Leeds and Leicester will join Southampton in the Championship next season after Everton preserved their Premier League status on the final day of the 2022/23 campaign.
As is customary, the three relegated sides are likely to be picked up apart this summer as players jump ship left, right and centre.
Here we’ve identified six players we believe are worthy of signing for top-half Premier League clubs based purely on the fact they achieved 100+ Dream Team points this season.
Don’t worry too much about the validity of the methodology.
Che Adams (£3.1m)
- 100 points
- Forward
- Southampton
The Scotland international scored ten goals in all competitions this term thanks mostly to a productive Carabao Cup campaign.
Adams plundered 22 goals for Birmingham the last time he spent a season in the Championship and so Saints will be desperate to retain him if possible but there may be some Premier League teams that feel the full extent of his talent has not be tapped into on the south coast.
A move to a top-half club may be a stretch here but Brentford, who finished ninth after a win over champions Man City on Sunday, may be interested in the bullish striker to fill the hole created by Ivan Toney’s (£6.1m) suspension.
Jack Harrison (£3.5m)
- 104 points
- Midfielder
- Leeds
Leeds conceded 78 league goals in 2022/23 because of their shambolic defence but their squad contains plenty of attacking talent.
Harrison occasionally suffers form slumps but generally he provides plenty of chances in the final third and scores his fair share of goals too.
The 26-year-old provided seven assists and five goals in the Premier League this season, a more than respectable return for a relegated club.
He scored eight goals last season and in 2020/21 he outperformed Raphinha in terms of goal involvements when Leeds finished ninth under Marcelo Bielsa.
Newcastle have previously been linked with Harrison so it will be interesting to see whether they revive their interest in the coming weeks.
Rodrigo (£3.6m)
- 106 points
- Forward
- Leeds
Injuries restricted the Spaniard to just 23 league starts this season and yet he finished with 13 goals to his name (15 in all competitions).
Rodrigo underwhelmed in his first two years at Elland Road but in 2022/23 he did his best to save the Whites from the drop through some wholehearted efforts.
A transfer abroad feels more likely but there must be a few competent Premier League clubs wondering what Rodrigo could achieve in a more functional team.
Harvey Barnes (£4.4m)
- 113 points
- Midfielder
- Leicester
Like Leeds, Leicester’s gifted attackers were undermined by their side’s porous defence this season.
2022/23 was Barnes’ best season yet from an individual perspective as he registered 13 league goals from the left flank.
A direct dribbler and a confident finisher, particularly in one-on-one situations, the 25-year-old is likely to appear alongside Jack Harrison’s name on a few shortlists this summer.
With 28 goals and 14 assists across his last three league campaigns, Barnes has proven himself worthy of the top flight and it will be interesting to see if any of the top six clubs feels he could do a job for them.
James Maddison (£5.5m)
- 118 points
- Midfielder
- Leicester
Probably the most obvious candidate of the lot from the relegated crop.
Dream Team bosses know better than anyone that the Foxes’ No10 specialises in goal involvements with set-piece supplements to boot.
Maddison’s raw numbers put even Barnes to shame, 30 goals and 22 assists across the last three league campaigns puts him among the very best players in his position.
The talented playmaker has been linked with Spurs, Arsenal and Newcastle in recent years and it’s a measure of his ability that it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him hop from relegation to the Champions League.
James Ward-Prowse (£3.6m)
- 121 points
- Midfielder
- Southampton
No relegated player registered more Dream Team points this season than Southampton’s captain.
The England international scored his eleventh goal of the campaign (all competitions) in the thrilling 4-4 draw with Liverpool on the final day to underline his credentials for any potential suitors watching.
Ward-Prowse is the Premier League’s reigning free-kick king but across the last few years he’s shown he’s more than just a one-trick pony.
The 28-year-old is a one-club man having made his debut for Saints in 2011/12 but he’s surely too good to stick by his beloved club through this relegation.