The 2025/26 Premier League season has already featured plenty of twists and turns, and we are only 11 games into the new campaign. At the summit, reigning title holders Liverpool hit the ground running, winning their first five games, each in dramatic circumstances, to rubber-stamp their credentials as the favorites to repeat as champions. Since then, the Reds have lost five of their last six, culminating with a 3-0 drubbing away at rivals Manchester City on matchday 11.
Arsenal is the team that has taken full advantage. The Gunners currently find themselves in the top spot as we head into a brutal winter schedule, with manager Mikel Arteta desperate to finally lead his team to the title after three straight second-place finishes. And online gambling sites think that he will never have a better chance.
The latest odds from the popular Bovada gambling site now make the North London club a 4/6 favorite to win their first title in 22 years. They are closely followed by Manchester City at 9/4, with the champions way out at 9/1. But what about at the opposite end of the table?
In each of the last three seasons, all three newly promoted sides have suffered an immediate relegation back to the championship. This term, however, things feel different. After matchday 11, three established Premier League clubs currently sit in the relegation zone, with Wolves, Nottingham Forest, and West Ham all in immediate danger. So, what of the newly promoted sides? Are they in danger, or are they thriving? Let’s take a look.
High Flying Sunderland
The biggest success story of the season so far has been that of Sunderland. The Black Cats gained promotion last term by winning the Championship Playoff Final, beating Sheffield United at Wembley with a 95th-minute winner from teenager Tommy Watson. Throughout the preseason, the Wearside outfit was the overwhelming favorite to finish bottom of the Premier League in 2025/26, and the club wasn’t leaving anything to chance.
In a bid to stave off the drop, Sunderland spent a whopping £150m on new signings headlined by the arrivals of Bayer Leverkusen’s Bundesliga-winning captain, Granit Xhaka, and former Paris Saint-Germain man Nordi Mukiele. And the Black Cats have been rewarded for their huge gamble.
Sunderland are currently flying high in fourth place in the table after picking up five wins already this term, headlined by the 2-1 triumph away at reigning world champions Chelsea. Their 2-2 draw at home to the table-topping title favorite Arsenal has seen relegation worries become a distant memory, with the bookies now making them a 9/1 shot to fall through the trap door. If they can build upon their blistering start to life back in the top flight, a top-half finish seems to be the bare minimum target.
Can Farke Steady the Leeds Ship?
Last season, Leeds United claimed the Championship title in dramatic fashion, with Manor Solomon’s last-gasp winner away at Plymouth on the final day of the season securing them 100 points and top spot. In the summer, they too spent big, signing Noah Okafor from AC Milan and Lukas Nmecha from Werder Bremen. But unfortunately for the Whites, they haven’t had nearly as much success as Sunderland.
The West Yorkshire outfit has only managed three wins so far this term and is teetering on the edge of the drop zone with just one point more than 18th-place West Ham. As a result, the Elland Road faithful are calling for the head of manager Daniel Farke. The German boss suffered an immediate relegation the last time he was in the Premier League in charge of Norwich City, and Leeds supporters want the manager replaced to ensure that history doesn’t repeat itself.
The bookies still think Leeds are outsiders to suffer relegation, pricing them at 13/8 for an immediate return to the Championship. However, if results don’t pick up quickly, those odds will surely shorten, and Farke could suffer the axe sooner rather than later.
Burnley’s Watertight Defence Abandons Them in Hour of Need
Burnley pushed Leeds all the way in last season’s Champions League title race. They too racked up 100 points but ultimately fell short of the title on goal difference. Still, second place was enough to seal promotion back to the Premier League.
Much of the success of Scott Parker’s side last term was built on a staunch defence, which conceded just 16 goals all year. This year, though, those watertight ways have deserted them. The Clarets have conceded some 22 goals already this season, the third most in the league, and six more than they conceded in the entirety of the 2024/25 campaign. They too have three wins and are one point above the drop zone, but the bookies feel that they are in much more danger than their contemporaries from across the Pennines.
Burnley are currently a 1/4 shot to suffer relegation, the second-shortest odds in the entire league behind the 1/9 Wolves. As the odds suggest, Scott Parker has his work cut out in negating the threat of the drop zone.