The Premier League is back and with the 2023-24 season underway, fans and pundits alike are beginning to make their predictions surrounding how they see the next nine months panning out. Manchester City are the obvious choice for the title as Pep Guardiola’s side seek a record fourth-successive Premier League triumph, but who will finish in the lucrative European spots isn’t as obvious with a whole host of teams gunning for a place in the three continental cups.
Who is going to be relegated is another interesting question. Newcomers Luton Town and Sheffield United are being given little hope of staying up in the Premier League relegation betting and its easy to see why when you look at their respective squads, but predicting the side that will join them in the bottom three isn’t easy as there are several teams who could be involved in the relegation battle.
It could be anyone. So, let’s take a look at three sides that weren’t in real danger of relegation at the business end of last season, but could be when push comes to shove this year.
Wolverhampton Wanderers
There have been rumblings of things going on behind the scenes at Wolverhampton Wanderers all summer and things went from bad to worse when manager Julien Lopetegui vacated his role just three days before the start of the new season.
The Spaniard was frustrated by the lack of funding he received to bring in new recruits this summer, especially with key players like Ruben Neves and Raul Jiminez leaving for the Saudi Pro League and Fulham, respectively, and that ultimately spelled the end for his nine-month stint at Molineux.
Lopetegui did a fantastic jump to take Wolves from rock bottom to 13th in the latter half of the season, and the midlands’ side’s relegation odds were slashed drastically when he left. New boss Gary O’Neil — who saved Bournemouth from the drop last year — has another big task on his hand.
Fulham
Fulham were one of the surprise outfits of last season. The Cottagers had made a name for themselves as a yo-yo club and after winning the Championship in 2021-22, were expected to go straight back to the second tier last year. However, they finished in 10th place and notably ahead of their West London rivals Chelsea for the first time since 1983.
In doing so, Fulham have set the bar of expectation for themselves very high this season, but it will be very hard for them to perform to the same level — especially with their talisman Alexsandar Mitrovic still linked with a move to the rising Saudi Pro League.
The good is that Marco Silva turned down an approach to go and manage in the Middle East earlier this summer. The Portuguese coach was a huge factor in Fulham’s fantastic season last year and he’d be a huge loss. It will be interesting to see if second season syndrome sets in though.
Bournemouth
Another promoted side that were expected to return to the Championship at the first time of asking, many pundits and fans alike had Bournemouth all but relegated before a ball was even kicked last season — and after their terrible start to the season, you could see why.
However, Scott Parker left after just four games — which included a 9-0 thumping against Liverpool — and O’Neil was brought in to steady the ship. That he did, and he was awarded the job on a permanent basis in November.
The Cherries had a bad end to the campaign, losing all of their final four games but still finished 15th in the table. The board decided to sack O’Neil, however, replacing him with Andoni Iraola and he’s been busy bringing some fresh faces this summer. Bournemouth will likely still struggle though and could find it hard to keep their heads above the water.
