Championship Promotion Odds

As Watford returns to the Championship following a one-year stay in the top flight, the annual new manager is in place. Rob Edwards is now in charge at Vicarage Road, with the former Forest Green manager looking to guide the Hornets back to the Premier League at the 1st time of asking.

Being promotion favourites does put the pressure on Watford, and a lot of their credentials will be determined by who’s still at the Vic once the season kicks off at the start of July. Should star players like Emmanuel Dennis and Ismaila Sarr leave, reinforcements will have to be brought to ensure there is enough firepower.

Should Watford be able to replicate their home form from the 2020/21 Championship campaign, where the Hornets claimed 59/69 points, promotion will be on the cards. A first home win since November however will be a good start for Edward’s side.

Last season was another disappointing Premier League campaign under the stewardship of both Daniel Farke and Dean Smith which culminated in the Canaries finishing at the bottom of the Premer League with just 22 points to their name.

However, what must be said is that the Canaries have a good track record of being promoted straight back to the top-flight, having done so twice under Farke in 2020/21 with 97 points, as well as in 2018/19 with just three points less.

As well as this, Smith also has experience of earning promotion to the Premier League, as he was Aston Villa’s manager in 2018/19 when they won the play-offs.

Middlesbrough are also expected to be in the frame for a place in the Premier League, with Chris Wilder’s men looking to improve on their seventh-place finish last season.

Wilder only took over the Riverside club back in early November and has already shown his potential on Teeside, winning 16 of his 33 games in charge, including shock FA Cup wins over Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur. If Boro can get some strong reinforcements in, then there is every chance that they could earn a place back in the top flight in the near future having shown so much promise.

On top of this, Wilder has managed to achieve five promotions in his career, with Alfreton Town, Oxford United, Northampton Town, as well as taking Sheffield United from League One to the Premier League back with two promotions in 2016/17 and 2018/19.

Beaten play-off semi-finalists Sheffield United will be hoping to bounce back at the second chance of asking, as Bournemouth managed to do last campaign from a similar position.

The Blades have a squad that is full of Premier League experience and had a significantly improved second half of the season under Paul Heckingbottom, winning 16 and drawing seven of their 30 matches in the Championship, following a drab spell under Slavisa Jokanovic at the start of the campaign.

Having earned promotion to the top flight as recently as the 2018/19 season, when they accumulated 89 points, the Blades will no doubt be challenging once again next campaign should they recruit well in the transfer window.

West Brom had a poor season last time out, as the Baggies finished a lowly 10th despite being one of the pre-season favourites for promotion.

The Hawthornes club seemingly fell away once they fired Valerien Ismael, despite the Frenchman’s average record, which saw them win 12 and draw nine of 31 matches, with Steve Bruce coming in to replace the Besiktas manager, winning just six of his 17 games in charge. Whilst teams around them pushed on, the Baggies simply did not.

Bruce himself has a good record at this level, earning two promotions to the Premier League with Birmingham City, as well as doing the same at Hull City, most recently, in 2016. The former Manchester United man will be hoping to add to this record come the end of the season.

A lot of change is coming to Turf Moor this summer. No Premier League football for the first time since 2015. Sean Dyche was long gone after his sacking in April. A former Premier League winner is now at the helm.

Vincent Kompany, whose only other managing role was at Belgian club Anderlecht, knows he faces an uphill battle to get the Clarets back to the Premier League. Key players like James Tarkowski and Ben Mee are gone, and current players like Maxwell Cornet and Wout Weghorst could soon follow. The former City champion has a lot to do in Burnley.

With a £60 million pound loan repayment looming over this part of Lancashire as well, Burnley might have to consider a season of consolidation in England’s 2nd tier. His 4-4-2 formation will be something the spectators at Turf Moor will be used to, and his willingness to embrace attacking football as well could help Burnley climb up the table.