Sunderland begin their Premier League campaign against West Ham on Saturday afternoon
Jamie Carragher has claimed that Leeds United have a better chance of avoiding relegation from the Premier League than Sunderland this season, but has admitted that all three newly-promoted sides are facing a “nigh-on impossible” task.
In each of the last two top flight campaigns, the three teams who have joined the division from the Championship have made an immediate return to the second tier, with Leicester City, Ipswich Town, and Southampton all falling by the wayside last term despite admirably strong promotion bids.
For their part, Sunderland have seemingly sought to buck that trend by spending big on an ambitious recruitment drive over the past few weeks, but even taking into account the influx of new signings made by the Black Cats, Carragher is of the opinion that it is Leeds, if anybody, who have the best chance of staying up.
What has Jamie Carragher said about Sunderland, Leeds United, and Burnley’s survival hopes?
Speaking on the Chris Moyles Show on Radio X, when asked if any of the newly promoted sides could avoid relegation, the renowned pundit said: “I really hope so. I do. I think this is becoming a problem in the Premier League now, where it almost feels like it's a 17-team Premier League, and there's three Championship clubs in it. And, you know, they’re finding it really difficult. I mean, Sunderland have spent a lot of money, brought a few players in. I read a report that Leeds were identifying, you know, only players who are above six foot, I think. Everyone was going to be a giant who they were going to bring in.”
“That's what you might need! I mean, we've had managers on before, we had Russell Martin on, who was the Southampton manager last season – lost his job, found it difficult, one of those promoted teams. And he said the thing that he regrets is not going more physical, and that was the thing that found them out. So, maybe that's a template Leeds are looking at this season, because I think it's vital for the Premier League that one of those clubs stay up at least. I think it'd be difficult for all three. I think that's nigh on impossible. But if at least one of them could stay up, and it'd be great for the league.”
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Addressing the apparent gap between the Premier League and the Championship, he continued: “I think what you've got is there's always been a gap, and maybe it's grown. You know, the last two years tell you that. I think the big difference is now, certainly I feel, is that I think clubs are so well organised. You know, everyone's got a director of football now. When people are doing transfers, it's not the manager just buying his mate’s players or doing what he wants. It's a proper structure, so people are making less mistakes.
“So, I think in terms of the teams who are already in the Premier League, there's less basket cases, if you understand what I mean. So, they’re that well organised, the structure is that good. They've been in the Premier League five or six years. The training grounds, sports science, everything around the club is top class, so it means there's less chance of them having a bad season. So, it's not just sort of on the pitch. I think that's everything that comes with being a Premier League club, and it's a lot for a team to sort of catch up in one season with teams have been there for five or six years.”
He concluded: “I think Leeds have got the best chance out of the teams that have come up. And I just think the atmosphere at Leeds, they've got to make that a fortress, make it a place where teams don't want to go. And now you've asked me, I'm going to say yes – Leeds, they're the one I think can stay up. I don't want to predict. I'm going to be asked for predictions all day, and I don't want to predict that the three promoted teams are going to go straight back down, because that will depress me if that happens again. So, I'm going to go for Leeds staying up.”
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