Norwich 11/10 to stay up on Premier League return
Published:Norwich chief executive David McNally has declared that the club will not make an immediate return to the Championship and it is 11/10 in the Premier League odds that they secure their survival next season.
A 1-0 win at Portsmouth was enough to confirm Norwich’s promotion with a game to spare and they can now look forward to a return to the Premier League for the first time since 2005.
Assuming that QPR are not handed a big points deduction at their ongoing hearing, Norwich will finish second in the Championship and this could be a good omen based on recent seasons.
West Brom finished second in the Championship last season and now are 99 per cent certain to survive in the Premier League in the current campaign.
Birmingham and Stoke are the other teams to have finished second in the past three seasons and both comfortably survived in their first campaign in the top flight.
With the Premier League particularly tight at the bottom this season, there is every chance that in the next campaign only a handful of points will separate the teams relegated from those finishing in mid-table.
Therefore, 7/1 may not be the worst value in the Premier League odds that Norwich will finish in the top ten next season.
However, with the club close to administration not too long ago in the distant past, there is a strong chance that they will be sensible with their Premier League spending to ensure they have a solid financial base should they suffer an immediate relegation.
Norwich’s current squad is predominantly made up of players with little Premier League experience and so may not have the required quality to stay up, particularly if the club keeps its pre-season spending to a minimum.
It is 4/6 in the Premier League betting that Norwich are relegated next season, while it is 20/1 that they enjoy a remarkable league campaign or cup run to qualify for Europe.
A £30 stake on Norwich finishing in the top half of the Premier League next season would return £210. New customers can sign up here for a free £30 bet.
