In The Mixer: Which promoted sides will survive?

In The Mixer is FST’s weekly column where we catch up with eight experts in football betting and get their opinion on the hot topic of the week.

This week, the fate of the three newly-promoted Premier League teams comes under the microscope and our experts have been picking out which team they feel stands the best chance of avoiding an immediate return to the second tier.

Fulham won the Championship last season, with Bournemouth coming in second and Nottingham Forest claiming their top flight spot via the play-offs.

Since the start of the Premier League era, at least once promoted team has avoided the drop in every season with one exception – the 1997/98 campaign – but a few of our experts think all three could be heading straight back down next season.

Tough Task For Promoted Trio

Henry Hardwicke

Sports journalist at Racing Post

I don’t expect any of the three to retain their Premier League status but Fulham would have the best chance of avoiding the drop back to the Championship.

Norwich and Watford were clearly the two weakest teams in the top-flight last term and Burnley have operated with one of the smallest budgets for some time. That trio won’t be in the Premier League next season and it looks like a strong division.

It’s hard to see Everton being as poor as they were last season and Aston Villa and Leeds look to be splashing the cash in a bid to move up the table. Fulham should keep their squad together and they are likely to have a fair amount of financial backing. If any of the three stay up I think it will be the west Londoners.

Aaron Ashley

Sports journalist at Racing Post

Two of the three promoted teams were relegated this season and with Burnley’s luck also running out, I don’t see too many weak links in the build-up to the new campaign.

Newcastle’s new riches mean they are looking onwards and upwards so, while Leeds and Brentford may be the two most vulnerable teams from last season’s crop of top-flight sides, I actually fear for all three newcomers.

Alexsander Mitrovic scored 43 goals in 44 Championship appearances as Fulham won the Championship title but he has to prove he can cut it in the Premier League having managed only 24 goals in 104 top-flight appearances.

As well as Fulham, the likes of Norwich, Watford and West Brom have also shown the difficulty in adjusting to life in the Premier League in recent years and I’m not sure Bournemouth or Nottingham Forest will have the financial punch or power to steer clear of the drop.

Cherries Well Placed To Avoid Championship Return

Aaron Rogan

Sports journalist at Free Super Tips

Without some big summer moves, I’m concerned about Leeds, Everton, Southampton and Brentford’s fortunes next season. That should give all three promoted sides hope of survival next term.

However, of the three I like Bournemouth’s chances of staying in the top flight. Scott Parker jumped ship from Fulham to build something with the Cherries so they should be well-backed this summer. Two seasons in the Championship allowed for a refresh of a side which had gone stale under Eddie Howe, so they should return to the top-flight in good shape.

Parker has seemed to improve as a manager year-on-year so back him to guide the Cherries to safety this season.

Liam Flin

Sports journalist at Racing Post

Of the three, I’d say Bournemouth have the best chance. Manager Scott Parker has been in a similar position before and this time he goes up with some great youngsters in his squad from Jaidon Anthony to Lloyd Kelly. They finished only two points shy of champions Fulham and should keep the bulk of their squad together.

The same cannot be said for playoff winners Nottingham Forest, who will be losing a number of talented loanees between now and the start of next season and only amassed 80 points in the Championship this term.

Fulham, meanwhile, have been here time and time again and you get the feeling they could go straight back down once again. Losing Fabio Carvalho is a massive blow whilst key striker Aleksandar Mitrovic has previously failed to adjust to life in the Premier League.

Aidan Perkins

Sports journalist at ICS

Bournemouth would be my pick to stay up as they look to go about re-establishing themselves as a Premier League team again from next season. The Cherries spent five seasons in the top flight under former boss Eddie Howe and still have plenty of players in their squad who are used to scrapping it out in the top division.

That means they should have the knowhow and ability within their ranks to compete again and do enough to survive, whereas there may be a fear amongst some of the Fulham players that they are destined for a season of struggle, with the Cottagers having failed to stay up the past two times they have emerged from the Championship.

Rob Eddy

Sports journalist at ICS

The quality of the Premier League is perhaps not at its strongest in terms of consistency and there have been plenty of positives for recently promoted teams, not least Brentford last season.

I would not necessarily be surprised if all three stayed up but obviously this is a big step up for all of them, and there is plenty of work to do.

Bournemouth have at least enjoyed a sustained spell in the top flight recently and would be my pick as most likely to survive, even if Scott Parker will need to prove he has learned from past lessons.

Fulham may still have scars from their last Premier League campaign as they have failed spectacularly in the past, while Nottingham Forest probably have most to do but would be the fairytale story given where they were when Steve Cooper took over. However, what squad he has to work with is open to debate and they may do well to stay in the survival race.

Fulham Can End Yo-Yo Years

Joe Casey

Sports journalist at Racing Post

Of the three teams to come up I would be most concerned for Bournemouth, I’m not convinced by Scott Parker as a manager and they had a scattergun approach to recruitment last season that doesn’t tend to work in the Premier League.

Nottingham Forest have probably the best coach of the three teams to come up but need to spend in the transfer market to ensure that they stay up, although teams who play three at the back have generally been more successful at acclimatising to life in the top flight.

Fulham are the side most likely to stay up in my opinion, their preparation for promotion last time was rushed by the fact they came up through the playoffs and with more time to reinforce this summer they should be able to avoid relegation. They do need to strengthen at the back however.

Gareth Freeman

Sports journalist at Free Super Tips

I think all of the promoted sides have a reasonable chance of avoiding an immediate return to the Championship, but of the three I’d say Fulham are the most likely to stay up.

The Cottagers may have been woeful last time they were in the Premier League but they have a new manager in place in Marco Silva and they stormed the second tier last season, only easing off after promotion had been secured.

Star striker Aleksandar Mitrovic managed 43 goals last season and at 27 is now in what should be his prime. The Serb may have struggled in his last Premier League campaign but Fulham were a poor team then and with better players around him I’m expecting a better showing this time. Obviously, a bit of investment is needed but they have a solid spine to their team already and a few quality additions may be all that is required to turn them into a competitive top flight team.