, resulting, for example, in a 0:4 defeat against Newcastle. But fate rewards the brave and when McKenna plays aggressively against the sides full of problems and having  unbalanced defense, like Chelsea, suddenly the world witnesses a sensational 2:0 victory.

Ipswich Town are playing bravely and have a strong coach, but a lack of resources can prevent them from remaining in the Premier League. By the end of the season, the team leaders may be exhausted, and the results may get worse.

Ipswich Town to be relegated

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4/5

Wolverhampton

Under Gary O'Neill’s management, the Wolves were an extremely unstable and unpredictable team. A confident 2:0 victory over Southampton and a 4:1 away win over Fulham were replaced by a 2:4 defeat from Bournemouth and a humiliating 0:4 result in the game versus Everton. The club’s bosses were tired of balancing on the edge of the relegation zone, so they sacked O'Neill. A coach of the nationality already firmly associated with The Wolves was invited to replace him: the Portuguese Vitor Pereira.

The team's new coach is quite an interesting specialist. He is 56 years old but has only just begun his top football career as a manager. Before Wolverhampton, Pereira worked in Portugal, Saudi Arabia, China, Turkey, and Brazil. He even visited the third division of Germany to train TSV 1860 München. And now, after many years of exotic traveling, he gets a chance in the best league in the world. If Vitor will save the Wolves from relegation, his story will be a perfect inspiration for anyone who’s about to give up early in their career.

Wolverhampton to be relegated

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7/4

Everton

Everton deserve to be nicknamed “The Immortals” after everything that has happened to them. The "Manchester City cheats, Everton get fined" meme has firmly taken root in the football environment. Here are the places The Toffees occupied at the end of the season over the last five years:

• 15 (23/24);

• 17 (22/23);

• 16 (21/22);

• 10 (20/21);

• 12 (19/20).

The Championship has been calling for Everton for the last three years, but the blue Merseyside is not giving up. After six matches without a win in the league this season, the club sacked the great and terrible Sean Dyche. It was a sad day. However, David Moyes was appointed! All that's left is to call Sam Allardyce or Roy Hodgson.

Everton to be relegated

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11/4

What If?

Manchester United in the Championship! We understand this joke is getting out of control, but, seriously, just imagine such a situation in reality — the most titled club of the country gets relegated. Like, that’s it, no more Manchester derby or Northwest derby. Can you imagine English football without it? The thought of such a scenario, while unlikely, is a testament to the unpredictable nature of football.

Currently, Manchester United are 15th after 20 rounds. This is what happens when there is a complete mess in the management of the club. Ruben Amorim, of course, warned that Manchester United would have to suffer, but does this really mean relegation? So far, the Red Devils are the most unpredictable team in the league. They can lose in a humiliating way 0:2 to Wolverhampton and 0:3 to Bournemouth, and then heroically play 2:2 against Liverpool at Anfield and knock Arsenal out of the FA Cup at Emirates Stadium. Anomaly United!

Man Utd to be relegated

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40/1

This is the situation in the fight for survival in the English Premier League. So far, the current season has been quite fun!