The favorites have won the Championship in each of the last two seasons and that position heading into 2021/22 is held by Fulham.
The Cottagers have shown their intention by spending £ 12 million to sign Harry Wilson from Liverpool, as part of a major team overhaul.
Analysis by Experimental361 shows that Fulham have the highest ‘turnover’ of players of any of the 24 clubs that will compete in the division this season.
That’s a potential problem for new boss Marco Silva, who must now put together a new and fast team.
The Portuguese has taken the reins from Scott Parker, whose departure to Bournemouth isn’t exactly a resounding endorsement of Fulham’s chances of a direct return to the Premier League.
Fulham hopes Silva is the man to take them back to the Promised Land, but his record in England is hardly brilliant.
He got off to a good start at Hull but was ultimately unable to keep them up, while another good start at Watford quickly disintegrated.
His last job was at Everton, where he was criticized for not giving the team an identity and his firing was predicted long before it actually happened.
Frankly, Fulham looks a bit short, especially when so many favorites over the years have failed to deliver.
Norwich and Leeds may have won in the last two seasons, but a larger sample shows that Newcastle (in 2016/17) is the only other club in the last decade that justifies ante-post market leadership.
Parker’s Bournemouth looks tempting.
Outside of promoted clubs, the Cherries were the top scorers in this division last season and were just bad defensively, finishing sixth before losing in the play-off semifinals.
Dominic Solanke finally found his place as a true scorer and it should go well again.
However, the main problem for potential sponsors at this stage is the uncertainty surrounding Arnaut Danjuma.
He scored 17 goals in the championship last season and also provided seven useful assists. Villarreal want the Dutchman and he will probably not be at Vitality Stadium in September.
That highlights the problem for bettors at this stage.
The transfer window, ridiculously, doesn’t close until more than three weeks into the season and many of the best players in this division are often on the radar of the biggest clubs at this time of year.
Any bet placed now involves the risk of a star leaving and leaving an odd-sized hole to fill.
A strong team helps mitigate that factor and that’s one of the reasons I’m prepared to back West Brom in the title market.
Best bet
The Baggies will likely lose players before Aug. 31 to their England international goalkeeper Sam Johnstone and Matheus Pereira, both linked to moves to West Ham.
But despite May’s relegation, it appears there is enough talent in the team for an immediate return to the top flight.
Grady Diangana may not have made it to the Premier League as well as many predicted, but he was impressive in this division two years ago and has already shone in preseason.
The loan spells of Conor Gallagher and Okay Yokuslu are over, but the signing of Alex Mowatt from Barnsley looks good and is ready to form a decent midfield partnership with former England player Jake Livermore. And that’s before we mention Romain Sawyers, who has shone to this level in the past.
At the back, Semi Ajayi and Kyle Bartley should be more championship experts, while there is clearly more to come from young Irishman Dara O’Shea.
Perhaps the biggest concern at the moment is in the attacking areas: is there an all-time scorer in this squad?
Relying on Callum Robinson and Karlan Grant may be considered a risk, but both certainly have the potential to improve this season.
Robinson scored 12 of his expansive role for Preston in an injury-plagued 2019/20 campaign, while Grant is a young player who has been promoted too quickly.
A strong league A season for Charlton saw Huddersfield, struggling in the Premier League at the time, kick Grant, but there was little he could do in such a poor team.
Grant scored 19 goals the following season when the Terriers returned to the Championship, suggesting that he is more than capable of scoring goals on this side, one that should really be a challenge to get to the top.
Matt Phillips is a seasoned activist capable of providing opportunities, while Diangana and Pereira are sure to help a lot if they are still around.
In short, there are many things to work with with the new boss Valerien Ismael. The progressive coach arrives fresh from guiding Barnsley to an unexpected fifth place last season.
The Baggies have shown their skill in this division time and time again over the years and around 7/1, they sport a decent shout to win the Championship.
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