As the 22/23 Premier League season came to an end, players went their separate ways, some with laughter and some with tears. In a fierce relegation battle, Ewarton managed to stay up, while Lister City and Leeds United were relegated to the Championship alongside Southampton. Lister City had won the Premier League title in 2016 with a fantastic victory, but just seven years later, it was a crash landing from the peak to the trough, with the relegated team reportedly facing an immediate loss of at least 60 million pounds (about HK$580 million), and with key players opting to jump ship and facing a fate of being carved up by the giants.
Despite Lister City's victory over Westham in the final round of matches, the result was not enough to help them overtake Ewarton who also won. After the game, leader Dean Smith said, "We are all very disappointed, I set a target of 11 points when I came in but ended up with only 9 points, so I have failed. However, the players have got their confidence back." Leicester City were last relegated in 2004 and it took four years to get back into the Premier League after that.
Lister City were promoted to the Premier League in 2014 and won the title with a fairytale victory in their second season after promotion. Back then, they signed strong players such as Nicolou Jandy, Marius and Jimmy Wardy at a low price, laying the foundation for the team's rise to the top. However, with the sudden death of class owner Vichai and the team's management problems, it led to financial difficulties and eventually had to accept the fate of relegation seven years after winning the title.
There is a huge difference in revenue between the English Premier League and the English Championship. According to the British sports economist Dan Plumley analysis, even if the Premier League has a "parachute plan" to protect the relegated team to avoid bankruptcy, but relegation in the Premier League will lead to at least 60 million pounds of losses, including television broadcasting revenue, bonuses, advertising, souvenirs and ticket revenue. Among them, there is a 10-fold difference in advertising costs between the Premier League and the Championship.
In fact, Lister City, Leeds United and Southampton have a number of outstanding stars in their lineups. After relegation, all three teams will reportedly sell their star players to ease their burden. Leicester United plans to sell Bamford, Bampton Allinson, Tena Adams and Werfeltkan Lotto, which is expected to raise 100 million pounds (about 967 million Hong Kong dollars), while Southampton also has players such as Woeteps, Romeo Olavia, and Bernard Kojoop who may be poached by the giants, and veteran Woeteps has announced that he will be leaving the team.
