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Can the promoted teams be competitive in the Premier League this season?

Last season, Sunderland broke the mould. A very concerning pattern had begun to develop at the bottom of the Premier League; in successive seasons, all six promoted teams went straight back to the Championship in a manner that threatened to undermine the competitive balance at the top of English football.

It wasn’t just that none of those teams survived, but rather that they didn’t reach over 30 points, 10 fewer than the well-documented baseline for survival. Many people were asking existential questions about the point in going up to the top flight and whether the gap between the top divisions was becoming insurmountable.

Just a matter of years after the Super League proposal was widely condemned, the distribution of wealth across Europe has become a greater issue in recent times. With the Premier League its richest division, it has been the epicentre, reflected in both a gulf in class within the league itself and the lesser competitions on the continent in the Europa League and Conference League.

When Sunderland finished seventh and reached the Europa League themselves, it wasn’t a fluke. Of course, nobody expected the Black Cats to reach such heights, especially as they’d been promoted via the play-offs, but with huge ambitions to re-establish themselves, they took what were perceived as gambles on high-ceiling talent from the European markets.

The likes of Habib Diarra, Robin Roefs, Noah Sidiki and Brian Brobbey arrived to signal intent. But it was the signing of Granit Xhaka, the former Arsenal captain who had led Bayer Leverkusen to the Bundesliga just two seasons prior, which made everyone sit up and take notice.

Sunderland utilised the markets to a greater effect than anyone could have imagined and that will be difficult to replicate. But they have certainly shown the way for this year’s promoted sides; Coventry, Ipswich and Hull.

Predictions seem to follow the same pattern every season, regardless of how accurate they were before. Arsenal, having won the league, are seen as favourites to defend their crown almost universally, as Liverpool were when they spent north of £400m only to finish fifth.

It is the same at the bottom; anyone who comes up has a hard job convincing anyone that they can cement themselves. Former Chelsea midfielder Joe Cole was accused of disrespect this week when he suggested Hull came up “through the back door” and dismissed their chances of staying up. His former team-mate Lampard’s Coventry side are probably the most favoured, helped by Lampard’s own popularity and how dominant they were en route to promotion last season.

Both have spent a lion share of their budgets on talent from abroad who will undoubtedly take time to adjust to the Premier League. Ghanaian teenage midfielder Caleb Yirenkyi is exciting having joined the Sky Blues from Nordsjjaeland, while Aurele Amenda, the 22-year-old defender from Frankfurt, has also joined.

Lampard will hope the experience of Taiwo Awoniyi and Gus Hamer will help add balance, while goalkeeper Carl Rushworth has made his move from Brighton permanent.

Hull’s acquisitions include defender Nobel Mendy from Rayo Vallecano and Olympiakos goalkeeper Konstantinos Tzolakis, but they’ve also signed Matt Targett and Joe Gelhardt.

Ipswich are perhaps the most interesting case. Upon promotion in 2024 under former boss Kieran McKenna, their approach was to build a squad predominantly made up of Championship-proven players, helping them back up after a disappointing season.

With former Brighton man Julio Enciso, Toulouse forward Emerson and fullback Abdoul Ouattara all arriving from France for a combined £70m, alongside Gary O’Neil as new boss from Strasbourg, it is fair to say they are going in a different direction.

The signings of Fulham pair Issa Diop and Sasa Lukic will add Premier League experience and they’ll hope they got the balance right.

While all three clubs face an uphill struggle this season, they cannot be written off either. Sunderland, and Leeds, who also survived, showed what is possible last year. For the sake of the whole league, these three teams need to remain competitive, but nobody can accuse them of taking the safe route.