1 week Ago By James Copley
Sign up to our Sunderland AFC newsletter Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Sunderland Echo, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Gary Neville has warned that the Premier League is becoming harder and harder to break into — a reality that hits home for clubs like Sunderland, who are battling for promotion from the Championship this season. Speaking about the growing financial gap in English football , Neville said that while the promotion and relegation system is one of the country’s strengths, it's becoming increasingly tilted in favour of the same clubs.
Advertisement Advertisement “There's no doubt it's becoming more fixed, the Premier League. That's a fact, you know, if you think about it. Not necessarily the same three teams going up and down, but it's becoming more and more difficult,” Neville said on Sky Sports.
“The same five or six teams going up and down. It's becoming more difficult for teams to become permanent, if you like, or semi-permanent in the Premier League. There are some clubs who've done it successfully, but you always get the feeling that there are certain clubs at the start of the season who've got a chance of going down and some have no chance of going down.
“And I think that's becoming more fixed as a position and that's something definitely to be concerned about because one thing that we always talk about with the Premier League is the competitive nature of the entire league. And we can never lose that. The relegation and promotion is something that over in this country we sort of cherish.
“Anybody can come from sort of step six, seven, eight in the pyramid all the way through to the Premier League. You know, Luton, I think, have gone from sort of National League, didn’t they, up to the Premier League in the last few years. That’s a great story.
Advertisement Advertisement “But it’s becoming more of an exception as the years go by. So it’s something we need to keep an eye on. And the disparity between the finances of the Premier League and Championship are there for all to see.
The pyramid, so the parachute payments, put real pressure on clubs in the Championship to have to try and compete. So, yeah, big challenges. And I think that there is something needed, but I don’t think that’s for today.
The Echo has launched a new WhatsApp SAFC Channel to bring the latest news, analysis and team & injury updates directly to your phone. Simply click this link to join our SAFC WhatsApp channel. “I think that the authorities, there’s a regulator coming in, there are negotiations ongoing between the Premier League and the EFL.
Hopefully, they do become concluded at some point in the future because I’d like to see it just balance out a little bit more than it currently is.” Sunderland are one of many clubs feeling that pressure. After rebuilding through League One, they’re now fighting for a return to the Premier League — but doing so against teams with far bigger budgets and parachute payments from recent relegations.
Advertisement Advertisement The club’s strategy has focused on youth and sustainability rather than spending big. It’s a model that could bring long-term success — but Neville’s comments underline just how tough the road back really is for clubs trying to rise without financial safety nets. Your next Sunderland read: 79 fantastic photos of Sunderland fans as 40,031 watch Easter Monday clash against Blackburn Rovers - gallery.
