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Ipswich Town, Southampton and Leicester City begin their quests for promotion back to the Premier League this weekend – but is it practically already a done deal for at least two of them?

The trio, relegated from the top flight in May, are among just four clubs in the Championship who will be in receipt of parachute payments in 2025-26.

Sheffield United are the other, having dropped back into the second tier 12 months earlier.

“Senior figures across the English Football League are sounding the alarm over a growing imbalance in English football,” said football finance expert Kieran Maguire.

“Their concern? That the Premier League is quietly morphing into a 24/25-team elite, where newly-promoted sides struggle to compete financially, only to be swiftly relegated, while parachute payments give relegated clubs a springboard back to the top flight.”

To emphasise the point, in each of the past five seasons two of the three teams promoted from the Championship were receiving parachute payments.

And to emphasise the widening gap between the top two divisions, in each of the past two campaigns the three promoted sides were all then relegated straight back out of the Premier League.

Parachute payments are a series of solidarity payments the Premier League makes to relegated clubs, for up to three years, to help them adapt to reduced revenues back in the Championship – with significantly less TV revenue.

The issue has proved a stumbling block for the EFL and Premier League, who have been in talks about changing the distribution system for football revenue so more money makes its way down the football pyramid from the Premier League.

The EFL wants to abolish parachute payments while securing a bigger share of the wealth generated by the top flight. The Premier League, on the other hand, believes the payments help clubs to be competitive once promoted.

In April 2023, EFL chairman Rick Parry described the widening gap between clubs receiving parachute payments and the rest of the Championship as a “major concern”.

Maguire says “the numbers paint a stark picture” in terms of both revenue and spending power when comparing the ‘haves’ with the ‘have nots’.

“Back in 2014-15, Championship clubs receiving parachute payments earned an average of £31.8 million in revenue – nearly double the £16.1 million brought in by their non-parachute counterparts,” he explained.

“Fast forward to 2023-24 and that gap has exploded. Parachute clubs averaged £62.9 million in revenue, while the others averaged just £26.7m.

“With greater revenue comes greater spending power.

“In 2014-15, the wage bill gap between parachute and non-parachute clubs stood at £10.4 million. By 2023-24, it had ballooned to £43.3 million.

“That disparity is reflected in squad investment, too, with parachute clubs fielding squads worth an average of £157 million last season, compared to just £19 million for the rest.

“This financial edge creates a self-reinforcing cycle. Promoted clubs often lack the resources to compete, leading to swift relegation. Meanwhile, parachute-funded sides dominate the Championship, making it harder for others to break through.

Although it seems increasingly difficult to finish in the Championship’s top two, the fight for a play-off place was more open than ever last season.

While Leeds, Burnley and even third-placed Sheffield United disappeared off into the distance, finishing on 100, 100 and 90 points respectively, Sunderland, Coventry and Bristol City all finished in the top six despite being without parachute payments.

Sunderland then upset the Blades at Wembley in the play-off final to win promotion.

And, while two of the three promoted teams have been parachute payments clubs for five seasons running, that does mean there has always been one bolter.

“That only four clubs are receiving parachute payments in the Championship this season just goes to show the impact of the trampoline effect,” added Maguire. “But it does create an opportunity for other Championship clubs to compete for play-off places.

Ipswich Town, Southampton and Leicester City begin their quests for promotion back to the Premier League this weekend – but is it practically already a done deal for at least two of them?

The trio, relegated from the top flight in May, are among just four clubs in the Championship who will be in receipt of parachute payments in 2025-26.

Sheffield United are the other, having dropped back into the second tier 12 months earlier.

“Senior figures across the English Football League are sounding the alarm over a growing imbalance in English football,” said football finance expert Kieran Maguire.

“Their concern? That the Premier League is quietly morphing into a 24/25-team elite, where newly-promoted sides struggle to compete financially, only to be swiftly relegated, while parachute payments give relegated clubs a springboard back to the top flight.”

To emphasise the point, in each of the past five seasons two of the three teams promoted from the Championship were receiving parachute payments.

And to emphasise the widening gap between the top two divisions, in each of the past two campaigns the three promoted sides were all then relegated straight back out of the Premier League.

