The Premier League is a brutal place, with many clubs finding it impossible to hold on to their top-flight status.
Nothing proves that fact more convincingly than Tottenham Hotspur only staying up on the final day of last season, or Manchester United currently sitting 16th.
Relegation for either of those clubs would be almost unthinkable. But that got us thinking about the last time every current Premier League club was in the second tier.
Coventry City, Ipswich Town & Hull City: 2025/26
The newly-promoted trio have all made competitive starts to the season, but face a long battle to retain their status. Relegation would be cruel for Coventry, who are back in the Premier League for the first time since 2001. Meanwhile, Ipswich are back after just one year away, while this is Hull’s fourth spell as a Premier League club and first since 2014/15.
Leeds United: 2024/25
Leeds had waited so long to return to the Premier League that their relegation back to the Championship in 2023 felt cruel. It took two years for the Whites to return, but Daniel Farke has since managed to consolidate their position, back where they belong.
Sunderland: 2024/25
Sunderland ended a gruelling spell outside the top flight — which included dropping down to League One — by winning the 2025 Championship playoffs.
The Black Cats exceeded everyone’s expectations back in the Premier League last season, finishing seventh and qualifying for the Europa League. Regis Le Bris’ men are currently bottom, but performances suggest they won’t be there for long.
Bournemouth: 2021/22
It would have been easy for Bournemouth to slide back down the Football League once they were relegated in 2020. Instead, it took just two years for them to return to the Premier League under the guidance of Scott Parker.
They’ve gradually improved since, culminating in a sixth-place finish under Andoni Iraola last season. Their most historic night came just last week as they thrashed Italian giants AC Milan 3-0 at home in the Europa League.
Fulham: 2021/22
Fulham had taken the mantle as English football’s yo-yo club, with their 2021/22 Championship title win the last in a sequence of five straight relegations and promotions.
The Cottagers won that title in style, with Marco Silva‘s men scoring 106 goals in 46 league matches. They’ve faded wonderfully into mid-table anonymity since, finishing between 10th and 13th in each of the last four seasons.
Nottingham Forest: 2021/22
Two-time European champions, Nottingham Forest‘s 23-year exile from the top flight was one of the aberrations of English football. That was until Steve Cooper took them from the bottom of the table in September to playoff winners by the end of the 2021/22 season.
The Tricky Trees have mostly battled against relegation since coming back up, though they did finish seventh in 2024/25 and reached the Europa League semi-finals last season.
Brentford: 2020/21
After losing the playoff final a year earlier, Thomas Frank‘s men secured top-flight football for the first time since 1947 in 2021.
Brentford have looked like they belong ever since, never finishing below 16th and securing three top-10 finishes in the last four years.
Aston Villa: 2018/19
Aston Villa going down in 2016 was seismic, with the former European champions ever-present in the Premier League until then. It took the Villans three years to get back to the big time, but they snuck in via the playoffs in 2019.
Villa had to battle relegation once they came back up, but have since re-established themselves as European regulars and even won the Europa League last season — their first major trophy since 1996.
Brighton: 2016/17
A two-decade journey from the Withdean athletics stadium to the Amex peaked as Chris Hughton led Brighton to the Premier League for the first time in 2017.
The Seagulls have become one of the finest examples of how to run a football club since, consistently buying and selling top talent at a profit, while qualifying for Europe on multiple occasions.
Newcastle United: 2016/17
Newcastle United‘s relegation in 2016 alongside Villa was another serious shock, but Rafa Benitez stayed on and brought them back up at the first opportunity.
The Magpies haven’t finished lower than 13th since and have gone on to qualify for the Champions League twice and win the EFL Cup.
Crystal Palace: 2012/13
Kevin Phillips’ extra-time penalty in a playoff final against Watford sent Crystal Palace back to the Premier League in 2013, and after being something of a yo-yo club, the Eagles have now firmly established themselves as mainstays.
Palace have won FA Cup, Conference League and Community Shield titles in recent years and have become a thorn in the side of the top clubs.
Manchester City: 2001/02
Long before the Abu Dhabi revolution, Kevin Keegan oversaw a swashbuckling side that swept the second tier away, powered by the goals of Shaun Goater and Ali Benarbia. Even so, 2002 really isn’t that long ago, considering the stranglehold Man City have had on English football in recent times.
Could they be plunged back to those depths again soon as punishment?
Chelsea: 1988/89
Search old photos of Stamford Bridge, and you will see just how different a club Chelsea were before the Premier League took hold.
The Blues returned to the First Division at the first attempt in 1989 and established themselves as a potent cup side before Roman Abramovich’s billions started to deliver league titles for the first time since 1955.
Tottenham Hotspur: 1977/78
Tottenham Hotspur just about ended a one-year stay in the second tier in 1978, finishing third on goal difference. They shocked the footballing world the following summer, signing Argentine World Cup winners Osvaldo Ardiles and Ricky Villa.
Spurs have enjoyed plenty of cup success in the time since, but their last league title came back in 1961. What’s more, they had to avoid relegation on the final day of last season.
Manchester United: 1974/75
Given how dominant Manchester United were in the first two decades of the Premier League era, it’s almost impossible to consider them in the second tier. To be fair, they only spent one season outside the top flight, cruising to promotion in 1975. They finished third the following year, and then won the FA Cup a season later.
Even so, the Red Devils continued to bounce between failed title challenges, mid-table anonymity and relegation battles until 1992/93, when English football was transformed forever.
Man Utd are 16th and a point clear of the relegation zone at the time of writing. Surely not?
Liverpool: 1961/62
Liverpool spent eight years in the Second Division wilderness before the inspired hire of Bill Shankly, who guided them back to the big time in 1962. He would subsequently build one of the most formidable footballing empires the game has ever seen, enjoying unrivalled success domestically and on the continent.
The Reds became England and Europe’s dominant force in the 1970s, even as memories of the second tier remained fresh in the mind. They’ve never looked back since.
Everton: 1953/54
Everton ended a rare three-year spell outside the top flight in 1954, finishing as runners-up to Leicester City on goal difference in the second tier. They’ve never been relegated since and have added four league titles to bring their total count to nine — the fourth-highest of any English club.
The Toffees have had plenty of relegation scares in recent times, finishing 17th four times in the Premier League era alone. However, they’ve always survived and have spent more seasons in the top flight than any other English club.
Arsenal: 1914/15
Arsenal‘s final season in the Second Division was the last full campaign played before competitive football was suspended for the First World War. When the league returned in 1919, it was expanded, and Arsenal were controversially elected ahead of North London rivals Tottenham Hotspur.
The Gunners have been a mainstay ever since, enjoying the longest unbroken run in the top flight. During the time since, they’ve been crowned champions 14 times — a record bettered only by Manchester United and Liverpool. They have very rarely flirted with relegation, either, with their last finish lower than 12th coming in the mid-70s.