Norwich City, Watford and Bournemouth were all relegated from the Premier League this season. It could be argued that many of their players are already Championship quality, but there is no denying that their squads are packed with top-level talent.
At the end of every season, Premier League clubs use the summer transfer window as an opportunity to raid the relegated teams and sign their best players. Let’s take a look at which players are likely to be making a swift return to the top flight in the coming weeks.
Bournemouth finished the 2019/20 campaign with the third-worst defensive record in the division, although goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale isn’t to be blame for that. The young shot-stopper was immense between the sticks for the Cherries last term, so don’t be surprised if some of the country’s top clubs come calling.
Forwards Callum Wilson and Joshua King are also likely to be on a number of Premier League club’s radars. King was targeted by Manchester United during the winter transfer window, while Wilson is a proven goalscorer at both Premier League and international level.
Ryan Fraser is a free agent after leaving the club at the end of his contract, with a host of top-flight teams interested in the 26-year-old. Highly-rated winger David Brooks is also rumored to be attracting plenty of attention.
Keeping hold of Troy Deeney will perhaps be Watford’s biggest task in the coming weeks. The striker has finished as the Hornets’ top scorer in seven of the last nine seasons, although he has hinted that his ten-year stay at Vicarage Road could be about to end.
Wingers Ismaila Sarr and Gerard Deulofeu will surely be interesting plenty of bigger clubs, too. Sarr racked up an impressive five goals and six assists in his debut Premier League campaign, while Deulofeu – who has played for Barcelona, Everton, Sevilla, and AC Milan – clearly has bags of talent.
It would be surprising to see Abdoulaye Doucoure at Watford for much longer. Former Arsenal star Danny Welbeck also has heaps of top-flight experience, and even veteran goalkeeper Ben Foster could earn a move back to the big time after a proving that he’s still got what it takes.
Despite finishing 13 points adrift at the bottom of the table, Norwich's squad is packed with exciting young prospects. Left-back Jamal Lewis was the subject of a recent bid from Liverpool, while right-back Max Aarons has been linked with Tottenham for some time now.
22-year-old centre-back Ben Godfrey has proved that he is more than capable of playing in the Premier League, and it wouldn’t be a huge surprise if a top club took a chance on Teemu Pukki, even if the striker is arguably past his best.
However, Todd Cantwell, 22, and Emi Buendia, 23, are far from past their best. In fact, the creative midfielders are beginning to develop into top-quality players, so don’t be shocked if the duo end up back in the Premier League next season.