Parachute payments are a series of solidarity payments the Premier League makes to relegated clubs, for up to three years, to help them adapt to reduced revenues back in the Championship – with significantly less TV revenue.

The issue has proved a stumbling block for the EFL and Premier League, who have been in talks about changing the distribution system for football revenue so more money makes its way down the football pyramid from the Premier League.

The EFL wants to abolish parachute payments while securing a bigger share of the wealth generated by the top flight. The Premier League, on the other hand, believes the payments help clubs to be competitive once promoted.

In April 2023, EFL chairman Rick Parry described the widening gap between clubs receiving parachute payments and the rest of the Championship as a “major concern”.

Maguire says “the numbers paint a stark picture” in terms of both revenue and spending power when comparing the ‘haves’ with the ‘have nots’.

“Back in 2014-15, Championship clubs receiving parachute payments earned an average of £31.8 million in revenue – nearly double the £16.1 million brought in by their non-parachute counterparts,” he explained.

“Fast forward to 2023-24 and that gap has exploded. Parachute clubs averaged £62.9 million in revenue, while the others averaged just £26.7m.

“With greater revenue comes greater spending power.

“In 2014-15, the wage bill gap between parachute and non-parachute clubs stood at £10.4 million. By 2023-24, it had ballooned to £43.3 million.

“That disparity is reflected in squad investment, too, with parachute clubs fielding squads worth an average of £157 million last season, compared to just £19 million for the rest.

“This financial edge creates a self-reinforcing cycle. Promoted clubs often lack the resources to compete, leading to swift relegation. Meanwhile, parachute-funded sides dominate the Championship, making it harder for others to break through.

Although it seems increasingly difficult to finish in the Championship’s top two, the fight for a play-off place was more open than ever last season.

While Leeds, Burnley and even third-placed Sheffield United disappeared off into the distance, finishing on 100, 100 and 90 points respectively, Sunderland, Coventry and Bristol City all finished in the top six despite being without parachute payments.

Sunderland then upset the Blades at Wembley in the play-off final to win promotion.

And, while two of the three promoted teams have been parachute payments clubs for five seasons running, that does mean there has always been one bolter.

“That only four clubs are receiving parachute payments in the Championship this season just goes to show the impact of the trampoline effect,” added Maguire. “But it does create an opportunity for other Championship clubs to compete for play-off places.

The number speaks for itself.

Of the 18 teams that played in the Championship last season and will do so again this time around, only one has the same manager as they did in August 2024.

ONE.

The last man standing, Portsmouth boss John Mousinho, told BBC Sport: “I don’t know if it means I’m next or what.

“It’s a really brutal league from every aspect.

“If you get something wrong you get punished. If you don’t get a press right [and] you give the ball away, you tend to get punished – and on the flip side that happens with head coaches as well.”

How does that figure compare to the other top four leagues? Well, not well.

In the Premier League, 11 of the 17 teams who started last season in the top flight still have the same manager as they did in August last year. It is seven of 17 for League One and a positively healthy 10 of 18 for League Two.

So, since the end of last season in May, 11 of the teams in this season’s Championship have got a new man at the helm but, of those, only six have gone for someone with no previous managerial experience in the second tier.

Hull City sacked Ruben Selles (more on him later) after six months in charge in May after they avoided relegation to League One on goal difference, and they’ve brought in Bosnian Sergej Jakirovic as his replacement.

QPR ended last season with Marti Cifuentes (more on him later too) on gardening leave, and they have appointed former Rennes manager Julien Stephan for his first spell managing outside his native France.

Troubled Sheffield Wednesday parted company with Danny Rohl by mutual consent. His former assistant Henrik Pedersen has stepped up in his stead, but the Dane’s task looks daunting amid the club’s financial problems.

Relegated Southampton have brought in highly rated 32-year-old Will Still after stints with Reims and Lens in France, while Watford named Uruguayan Paulo Pezzolano as Tom Cleverley’s replacement.

Finally, West Bromwich Albion have given Ryan Mason, 34, a first shot at being the main man after a couple of spells as caretaker boss at Tottenham Hotspur.

The aforementioned Selles and Cifuentes were not out of the Championship managerial game for very long at all.

