Premier League: Is it too early to speak about relegation candidates?

We are one-fifth of the way through the 2022/23 Premier League season and the table has started to take shape.

While most of the usual suspects are jostling for position in the title race, it is a different story when it comes to the relegation battle.

Bookmakers love to take bets on relegation before the action starts and punters who are confident will have put their money where their mouth is on one of these vetted by safebettingsites.co.uk.

Fulham and Bournemouth were amongst the bookies’ favourites for the drop before a ball was kicked, but both clubs have made a reasonable start to the campaign.

The Cottagers look best equipped of that duo to steer clear of the relegation battle, particularly with striker Aleksandar Mitrovic in such fine form.

While Bournemouth have picked up more points than many pundits predicted, their 9-0 defeat at Liverpool highlighted the gulf in class between them and the top teams.

Scott Parker was sacked as manager after that result and their survival hopes will likely hinge on who replaces him in the hot-seat.

With Fulham looking capable of upsetting the odds, the door is open for several surprising teams to be drawn into the relegation battle.

They include Leicester City, whose failure to invest in their squad this summer has led them making a woeful start to the new season.

The Foxes undoubtedly have plenty of talented players at the disposal, but losing can become a habit and they need to improve over the coming weeks.

Nottingham Forest have also made a slow start to the campaign on their return to the top flight and their vast expenditure on new players is yet to pay dividends.

Their home form will be the key to surviving in the Premier League, but they may find it difficult to keep themselves out of the bottom three.

West Ham United are another team whose early season form is a cause for concern, but they have enough quality to climb up the table.

Wolverhampton Wanderers, Aston Villa, Everton and Southampton are amongst the other teams who could be dragged into the relegation battle.

Wolves were one of the lowest scorers in the Premier League last season and their troubles in front of goal have continued this time around.

Unless manager Bruno Lage can find a solution to the problem, the Midlands outfit may well find it difficult to retain their top flight status.

Villa’s disappointing start to the season has sparked plenty of debate about Steven Gerrard’s ability to cut it as a Premier League manager.

Gerrard has been backed by Villa’s owners since he was appointed, but his lack of tactical acumen is a major issue for the Midlands outfit.

Villa were ruthless in sacking Dean Smith as manager and it would be no surprise to see Gerrard suffer the same fate if things don’t improve.

Everton are another club with a big-name manager who has been struggling to demonstrate he is up to the task of coaching in the Premier League.

Frank Lampard failed at Derby County and Chelsea, before surprisingly being handed the chance to prove his worth with Everton.

The Toffees have struggled during the early part of the season and look set for another troubled campaign under the former England midfielder.

While Villa and Everton will be nervously looking over their shoulders, Southampton could be the team who end up embroiled in the relegation battle.

The Saints won just two of their first seven matches and lack the quality possessed by most of the teams around them in the table.

Along with Bournemouth, Forest and Wolves, the south coast club are the most likely candidates to drop into the Championship at the end of the season.

Bournemouth and Forest are strongly fancied to go down, leaving Wolves and Saints fighting to avoid joining them in the second-tier next term.

Slight preference is for Wolves, with their lack of firepower likely to be a major issue as the season progresses.

Wolves have plenty of talented players in their squad, but their inability to score goals may well catch up with them at the end of the campaign.