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<p>Sunderland, Leeds, and Burnley</p>
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<img alt="A significant improvement from the newly promoted teams in the Premier League - Its importance to the league" src="https://tmssl.akamaized.net//images/foto/galerie/promoted-teams-spotlight-1758640444-178443.png" title="A significant improvement from the newly promoted teams in the Premier League - Its importance to the league">
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<p>In May 2024, the Premier League witnessed an unprecedented event: for the first time since 1998, all three teams promoted from the Championship the previous season—Sheffield United, Burnley, and Luton—were relegated immediately. This marked only the second occurrence of its kind in the league's history, the first being in the 1997/98 season with Crystal Palace, Barnsley, and Bolton. Just a year later, Southampton, Ipswich, and Leicester faced a similar fate, exiting with little resistance.</p>
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<img alt="Lowest points averages" height="629" src="https://tmssl.akamaized.net//images/foto/newsansicht/lowest-points-averages-1758638993-178436.png?lm=1758639000" width="503">
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<p>What does this mean for the Premier League? Is the gap in quality between the English top tier and the Championship wider than ever? Is the Premier League effectively becoming an exclusive domain for the elite? This season, the league needed its promoted teams to fight back, and the initial signs are promising. Sunderland shattered the record for the most spent by a promoted club over the summer, investing €187.9m, while Burnley (€128.7m) and Leeds (€113.7m) also made significant expenditures. After five matches, there are indications that this unsettling trend may be changing.</p>
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<h2>Comparing Records of Promoted Teams for 24/25 & 25/26</h2>
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<p>Sunderland currently sits in seventh place, Leeds in 12th, and Burnley in 16th. Each team has secured at least one victory already. Last season, you would have had to wait until November 10 to see Ipswich claim their first win against Tottenham. None of the promoted teams managed a win until October 19, when Leicester triumphed over Southampton. Although the sample size this season is small, the differences compared to last year are noteworthy.</p>
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<img alt="Promoted teams performance" height="629" src="https://tmssl.akamaized.net//images/foto/newsansicht/promoted-teams-1758638380-178435.png?lm=1758638389" width="503">
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<p>At this stage, Sunderland, Leeds, and Burnley have accumulated 19 points in the Premier League. In comparison, Leicester, Ipswich, and Burnley had only seven points at the same point last season. This season has shown less trepidation, more ambition, and a stronger tactical approach from these newly promoted teams. So far, they haven’t appeared to be easy targets, conceding just 19 goals in 15 games—a commendable feat when considering that five of those came in Leeds' 5-0 loss to Arsenal. Last year, they conceded 25 goals at this stage.</p>
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<h2>The Importance of Promoted Teams Staying Up in the Premier League</h2>
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<p>As previously mentioned, the last two seasons have underscored the challenges faced by promoted teams in surviving the modern Premier League's intensity. With the immense financial stakes involved, the established elite has expanded from the traditional 'Big Six' down through the division, making it increasingly difficult for Championship teams to secure their places among the Premier League stalwarts. Does it matter? Some may argue yes.</p>
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<p>Modern football often seems tailored to support the elite, and it's clear a portion of the Premier League's audience is indifferent to the diversity of teams competing in the league. Yet, one of the wonders of English football lies in its pyramid structure, where both the largest clubs and the smallest teams strive for success, with opportunities to rise or fall based on performance. However, a pyramid needs a gradual incline; if the steps are too steep or nearly impossible to scale, it undermines the fundamental strength of the structure—its competition and the possibilities it offers.</p>
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