Sheffield United, who finished third last season before losing to Sunderland in the play-off final, parted company with Chris Wilder in June and have turned to Selles to try to get them back to the Premier League at the second attempt.

Fellow Spaniard Cifuentes has also been charged with trying to lead a team to promotion after battling relegation with QPR. He signed a three-year deal after relegated Leicester City sacked Ruud van Nistelrooy.

Liam Manning led Bristol City to a play-off finish in the second tier for the first time since 2008 last season, but chose to join hometown team Norwich City rather than carry on at Ashton Gate. The Robins have appointed former Barnsley boss Gerhard Struber as his replacement.

Preston North End boss Paul Heckingbottom is one of three managers in the league to have previously won promotion out of it.

After spells at this level with Barnsley and Leeds United, he led the Blades up in 2023 and is realistic about the demands and expectations on bosses.

“It’s how it is. If you’re worried about job security or the fact the buck stops with you, then you shouldn’t do it,” he told BBC Radio Lancashire.

“For me, it’s arguably the best thing about it. It’s crazy.

“I don’t know all of the guys who have gone personally, or the politics and environments in their clubs, but I bet a lot of money they weren’t the worst performing person in their organisation when they got sacked. It’s just the way it is.”

Valerien Ismael endured a tough start to life at Blackburn Rovers after taking over in February, but they almost gatecrashed the top six after a late-season run of good form and will look to pick up from where they left off.

Also aiming to do that will be Nathan Jones at Charlton Athletic, after the former Luton boss led the Addicks back to the second tier after five seasons away with victory in the League One play-off final.

Frank Lampard guided Coventry City to a fifth-placed finish last season after taking over from the long-serving Mark Robins in November – and will hope to have the Sky Blues challenging again. John Eustace led Derby County away from trouble after swapping Ewood Park for Pride Park in February.

Kieran McKenna’s three full seasons as Ipswich Town manager have been action-packed. The Northern Irishman led the Blues to successive promotions from League One before suffering relegation from the Premier League in May.

The men in charge of Millwall and Oxford United have seen just about everything this division has to offer. Lions boss Alex Neil is on his fifth team at this level, having won promotion to the Premier League as Norwich boss a decade ago, while U’s counterpart Gary Rowett (who himself had four years as Lions manager) is also on his fifth Championship side.

Robins, like so many before him, found life tough going after being appointed as Stoke City’s third boss of the season in December. He will be looking to be the first person to lead them to a top-half finish at this level since their Premier League relegation in 2018.

Alan Sheehan starts his first full season as Swansea City boss after an encouraging spell in caretaker charge resulted in him being given the role full time.

And Wrexham have kept faith with Phil Parkinson after back-to-back-to-back promotions from National League to this level. He has managed at this level before with Hull City, Charlton and Bolton Wanderers, but this is his first time back in the second tier since 2019.

Pompey boss Mousinho could quite easily have been another of the managers to have lost his job last season.

He led the Fratton Park side back to the Championship in some style in the 2023-24 season but it took them until 19 October to register a first win on their return.

However, they improved as the season wore on and comfortably avoided relegation with a five-match winning run to see out the campaign.

Mousinho, 39, is in his first job in management and credited the board with not panicking last season.

“I feel very proud to be the head coach of this football club, and when I first came in two and a half years ago it was very much as a long-term appointment. We were trying to do things a different way,” he told BBC Sport.

“Of course you’ve got to get results to back that up, but there were definitely times last season where the club could have made a change, so I’m very grateful that they didn’t.

“It’s always been part of the plan not to panic, to build, to get better year on year, and I think it’s about making sure we show progress. It’s good to have a club that’s unique in the Championship.”

The number speaks for itself.

Of the 18 teams that played in the Championship last season and will do so again this time around, only one has the same manager as they did in August 2024.

ONE.

The last man standing, Portsmouth boss John Mousinho, told BBC Sport: “I don’t know if it means I’m next or what.

“It’s a really brutal league from every aspect.

“If you get something wrong you get punished. If you don’t get a press right [and] you give the ball away, you tend to get punished – and on the flip side that happens with head coaches as well.”

How does that figure compare to the other top four leagues? Well, not well.

In the Premier League, 11 of the 17 teams who started last season in the top flight still have the same manager as they did in August last year. It is seven of 17 for League One and a positively healthy 10 of 18 for League Two.

