Just several months ago, fans of Leeds United, Southampton, and Leicester were at their lowest ebb. All three clubs had just fallen through the trap door of the lucrative Premier League, and a summer of discontent, followed by the ultimate challenge of the EFL Championship lay ahead.
Facing a season in the Championship can be daunting for anyone. Described as one of the toughest leagues in the world, it has often been a graveyard for England’s biggest teams. It is a very easy league to fall into, but an extremely challenging one to get out of.
Thankfully for fans of the three relegated teams, their respective clubs are currently battling at the right end of the table, and all three are in a great position to make it back to the pinnacle of English football, the Premier League.
The betting odds on the Championship feature all three at the head of the market, with Leicester just being favored as possible winners. Below, we take a look at what is going on at each of the clubs.
Leicester’s fall from grace has been spectacular. Just seven years on from shocking the footballing world by winning the Premier League, The Foxes now find themselves scrambling to climb back to the top level of the English game.
It is so far, so good for Leicester, however, as under new boss Enzo Maresca, they are sitting pretty on top of the league. There have been some big changes in personnel at the King Power Stadium, but with the help of club favourites, Jamie Vardy and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, their Italian manager has them firing on all cylinders.
Prior to the season kicking off, there were huge worries about the future of the beleaguered Leeds United. Their fans have been through the wringer in recent years, and just as things seemed to be on the up, the Elland Road side find themselves back in the second tier.
There are some reasons to be cheerful for the Leeds faithful, however, as, despite having a slow start to the season, their team have found their feet under new boss Daniel Farke and are starting to close in on the automatic promotion places.
Last season was an embarrassing one for fans of the Saints. Their bottom-placed finish was the worst performance that the club had endured for some time, and with a team full of youngsters, there was a worry that getting back to the Premier League could take some time.
The club’s hierarchy made the wise decision of appointing an experienced Championship manager in Russell Martin and they are beginning to reap the rewards. Martin added some much-needed experience to his squad in the summer, and as it stands, they are also pushing hard towards the promotion places.
All three clubs will be hoping that they have enough in the tank to make it back to the promised land at the first time of asking, and so far it looks like Leicester are the most likely to do so. Leeds and Southampton will be hoping to push them close at the top, as will the likes of Ipswich and West Brom who are also having impressive campaigns thus far.