2024-25 Premier League relegation predictions: Saints facing swift Championship return

The 2023-24 Premier League relegation battle was complicated by points deductions - minus eight for Everton and minus four for Nottingham Forest - and there is the potential for more of the same over the next ten months, making it quite possible that off-field events will influence the placings.

Newly promoted Leicester are widely reported to be in line for a points deduction in relation to FFP breaches committed during the 2022-23 season when they experienced relegation to the Championship.

And expectations of a Foxes' punishment is affecting the market with the Midlands side at the top of the relegation betting.

Leicester are doing their best to get on a more sustainable footing and have taken the tough decision to sell influential midfielder Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall to Chelsea.

And Dewsbury-Hall will be linking up with his former manager, Enzo Maresca, who also switched made the switch to Stamford Bridge.

Steve Cooper - the man who re-established Nottingham Forest in the Premier League - takes over Leicester, but he faces serious budgetary constraints and may struggle to keep his team out of the bottom three.

Possession-based approach could spell trouble for Saints

Leicester are unattractively priced to go down, but there are tempting odds available for Southampton to finish inside the drop zone.

Saints appear to be a reasonably well-run club but their squad looks below the standard required.

Manager Russell Martin is committed to a possession-heavy approach but the downsides were often exposed last term.

Martin's side shipped 64 goals, the 14th-highest in the Championship, and they can expect to concede many more in the top flight where opposition players will be more ruthless in exploiting any mistakes.

Saints have brought back veteran midfielder Adam Lallana and sealed the permanent signings of former loanees Taylor Harwood-Bellis and Flynn Downes, but more will be needed if they are to stave off the drop.

Of the newly promoted clubs, Ipswich have the best chance of consolidation.

Their rise from League One to the Premier League within two seasons has been spectacular but they are more likely to kick on thanks to the astute leadership of head coach Kieran McKenna.

Manchester United and Chelsea were credited with an interest in McKenna’s services but the speculation came to nothing and Ipswich were the beneficiaries as they tied the 38-year-old down to a new four-year-contract.

Ipswich will be mindful of spending within their means but they have made some smart early moves, including the permanent signing of Omari Hutchinson, who has bags of potential and sparkled during last season’s long loan from Chelsea.

McKenna’s men face a baptism of fire with opening assignments at home to Liverpool and away to Manchester City but they should settle down and, with the help of their passionate supporters, can do just enough to survive.

Everton and Wolves struggling to navigate tight budgets

Everton are a team to watch due to their ongoing financial constraints.

Future ownership uncertainty continues to hold back the club and the tough decisions have already started with the sale of Amadou Onana to Aston Villa.

However, Toffees' manager, Sean Dyche is ideal for a backs-to-the-wall scenario and will probably steer them to safety.

Cost-cutting seems to be continuing at Wolves and there is every chance of the West Midlands side paying a heavy price by the end of the season.

Wolves’s small squad leaves them vulnerable to injuries and suspensions and they lost a key pillar of their defence when Max Kilman departed to West Ham.

Head coach Gary O’Neil has done an excellent job in tough circumstances but he faces an even bigger challenge and may struggle to keep his team in the division.