All three promoted sides have won a game in the opening two weeks of the Premier League season
Securing promotion to the Premier League is a momentous achievement,
offering clubs the opportunity to compete against England’s elite, visit iconic stadiums, and host world-class players – not to mention the significant financial rewards.
However, recent history suggests that this joy can be short-lived, with the harsh realities of the Premier League quickly setting in for newly-promoted teams.
Prior to the current season, the past six clubs elevated from the Championship have suffered immediate relegation.
Last season, Leicester, Ipswich and Southampton experienced this fate, mirroring that of Luton, Burnley and Sheffield United the year before.
Despite entering the league with optimism, each of these teams was relegated, often well before the season’s end.
This trend has sparked concerns that the Premier League is becoming a ‘closed shop’, where the financial disparity transforms a natural step up in quality into an insurmountable gap.
However, after Sunderland, Leeds and Burnley all secured victories in the opening two weekends, could this season be different?
This marks the first time since the 2016-17 season that all three promoted clubs have won a match within the first two games.
In the previous two seasons, it took until the 11th round of fixtures for each newly-promoted team to register a win.
Sheffield United were the last to achieve this in 2023-24, while Ipswich recorded five draws before their first victory – away against Tottenham – in game 11 last season, just a week after Southampton secured their first three points.
Norwich City faced a similar situation in 2021-22.
The 2022-23 season will provide encouragement for this year’s promoted teams.
Fulham, Nottingham Forest and Bournemouth – the promoted clubs that year – all had a win within their first three games.
Crucially, these early wins helped all three avoid relegation, with Fulham even achieving a top-half finish.
While aiming for similar success, the current promoted teams would likely settle for simply securing 17th place.
Burnley’s win over Sunderland on Saturday means the three clubs have already made a small piece of history.
The Clarets’ victory follows Sunderland’s win over West Ham at the Stadium of Light and Leeds’ win against Everton at Elland Road, making this season the first in the Premier League era where all three newly-promoted sides have won their first home game.
Burnley’s win over Sunderland was their ninth in 10 league games
While securing that first win relieves some pressure, it doesn’t guarantee survival.
Neither does spending money, but given the significant step up from the Championship, all three clubs have invested in their squads this summer.
Leeds made AC Milan striker Noah Okafor their ninth signing of the window on Thursday in an £18m deal, taking their total spending up to nearly £93m.
That number goes up to around £107m for Sunderland, who have brought in 11 players, while Burnley have signed 13 players for roughly £109m.
Despite these significant outlays and their home wins, all three clubs have suffered heavy defeats away from home: Burnley 3-0 at Spurs, Leeds 5-0 at Arsenal, and Sunderland 2-0 at Turf Moor.
With all three teams prepared for a relegation battle, these early wins could prove crucial come May.
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