With less than a month before the start of the new 2021/22 Premier League campaign, we’ve taken the opportunity to examine some of the odds and prices available for the season’s top four race and relegation battle.
Finishing in the lucrative Champions League qualification places is often the measure of a successful year for Premier League clubs with lofty aspirations and a collection of the division’s most ambitious and formidable teams will be competing for that quartet of positions again in 2021/22.
At the opposite end of the table, survival is the name of the game as the league’s relegation candidates attempt to beat the drop.
Let’s take a closer look at some of the teams in the running for prime places at both ends of the standings in our Premier League top four and relegation picks.
Premier League 2021/22 top four odds
Odds taken from bet365. Prices correct as of July 21 2021. Odds are subject to fluctuation.
- Manchester City – 1/16
- Liverpool – 1/4
- Chelsea – 1/4
- Manchester United – 2/7
- Tottenham Hotspur – 4/1
- Arsenal – 9/2
- Leicester City – 9/2
- Everton – 10/1
- West Ham – 12/1
- Leeds – 12/1
- Aston Villa – 16/1
Premier League 2021/22 top four contenders
A read of bet365’s market odds shows that the bookmakers’ expect Manchester City, Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester United to be involved in a four-way title tussle next season and that has had a major impact on the prices in the top four finish stakes.
Each of the four giants are firmly odds on to land a top-four berth and with little value on offer, bettors are advised to consider some of the other contenders at more appealing odds.
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Tottenham Hotspur – 4/1
Position last season: 7th
Star players: Harry Kane, Son Heung-min, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Hugo Lloris
2020/21 was a campaign of major upheaval for Tottenham Hotspur after they sacked controversial Portuguese boss Jose Mourinho in April just nine months after they had backed him to the tune of around £100m in the summer transfer window.
A new permanent manager was appointed in June when Nuno Espirito Santo joined the club following a hugely successful spell with Wolves and the 47-year-old’s first task will be to convince wantaway star Harry Kane to stay at the club.
Despite Spurs’ year of underperformance, they missed out on the top four by just five points last term and if Kane can be retained and joined by some fresh faces, Tottenham should have the platform to launch a fresh assault for Champions League football.
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Leicester City – 9/2
Position last season: 5th
Star players: Jamie Vardy, Wilfred Ndidi, Jonny Evans, Youri Tielemans
Leicester City lifted the FA Cup for the first time in the club’s history in 2021, though it was more heartbreak for the Foxes in the Premier League when they only just missed out on the top four for the second successive season.
City were beaten in three of their final four league fixtures and eventually relinquished their top-four place to Liverpool, though Brendan Rodgers’ impressive outfit are capable of going one better in 2021/22.
Leicester have long been one of England’s savviest transfer market operators and their capture of defender Ryan Bertrand from Southampton, midfielder Boubakary Soumaré from Lille and striker Patson Daka from RB Salzburg looks like more excellent business.
That extra depth in key areas could make all the difference for Leicester, who will be desperate to avoid a late-season collapse for the third straight campaign.
Premier League 2020/21 relegation odds
Odds taken from Draftkings. Prices correct as of July 21 2021. Odds are subject to fluctuation.
- Norwich City -110
- Watford +100
- Brentford +110
- Crystal Palace +175
- Burnley +225
- Newcastle +275
- Wolves +400
- Southampton +450
- Brighton +650
- Aston Villa +700
Premier League 2021/22 relegation predictions
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Norwich City -110
Position last season: 1st in the Championship
Star players: Max Aarons, Todd Cantwell, Teemu Pukki, Grant Hanley
Yoyo club Norwich City have been bouncing between England’s top two divisions over the last three seasons and the Canaries stand out as prime candidates for the drop again in 2020/21.
The crux of the same City squad that was relegated from the Premier League in 2020 are still at Carrow Road as is German manager Daniel Falke, who was unable to mastermind a great escape a year ago.
In the transfer market, Norwich have been rifling through the bargain basket for new recruits, though the loss of key creator Emiliano Buendía – who was their best player last season – already looks like it could be a decisive blow.
This Canaries team have already failed to mix it in the Premier League and it would be a huge surprise if they managed to steer clear of the bottom three in 2021/22.
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Watford +100
Position last season: 2nd in the Championship
Star players: Ismaila Sarr, Joao Pedro, Ken Sema, Nathaniel Chalobah
Like Norwich City, Watford will be a familiar face in the Premier League this season following their return to the top-flight after just one campaign in the Championship.
Littered with many of the same players that failed to make the grade the last time the Hornets were a Premier League outfit, Watford’s squad still looks well short of the quality required to avoid an instant relegation and return to England’s second tier.
With their notoriously trigger-happy owners presenting their own problems, don’t be surprised to see current coach Xisco replaced in the dugout if the Hornets make a slow start.
Watford scored a relatively modest 63 goals in 43 Champions fixtures last term and their lack of firepower should be telling if they don’t manage to inject some quality and new blood into their roster before August.
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Newcastle United +275
Position last season: 12th
Star players: Allan Saint-Maximin, Callum Wilson, Jonjo Shelvey, Jacob Murphy
At longer odds, Steve Bruce’s Newcastle United could be worth considering as a candidate for relegation in 2021/22.
With a stalled takeover bid affecting the financial situation at St. James’ Park, Newcastle – who are notoriously frugal at the best of times – aren’t expected to splash the cash in this summer’s transfer window.
The Magpies already have one of the division’s most shallow squads and a static summer spend could see the teams that finished below them in 2020/21 strengthen and push past Newcastle over the next ten months.
It won’t take much for the atmosphere in the north east to turn sour and a string of poor results could see the pressure on unpopular boss Steve Bruce start to intensify.
With numerous injury-prone players in their ranks, it won’t take much for this Magpies team to go into freefall.
