Planning for Sunderland’s long-awaited return to the Premier League is already underway as the Black Cats prepare to take on the likes of Liverpool, Manchester City and Arsenal in the top flight.
Regis Le Bris has enjoyed a remarkable first season in charge at the Stadium of Light as the former Lorient head coach guided his side into a fourth place finish in the Championship table before they came through a two-legged play-off semi-final with Coventry City with a 3-2 aggregate win. On a day that will go down in Wearside folklore, Sunderland then came from a goal down to see off play-off final opponents Sheffield United as goals from Eliezer Mayenda and Tommy Watson marked the Black Cats return to the top flight.
Championship winners Leeds United and runners-up Burnley will join Le Bris’ side in next season’s Premier League as the trio look to avoid suffering the same fate as Southampton, Leicester City and Ipswich Town, who were relegated back into the second tier just 12 months after securing promotion. The odds appear to be against Sunderland in their bid to ensure their Premier League stay is extended beyond a solitary season as the bookmakers have revealed just how likely it will be that all three promoted sides will end next season in the bottom three.
A William Hill spokesman said: “We’ve seen a clear trend in recent seasons of promoted teams struggling to make the step up to the Premier League, and the market reflects that. For the 2025/26 season, we make it 9/4, a 31% chance, that Leeds, Burnley, and Sunderland are relegated, compared to 7/2 (22% chance) for Leicester, Ipswich, and Southampton ahead of the 2024/25 season. It’s certainly a tough ask for all three to survive, and punters are clearly expecting at least one more season of déjà vu at the bottom of the table.”
But what are Sunderland’s odds to suffer an immediate return to the Championship?
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