Leicester City, Ipswich Town and Southampton, the three relegated sides from the Premier League, will be the favourites to achieve promotion and bounce straight back. Of course, navigating the Championship will be tough, so let’s see how the clubs should fare.
Embed from Getty ImagesLeicester City
There’s still an air of uncertainty surrounding Leicester City, with profit and sustainability charges looming overhead. The club could face a further point deduction after an alleged breach of PSR rules.
The recent tribunal revealed that Leicester can now be prosecuted by the Premier League, even after their relegation. However, any point deduction could be put in place for the 2025/26 season, which Leicester will spend in the Championship.
There is also much speculation regarding the dugout at the King Power. Current boss Ruud Van Nistelrooy is widely speculated to be leaving his role as manager. As such, there is no certainty for supporters as to who will lead them in the fight for promotion. At this current time, it appears unclear as to who will be in charge come the start of the season.
Embed from Getty ImagesIt should not be all doom and gloom for Leicester, though, as they still possess a squad capable of achieving promotion. That being said, PSR rulings could dictate their transfer window business. Foxes of Leicester have suggested that several players may have to be sold this summer to generate revenue.
Names such as Mads Hermansen, Bilal El Khannouss and Stephy Mavididi have been listed as potential candidates to be moved on.
It seems difficult to speculate on the season that Leicester will have and what the ramifications of the alleged PSR breach will be, though they should still find themselves near the top of the table come the end of the season.
Embed from Getty ImagesIpswich Town
With the appointment of Thomas Frank by Tottenham Hotspur, Kieran McKenna is the favourite for the Brentford job, according to the East Anglian Daily Times. This, of course, would mean that Ipswich would be in search of a new manager, putting them in a similar position to Leicester.
The strength of the Ipswich squad is apparent, and should see them in good stead for the Championship next season. According to the Irish Mirror, Dara O’Shea has committed his future to the club, despite Premier League links surfacing.
Embed from Getty ImagesThis is a major boost to Ipswich, who will no doubt see departures due to them dropping back down into the Championship.
Liam Delap has made the blockbuster move to Chelsea, and defender Cameron Burgess has already agreed a deal to join Swansea City when his deal at Portman Road expires later this month.The immediate future of the club appears to be determined by the future of Kieran McKenna.
Should he remain in the dugout for the campaign, Ipswich will be one of the favourites to achieve promotion, which would mark their third in four years.
Embed from Getty ImagesSouthampton
A team that has acted quickly in appointing their new man is Southampton, who on the last day of the Premier League season announced Will Still would be joining the club. He is also soon to be joined by experienced assistant manager Paul Trollope, per reports from the Daily Echo.
The club also appear to be continuing their strong connection with Manchester City, with Africa Foot reporting that Southampton are in pole position to sign Juma Bah on loan from the Cityzens. The defender previously played under Still at Lens.
Embed from Getty ImagesThe club are also to welcome back a number of players from loan who could help bolster their chances next season. Young players such as Shea Charles and Ronnie Edwards excelled in their loans in the division last season, and the Daily Echo believes they are two of several players who could be reintegrated into the side.
Having already taken care of some important business, Southampton will be vying for the automatic places. Much will depend on how Still can adapt to English football, and there may still be some hurt remaining from last season’s dismal efforts in the Premier League, where they finished a mere point above Derby County’s infamous record and 26 from safety.
Should all three of the teams perform to their standards, we could see all three of them return to the Premier League.
Embed from Getty ImagesWritten by Callum Pawley
INMR FOOTBALL 
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