The dream of the Premier League s promoted team may turn into a nightmare

The first team of Sunderland and Sheffield United is about to usher in the Premier League, and the two teams will compete in the Premier League upgrade play-off this Saturday. But even for the winner, the dream of upgrading can become bitter.

This is the second consecutive season, the three newly promoted teams soon became relegated teams. This happened only once in the English top league (1997-98 season).

The widening gap between the Premier League and the Championship is reflected in the total points of the bottom three teams in the past two seasons. Luton, Burnley and Sheffield United, who were relegated 12 months ago, set a record of the lowest total score (66 points) of relegated teams in the Premier League (38 rounds).

Leicester City, Ipswich and Southampton are likely to break this record, with one round left, their total points of only 59 points. In this year's top 17, the three teams won only 2 wins.

Sheffield United, which ranked last in points last season, received £110 million (US$148 million) from Premier League TV broadcasting and commercial contracts. If the parachute bonuses set for relegated teams are included, staying in the Premier League for a season is worth more than 200 million pounds. The gap between the first two leagues is not only a problem for the Premier League. The English Football League (EFL) is also increasingly concerned that the balance of competitiveness of the Champions League has been broken due to the influence of parachute policies.

If Sheffield United joins Leeds United and Burnley to upgrade, it will mean that six of the last nine teams upgraded from the Championship have been promoted in just one season after being relegated from the Premier League.

"The impact of these bonuses on the balance of strength in the Championship and the sustainable development capabilities of other clubs is a major concern for us," said EFL President Rick Parry.

Once new independent regulators take office, the parachute policy may be repealed. But this may widen the gap between the Premier League and the Championship. The original intention of the parachute policy is to narrow the gap between the two-tier leagues, encourage upgraded teams to increase investment and have certain competitiveness. But the fierce competition in the Premier League means that newcomers face severe challenges in order to survive. With only one game left, Europa League runner-up Tottenham and Manchester United are currently ranked 16th and 17th in the standings.

"The longer you stay in the Premier League, the stronger the team will become," said Leicester City coach Van Nie. "If the same 17 teams stay, they will invest a lot of money and become stronger on the existing basis. It seems that this gap will only get bigger."