It’s been only a few days since the top-flight action of English football has concluded and we are already looking forward to the next one. The build-up to the 2021-22 Premier League season has begun, with the promoted teams from the Championship already confirmed.
Norwich City and Watford have secured 2021-22 Premier League berths through automatic promotion, while Brentford completes the list after their Championship play-offs win. Here’s a look at the journeys of these promoted sides and how they got their way back to the top flight.
NORWICH CITY
After an absence from the Premier League for a year, the Canaries are back after crushing it in the Championship. Daniel Farke’s side stacked up 97 points from their 46 games with their Finish striker Teemu Pukki finishing as the third-highest goalscorer in the league with 25 goals.
Norwich City have spent nine years in the Premier League with their third place in the inaugural season as their highest finish. Under German coach Daniel Farke, the team stuck to its guns of playing expansive football but this philosophy backfired in the 2019-20 season when they were relegated to the Championship. The core of the side is similar and now that they have more Premier League experience under their belt, expect them to survive in the 2021-22 season and beyond.
WATFORD
Watford finished the 2020-21 season in the Championship just six points behind table-toppers Norwich City and secured automatic promotion to the Premier League. It is the first time since the 2009-10 season that two relegated sides have sealed an automatic promotion the next season. The Hornets conceded just 30 goals in the Championship this season, making them the most frugal team in the league.
Xisco Munoz took over at Watford in December 2020 and changed the mood of the club. His team went on a run to win 17 of his 24 Championship matches and secured an unlikely promotion.
BRENTFORD
Arguably the top story of the year in English football. After a long 74-year wait, Brentford are finally back in the top-flight. They did it the hard way via the playoff route and beat Swansea City in the final at the Wembley Stadium to secure a place in next year’s Premier League. The West London club played some free-flowing football in the Championship and scored the most number of goals. Their English striker, Ivan Toney finished as the highest goalscorer in the Championship season with 33 goals to his name. This will be the first time the Bees will feature in the Premier League making them the 50th different club to feature in the Premier League.
Thomas Frank’s side can be optimistic about their chances of succeeding in the Premier League as out of 27 clubs who were promoted since the inaugural season in 1992-93, 55 per cent stayed up in their debut campaign. It’ll be a sight to witness when fans in the Brentford Community Stadium would welcome the likes of Manchester United, City, Liverpool and others.
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