Who Could be the Premier League's Surprise Package in 2020/21?

We often see a few surprise packages in every season and it is at this time of year that fans up and down the country are making their predictions as to what the final Premier League table will look like come the end of May.

The surprise packages often give plenty to neutrals lots of joy as it is these teams that provide an element of entertaining unpredictability.

In recent years, newly promoted Sheffield United provided a lot of joy last season as they entered the race to qualify for the Champions League for much of the season and there was the memorable 2015/16 season when Leicester City overcame pre-season odds of 5,000/1 to win the Premier League.

Upon their return to the Premier League after 16 years, Leeds United have the foundations in place to not just stay for good, but to potentially crack the top half.

Marcelo Bielsa is a no nonsense manager that has plenty of experience at top-flight clubs like Athletic Bilbao, as well as managing superstar names with Argentina and Chile. Having now spent two years at Elland Road, Bielsa has managed to build a team of his own and turn the squad of players he inherited into Championship winners ready for the big time.

In their squad, Luke Ayling has been defensively solid while also being a goal threat. In midfield, Kalvin Philips and Mateusz Klich have been sensational in the middle of the park, whilst Patrick Bamford, Pablo Hernandez and others remain a serious threat.

Only time will tel if the Whites can live up to the billing, but in reality, not much is ever expected of a newly promoted side and we could easily witness a dramatic plummet back into the second tier.

Leeds' odds to finish in the top half is priced at 7/4 - click here to claim this bet.

Southampton have tendency to make slow starts to a season. Getting caught up in the vicious cycle of a slow start followed by a shoot of recovery and end up finishing in mid-table.

There is lots of potential with this Southampton side. They might suffer with the loss of their former captain Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg but with the goal threat of Danny Ings matched with the defensive ability of players like Jan Bednarek, this side is more than capable of making that all important step towards improvement.

Ralph Hasenhuttl is also a manager that has a wealth of experience in improving sides dramatically. The Austrian managed to take FC Ingolstadt from 2. Bundesliga into the Bundesliga and secure an 11th placed finish in their first season back in the top-flight. Hasenhuttl would also do the same with RB Leipzig in 2017, finishing second to only Bayern Munich in what was the club's debut season in the German top-flight.

Now, it seems everything is aligning just right for Southampton and don't be surprised if they make a top half finish this season - they are priced at 5/4 to do just that in 2020/21.

The 2019/20 season was not the best of campaigns for Everton. The Toffees were in a tough relegation battle prior to Marco Silva's sacking and Carlo Ancelotti's subsequent arrival.

The second half of the campaign was spent recovering from the relegation battle and give Ancelotti the chance to decipher what players he wants to keep in the squad that he will build for the next few years at Goodison Park.

Now that the Italian manager, who won the Premier League with Chelsea in 2010, has warmed himself up in the Everton hot seat, he can now focus on working towards a successful season on Merseyside. The ambition and framework is there. It was a huge statement of intent that the club rejected an £85m bid from Barcelona for Richarlison in January.

With Richarlison leading the line and enjoying his football, the Toffees might just find themselves knocking on the door of the top six once again in the near future.

No one can truly predict what Newcastle side turns up on a matchday. The Magpies, since their return to the Premier League in 2017, they have lost 5-0 to Leicester one week before beating Man United the following week as well as going through four straight defeats before thrashing Chelsea 3-0.

The clubs inconsistency has held them back in the past and although a mid-table finish under Steve Bruce was a great achievement, the fans are desperate to regain their identity as a big club which they lost in the midst of Mike Ashley's tenure of running the club.

The defenders have been a key part in Newcastle's success of remaining a Premier League club in recent years with Jamaal Lascelles' leadership. The big problem in the squad is the lack of goals amongst the strikers with Joelinton and Andy Carroll accumulating four goals between them (all of which belonging to Joelinton) all season. With a proven striker at the helm or if Joelinton's manages to find his touch in front of goal, Steve Bruce's might just turn a few heads next year.

After a sixth placed finish in the Premier League last season, it's easy to forget how threatening Tottenham Hotspur have been in England's top-flight in the past decade. Combined with a Champions League final just 15 months ago, Spurs have consistently finished inside the top six since 2009, and even placed in the top three from 2015-2018.

However, this era seemingly ended abruptly with the departure of Mauricio Pochettino in December 2019 when the north London outfit sat 13th in the Premier League.

Now, with Jose Mourinho getting them out of such a mess ever so slightly, the Portuguese now has another transfer window to use ahead of his first full season as Spurs boss. And, it is also easy to forget that Mourinho finished second in the Premier League just three seasons ago with Manchester United with a team that, in reality, wasn't much better than Spurs' current squad.

If Mourinho can work some of his magic and if Harry Kane can stay injury-free, the Lilywhites will no doubt threaten the top four once more. Ahead of the 2020/21 season, Spurs to finish top four odds are priced at 3/1 - click here to claim this bet.