Burnley and QPR set for Premier League struggles next season

Second-tier champions Leicester City come next at 11/5 (lengthened from 15/8), but have already embarked on a shrewd recruitment drive, which gives Foxes boss Nigel Pearson an edge over the other promoted sides.

The so-called curse of ‘second season syndrome’ could strike either Crystal Palace or Hull City, with both priced at 9/4 to lose top-flight status in 2014/15. How Tigers boss Steve Bruce can juggle European football for the first time on Humberside with domestic commitments remains to be seen.

Overachievers Palace, meanwhile, know that making history by staying up under Tony Pulis this term will count for nothing if they cannot build upon it next season. It’s 3/1 for the two West Midlands outfits (Aston Villa and West Brom) to fall from grace.

Villa are up for sale and recently sacked Paul Lambert’s loyal lieutenant Ian Culverhouse. If owner Randy Lerner can offload the club, the Scot may also find himself out of work as new investors tend to want their own, handpicked man in the dugout.

Managerless Albion are in need of a serious squad overhaul, as they are short in both defence and attack. The Hawthorns vacancy is one that needs experienced handling, but that 3/1 price on the Baggies bowing out of the Premier League looks tasty whoever takes them on.

Sunderland and Swansea are 5/1 shots for relegation, and how their 2014/15 campaigns pan out depends on recruitment. Punters can expect potential players to find Black Cats boss Gus Poyet a more attractive prospect than Swans managerial novice Garry Monk.

Those odds on the south Wales side slipping out of the top-flight after a fourth season are certainly worth considering, because players may quit the Liberty sensing Swansea have peaked. Monk is nowhere near well-connected or known enough to replace them either.

West Ham, a 6/1 chance, come next and their third Premier League campaign in succession all appears to hinge on how boss Sam Allardyce handles having an attacking coach forced upon him by the Hammers board. Bar those 10 teams, it’s odds of 8/1 and considerably longer on others.

One final price that does stand out is 12/1 on Southampton, facing unpaid transfer fees and a bill for their training ground to foot. Manager Mauricio Pochettino has left to succeed Tim Sherwood at Tottenham, while England’s elite clubs are circling like vultures for young and talented Saints stars.