Burnley
Reasons to be cheerful There are numerous reasons behind the growing trend of promoted teams going straight back down with a decreasing number of points. One – having to adjust from dominating possession in the Championship to seeing much less of the ball in the Premier League – may not trouble Burnley quite as much as their predecessors.
Scott Parker built the third promotion of his managerial career last season on the back of an outstanding defensive record along with a selfless, fierce team spirit. More pragmatic than Vincent Kompany, the previous manager to take Burnley up in convincing style, Parker is not as wedded to a style that can be found out at Premier League level without serious investment.
Burnley will be resilient, they have added experience in Kyle Walker and Martin Dubravka and they know what is in store. In Armando Broja, the club have acquired a talented striker determined to make up for time lost to injury.
Reasons to be fearful Burnley spent about £100m after winning promotion under Kompany in 2023 and still went down with a measly 24 points. The gap grows bigger each year, with promoted clubs at a disadvantage from the off owing to the Premier League’s profitability and sustainability rules.
In James Trafford and CJ Egan-Riley, they have lost two key members of the defensive unit responsible for keeping 30 clean sheets last season and conceding 16 goals in 46 games – the best defensive record in English league history. Josh Brownhill, the captain and leading goalscorer last term, has followed Egan-Riley in rejecting a new contract and leaving on a free transfer. Replacing the midfielder’s leadership and goals will not be easy.
Broja’s injury record has been a concern for several seasons and several other new recruits are unproven or untested at Premier League level. AH
Leeds
Reasons to be cheerful They are no longer diminutive and a little lightweight; indeed at first glance neutrals may wonder whether they have got the class of 2025-26 confused with another club’s squad. In a physical sense at least, Leeds have morphed into a side of quite formidable stature with their eight summer signings averaging 6ft 2in. Leeds fans will not care too much about aesthetics if their team are able to muscle their way to survival; not to mention demonstrate much-needed improvement at set pieces. Among the arrivals is the 6ft 5in Brazil goalkeeper Lucas Perri, brought in from Lyon to replace the gifted, but erratic, Illan Meslier.
Perhaps equally important, last season’s Championship Golden Boot winner, Joël Piroe, has impressed in pre-season. Maybe, just maybe, the Dutch striker will shine in the Premier League. Behind Piroe, a central midfield featuring Anton Stach, Sean Longstaff, Ethan Ampadu and Ao Tanaka competing for places looks a reassuringly strong department in a division where Brentford, Wolves, Crystal Palace and West Ham look eminently capable of sliding into trouble.
Reasons to be fearful There were genuine mitigating factors, but Farke suffered immediate relegations after twice winning promotion with Norwich. Then there are the attacking gambles. Are Leeds really wise to place so much faith in the injury-prone former Everton and England centre-forward Dominic Calvert-Lewin and the similarly fragile former Wolfsburg and Germany striker Lukas Nmecha?
Not that the players have a monopoly on creaky, crumbling, joints. There are fears plans for the much-needed reconstruction and expansion of Elland Road may distract resources from the first team. Moreover, Leeds could well miss their former chief executive Angus Kinnear after his move to Everton. Kinnear was a very big Farke ally.
Farke could also do with Manor Solomon still being on his side because the Israel international’s excellent wing play on loan was a big reason why Leeds won promotion. Solomon looks poised to leave Tottenham but, with the 26-year-old attracting interest from Premier League rivals and La Liga, enticing him back may be a losing battle. LT
Sunderland
Reasons to be cheerful They hold Enzo Le Fée’s registration. It is surely no coincidence the former Roma playmaker helped create all five goals Sunderland scored as they overcame first Coventry then Sheffield United to win promotion via the playoffs. His eye for a through ball promises to serve them well.
Sunderland are also dangerous and highly unpredictable down both wings, where Simon Adingra, a recent arrival from Brighton, promises to be a defender-destabilising opponent. Régis Le Bris is an excellent improver of young players and is no slave to philosophy. Expect Sunderland to alternate between counterattacking – arguably their strong suit – and a more considered passing approach.
Regardless of tactics, a central midfield that has, among others, Habib Diarra, Granit Xhaka, Le Fée, Dan Neil and Chris Rigg competing for places is not to be underestimated. Last season’s star midfielder, Jobe Bellingham, now at Borussia Dortmund, may not be missed too much.
Further forward, Marc Guiu, the 19-year-old Chelsea loanee striker and former Barcelona academy graduate, is regarded as being potentially very good. Some say a forward who combines imposing physicality with fine finishing really is the new Cole Palmer.
Reasons to be fearful Chaos overload threatens tactical and emotional anarchy. Le Bris would not be human if he did not struggle to integrate 11 signings while maintaining squad harmony and constructing a cohesive XI. Xhaka apart, the imports are generally young, inexperienced and light on Premier League experience.
Le Bris is also something of a novice at this level. He has never managed in England’s top tier and, at 49, the former Lorient manager is starting only his fourth season as a first-team head coach. When filled to 49,000 capacity, the Stadium of Light remains one of England’s most intimidating arenas. Unfortunately, not all players can handle the pressure that comes with wearing red and white stripes and performing in front of some of the country’s most partisan fans.
Deep down, even the most optimistic supporters know that while Sunderland played very well at times last season they were rarely able to control games and had an awful habit of conceding late goals and squandering leads. LT