So, since the end of last season in May, 11 of the teams in this season’s Championship have got a new man at the helm but, of those, only six have gone for someone with no previous managerial experience in the second tier.

Hull City sacked Ruben Selles (more on him later) after six months in charge in May after they avoided relegation to League One on goal difference, and they’ve brought in Bosnian Sergej Jakirovic as his replacement.

QPR ended last season with Marti Cifuentes (more on him later too) on gardening leave, and they have appointed former Rennes manager Julien Stephan for his first spell managing outside his native France.

Troubled Sheffield Wednesday parted company with Danny Rohl by mutual consent. His former assistant Henrik Pedersen has stepped up in his stead, but the Dane’s task looks daunting amid the club’s financial problems.

Relegated Southampton have brought in highly rated 32-year-old Will Still after stints with Reims and Lens in France, while Watford named Uruguayan Paulo Pezzolano as Tom Cleverley’s replacement.

Finally, West Bromwich Albion have given Ryan Mason, 34, a first shot at being the main man after a couple of spells as caretaker boss at Tottenham Hotspur.

The aforementioned Selles and Cifuentes were not out of the Championship managerial game for very long at all.

Sheffield United, who finished third last season before losing to Sunderland in the play-off final, parted company with Chris Wilder in June and have turned to Selles to try to get them back to the Premier League at the second attempt.

Fellow Spaniard Cifuentes has also been charged with trying to lead a team to promotion after battling relegation with QPR. He signed a three-year deal after relegated Leicester City sacked Ruud van Nistelrooy.

Liam Manning led Bristol City to a play-off finish in the second tier for the first time since 2008 last season, but chose to join hometown team Norwich City rather than carry on at Ashton Gate. The Robins have appointed former Barnsley boss Gerhard Struber as his replacement.

Preston North End boss Paul Heckingbottom is one of three managers in the league to have previously won promotion out of it.

After spells at this level with Barnsley and Leeds United, he led the Blades up in 2023 and is realistic about the demands and expectations on bosses.

“It’s how it is. If you’re worried about job security or the fact the buck stops with you, then you shouldn’t do it,” he told BBC Radio Lancashire.

“For me, it’s arguably the best thing about it. It’s crazy.

“I don’t know all of the guys who have gone personally, or the politics and environments in their clubs, but I bet a lot of money they weren’t the worst performing person in their organisation when they got sacked. It’s just the way it is.”

Valerien Ismael endured a tough start to life at Blackburn Rovers after taking over in February, but they almost gatecrashed the top six after a late-season run of good form and will look to pick up from where they left off.

Also aiming to do that will be Nathan Jones at Charlton Athletic, after the former Luton boss led the Addicks back to the second tier after five seasons away with victory in the League One play-off final.

Frank Lampard guided Coventry City to a fifth-placed finish last season after taking over from the long-serving Mark Robins in November – and will hope to have the Sky Blues challenging again. John Eustace led Derby County away from trouble after swapping Ewood Park for Pride Park in February.

Kieran McKenna’s three full seasons as Ipswich Town manager have been action-packed. The Northern Irishman led the Blues to successive promotions from League One before suffering relegation from the Premier League in May.

The men in charge of Millwall and Oxford United have seen just about everything this division has to offer. Lions boss Alex Neil is on his fifth team at this level, having won promotion to the Premier League as Norwich boss a decade ago, while U’s counterpart Gary Rowett (who himself had four years as Lions manager) is also on his fifth Championship side.

Robins, like so many before him, found life tough going after being appointed as Stoke City’s third boss of the season in December. He will be looking to be the first person to lead them to a top-half finish at this level since their Premier League relegation in 2018.

Alan Sheehan starts his first full season as Swansea City boss after an encouraging spell in caretaker charge resulted in him being given the role full time.

And Wrexham have kept faith with Phil Parkinson after back-to-back-to-back promotions from National League to this level. He has managed at this level before with Hull City, Charlton and Bolton Wanderers, but this is his first time back in the second tier since 2019.

Pompey boss Mousinho could quite easily have been another of the managers to have lost his job last season.

He led the Fratton Park side back to the Championship in some style in the 2023-24 season but it took them until 19 October to register a first win on their return.

