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Are We Witnessing the Premier League’s Most Struggling Bottom Three in History?

For many Championship clubs, reaching the Premier League stands as the ultimate achievement. Yet in recent seasons, that glory has often felt more like a burden. Luton Town, Burnley, and Sheffield United were all sent straight back down at the end of the 2023-24 campaign, and now the newly promoted trio of Leicester City, Southampton, and Ipswich Town find themselves entrenched at the foot of the table.

Opta’s projections suggest that these three could combine for a mere 58 points by season’s end, a tally that would undercut last year’s record-low cumulative total of 66 for relegated teams. Having amassed only 43 points between them in their first 28 matches, they currently mark the lowest total for a bottom three at this stage of any Premier League season. This figure is six points fewer than the combined sum posted by Luton, Burnley, and Sheffield United at a similar point last season.

Southampton’s climb through the playoffs once promised a fresh start, but they now sit 14 points adrift of survival. Manager Ivan Juric is forced to keep a wary eye on the historical low set by Derby County, who finished the 2007-08 season with just 11 points, eclipsing Sunderland’s 15-point record from 2005-06. Southampton’s current nine-point haul after 28 matches leaves them precariously close to becoming the new standard of Premier League futility if they fail to secure at least three more points in their remaining fixtures.

Money alone is no guarantee of survival. Across the past four seasons, seven of the 12 promoted teams have been relegated right back down at the first opportunity. The notable exception was the 2022-23 season, when Nottingham Forest, Bournemouth, and Fulham all managed to survive. Forest did so by splashing out over £150m on more than 20 signings, a move that later led to a four-point deduction for breaching Profit and Sustainability rules. Fulham, meanwhile, spent over £100m on signings including Joao Palhinha, Andreas Pereira, and Issa Diop, benefiting also from parachute payments in recent years. Though Southampton and Ipswich both exceeded the £100m threshold in transfer spending last summer, that considerable investment has yet to translate into safety on the pitch.

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