What Coventry, Hull and Ipswich can learn from previous promoted sides

This year it is Coventry, Hull and Ipswich who are the Premier League newcomers after their promotion from the Championship last term. 

Over the last few seasons, it has become an emerging trend that the three teams who have come up have generally gone straight back down again at the first attempt. 

Burnley fell to that fate last season, but in a recent rare Leeds bucked the trend and stayed up, while Sunderland went one better and even made it into Europe.

So what can this year's promoted sides learn from those who came before them?

Solidity in defence

Football is simple: if you don't concede any goals, you won't lose any matches.

That's easier said than done, but being strong at the back is crucial for success for any newcomers.

Last season, Burnley scored 38, whilst Sunderland scored 42. However, the Clarets shipped 75 goals whilst the Black Cats conceded just 48 as they finished 19th and 7th respectively.

Wolves also finished 7th on their Premier League return in 2018-19, conceding just 46 goals along the way, and Sheffield United conceded just 38 in 2019-20 as they came in 9th.

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In 2024-25, all three sides that went up conceded eighty-plus goals and all three immediately returned to the Championship, proof that you need a stable defence to have any chance of staying in the league. 

Coventry have managed to get goalkeeper Carl Rushworth on a permanent deal after his successful loan spell there last season, which will no doubt help their cause. 

Hull have also invested in between the sticks with Konstantinos Tzolakis from Olympiacos, while Ipswich have brought in centre-back Issa Diop, who provides lots of Premier League experience.

But it remains to be seen if it is enough for the new boys to ward off some of the best attackers around.

Experienced leadership

Granit Xhaka moving to Sunderland was one of the more surprising transfers last summer, but it was a masterstroke from the North-East side.

The Swiss international arrived off the back of two hugely successful campaigns with Bayer Leverkusen and provided Premier League experience from his seven-year spell with Arsenal.

Xhaka was instantly made captain and was named Sunderland's player of the season as they qualified for the Europa League.

It showed that having an experienced leader who can guide a side through the rigours of Premier League football is incredibly valuable.

In 2018-19, Wolves brought in João Moutinho, who had great success with Monaco and Porto, and over his career amassed 146 caps for Portugal.

Phil Jagielka only played six times in the league for Sheffield United in 2019-20, but his wealth of Premier League experience would no doubt have helped a squad that lacked it.

If there is an opportunity in the transfer market for someone who has played at the top of the game, it is unquestionably worth a punt from one of the promoted sides.

Having a bagsman

Clive Brunskill/Getty Images

Having a good goalscorer does not guarantee survival. Charlie Austin scored 18 for the newly promoted QPR in 2014-15, but they finished rock bottom of the Premier League.

But having someone who knows where the back of the net is does help.

Patrick Bamford got 17 goals in the league under Marcelo Bielsa as Leeds finished 9th in 2020-21, and Raúl Jiménez bagged 13 for Wolves in 2018-19 as they qualified for Europe.

Andy Cole holds the record for most goals by a newly promoted player when he got a whopping 34 for Newcastle in 1993-94.

Whilst getting someone who can put up Cole-like numbers is unrealistic, if Coventry, Hull and Ipswich can get someone who nets 15+ goals, that would put them in good stead for a strong season.

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