However, they improved as the season wore on and comfortably avoided relegation with a five-match winning run to see out the campaign.

Mousinho, 39, is in his first job in management and credited the board with not panicking last season.

“I feel very proud to be the head coach of this football club, and when I first came in two and a half years ago it was very much as a long-term appointment. We were trying to do things a different way,” he told BBC Sport.

“Of course you’ve got to get results to back that up, but there were definitely times last season where the club could have made a change, so I’m very grateful that they didn’t.

“It’s always been part of the plan not to panic, to build, to get better year on year, and I think it’s about making sure we show progress. It’s good to have a club that’s unique in the Championship.”

The number speaks for itself.

Of the 18 teams that played in the Championship last season and will do so again this time around, only one has the same manager as they did in August 2024.

ONE.

The last man standing, Portsmouth boss John Mousinho, told BBC Sport: “I don’t know if it means I’m next or what.

“It’s a really brutal league from every aspect.

“If you get something wrong you get punished. If you don’t get a press right [and] you give the ball away, you tend to get punished – and on the flip side that happens with head coaches as well.”

How does that figure compare to the other top four leagues? Well, not well.

In the Premier League, 11 of the 17 teams who started last season in the top flight still have the same manager as they did in August last year. It is seven of 17 for League One and a positively healthy 10 of 18 for League Two.

So, since the end of last season in May, 11 of the teams in this season’s Championship have got a new man at the helm but, of those, only six have gone for someone with no previous managerial experience in the second tier.

Hull City sacked Ruben Selles (more on him later) after six months in charge in May after they avoided relegation to League One on goal difference, and they’ve brought in Bosnian Sergej Jakirovic as his replacement.

QPR ended last season with Marti Cifuentes (more on him later too) on gardening leave, and they have appointed former Rennes manager Julien Stephan for his first spell managing outside his native France.

Troubled Sheffield Wednesday parted company with Danny Rohl by mutual consent. His former assistant Henrik Pedersen has stepped up in his stead, but the Dane’s task looks daunting amid the club’s financial problems.

Relegated Southampton have brought in highly rated 32-year-old Will Still after stints with Reims and Lens in France, while Watford named Uruguayan Paulo Pezzolano as Tom Cleverley’s replacement.

Finally, West Bromwich Albion have given Ryan Mason, 34, a first shot at being the main man after a couple of spells as caretaker boss at Tottenham Hotspur.

The aforementioned Selles and Cifuentes were not out of the Championship managerial game for very long at all.

Sheffield United, who finished third last season before losing to Sunderland in the play-off final, parted company with Chris Wilder in June and have turned to Selles to try to get them back to the Premier League at the second attempt.

Fellow Spaniard Cifuentes has also been charged with trying to lead a team to promotion after battling relegation with QPR. He signed a three-year deal after relegated Leicester City sacked Ruud van Nistelrooy.

Liam Manning led Bristol City to a play-off finish in the second tier for the first time since 2008 last season, but chose to join hometown team Norwich City rather than carry on at Ashton Gate. The Robins have appointed former Barnsley boss Gerhard Struber as his replacement.

Preston North End boss Paul Heckingbottom is one of three managers in the league to have previously won promotion out of it.

After spells at this level with Barnsley and Leeds United, he led the Blades up in 2023 and is realistic about the demands and expectations on bosses.

“It’s how it is. If you’re worried about job security or the fact the buck stops with you, then you shouldn’t do it,” he told BBC Radio Lancashire.

“For me, it’s arguably the best thing about it. It’s crazy.

“I don’t know all of the guys who have gone personally, or the politics and environments in their clubs, but I bet a lot of money they weren’t the worst performing person in their organisation when they got sacked. It’s just the way it is.”

Valerien Ismael endured a tough start to life at Blackburn Rovers after taking over in February, but they almost gatecrashed the top six after a late-season run of good form and will look to pick up from where they left off.

Also aiming to do that will be Nathan Jones at Charlton Athletic, after the former Luton boss led the Addicks back to the second tier after five seasons away with victory in the League One play-off final.

