With plenty of talent available amongst relegated clubs, here is a look at three players who deserve to remain in the Premier League.
With Wolves, Burnley and West Ham all relegated from the top flight down to the Championship for next season, several members of their squads will most certainly depart for top-level football as the three teams seek to cut costs to meet financial rules.
I have therefore picked out three players who deserve to remain in the Premier League next season from across the three relegated clubs.
Zian Flemming (Burnley)
With 11 goals in 31 appearances for Burnley who managed just 47 goals across all competitions this season, Zian Flemming has proven himself to be a solid forward more than capable of holding his own in the Premier League after three seasons in the Championship.
It’s therefore no surprise that he doesn’t want to return to the second tier after a positive maiden Premier League campaign, in which his 11 goals is the same total as what West Ham’s experienced Jarrod Bowen managed for the Hammers – who too are relegated.
It is therefore no surprise to see the 27-year-old angling for a move to another top-flight club because he clearly has the potential to do well with the right club in the top tier.
Matheus Mane (Wolves)
Having graduated through Wolves’ Under-21s level last season and made his first appearance towards the end of that campaign, Mane has quietly kicked on with a number of mature creative performances which yielded three goals and one assist in 30 appearances.
Mane also is just 18-years old with plenty of potential and already established at top-flight level which makes him a lucrative player for many clubs, whilst representing pure profit for Wolves given that he joined from Rochdale and came through their academy at U21s level.
Another positive for Wolves is that Mane is likely to command a strong transfer fee which would benefit the club in terms of reinvesting in squad depth at Championship level for a promotion tilt.
Jarrod Bowen (West Ham)
Having refused to comment on his future following West Ham’s relegation, Bowen will be the main player of speculation across the three relegated clubs such is his quality which makes a return to the Championship look unlikely after three successful second-tier seasons between 2017-20 at Hull.
He has since built on that form at West Ham which included the 2022-23 UEFA Conference League title and finished as their top goalscorer this season with 11 goals, demonstrating why he still belongs in the Premier League and selling him will be a financial boost for the Hammers.
Only loyalty would realistically keep him in East London but having represented England at international level, Bowen ideally needs to leave if he want to get back into Thomas Tuchel’s Three Lions squad next season.