Frank Lampard guided Coventry City to a fifth-placed finish last season after taking over from the long-serving Mark Robins in November – and will hope to have the Sky Blues challenging again. John Eustace led Derby County away from trouble after swapping Ewood Park for Pride Park in February.

Kieran McKenna’s three full seasons as Ipswich Town manager have been action-packed. The Northern Irishman led the Blues to successive promotions from League One before suffering relegation from the Premier League in May.

The men in charge of Millwall and Oxford United have seen just about everything this division has to offer. Lions boss Alex Neil is on his fifth team at this level, having won promotion to the Premier League as Norwich boss a decade ago, while U’s counterpart Gary Rowett (who himself had four years as Lions manager) is also on his fifth Championship side.

Robins, like so many before him, found life tough going after being appointed as Stoke City’s third boss of the season in December. He will be looking to be the first person to lead them to a top-half finish at this level since their Premier League relegation in 2018.

Alan Sheehan starts his first full season as Swansea City boss after an encouraging spell in caretaker charge resulted in him being given the role full time.

And Wrexham have kept faith with Phil Parkinson after back-to-back-to-back promotions from National League to this level. He has managed at this level before with Hull City, Charlton and Bolton Wanderers, but this is his first time back in the second tier since 2019.

Pompey boss Mousinho could quite easily have been another of the managers to have lost his job last season.

He led the Fratton Park side back to the Championship in some style in the 2023-24 season but it took them until 19 October to register a first win on their return.

However, they improved as the season wore on and comfortably avoided relegation with a five-match winning run to see out the campaign.

Mousinho, 39, is in his first job in management and credited the board with not panicking last season.

“I feel very proud to be the head coach of this football club, and when I first came in two and a half years ago it was very much as a long-term appointment. We were trying to do things a different way,” he told BBC Sport.

“Of course you’ve got to get results to back that up, but there were definitely times last season where the club could have made a change, so I’m very grateful that they didn’t.

“It’s always been part of the plan not to panic, to build, to get better year on year, and I think it’s about making sure we show progress. It’s good to have a club that’s unique in the Championship.”

Crystal Palace boss Oliver Glasner is “positive” the club will be successful in their appeal against demotion from the Europa League to the Conference League.

The Eagles were punished for breaching multi-club ownership rules as American businessman John Textor owns a stake in the club and is the majority owner of French side Lyon, who have also qualified for the Europa League.

In July, Palace submitted an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport against Uefa, which issued the punishment, as well as Lyon and Nottingham Forest.

Forest, who finished seventh in the Premier League last season, will replace FA Cup winners Palace in the Europa League if the punishment is upheld.

The appeal hearing began on Friday, with a verdict expected by Monday.

“I’m always positive,” Glasner said in a news conference before Sunday’s Community Shield against Liverpool.

“I can’t see anything why we would should be demoted and why we should stay in the Conference League.

Uefa rules state that clubs owned, to a certain threshold of influence, by the same person or entity cannot compete in the same competition.

European football’s governing body set a deadline of 1 March 2025 to show proof of multi-club ownership restructuring – a date Palace missed.

Palace argued Textor does not hold any decisive influence at the club, but Uefa did not accept that defence.

Speaking to The Rest is Football podcast last week, Eagles chairman Steve Parish said he was “very hopeful” the decision would be overturned.

In their appeal, Palace have requested an annulment of the decision by Uefa’s financial control body and readmission to the Europa League in place of either Forest or Lyon.

As it stands, Palace will face either Norwegian side Fredrikstad or Midtjylland of Denmark in the Conference League play-off round later this month.

Crystal Palace owner Steve Parish is finding it difficult to even comprehend it has got this far. The club’s supporters feel the same.

For those with Palace connections, it is a nonsense that their place in the Europa League – secured following last season’s historic FA Cup triumph – has been ripped away from them by Uefa red tape.

Yet they are where they are. Parish led his legal team into battle on Friday morning at a Court of Arbitration for Sport hearing which Palace hope will see them reinstated into European club football’s second-most prestigious competition.

Palace feel they have assembled a strong case. Part of their appeal hinges on an understanding that Nottingham Forest were afforded extra time to comply with the same multi-club ownership rules Uefa concluded Palace had breached, but the Eagles were not given an extension.

Palace feel the simple matter of common sense means they are allow back into the Europa League.