Premier League Top Six Odds: Can West Ham repeat last season's success at 6/1?
In three weeks’ time the Premier League 2021/2022 will commence with Arsenal and Brentford getting us up and running on Friday 13 August. Bookmakers have started to release their prices surrounding the various outright markets and we’ve decided to take a look at the Premier League Top-Six odds.
First up here’s a reminder of how the table finished last season
| League Pos | Team | P | W | D | L | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Man City | 38 | 27 | 5 | 6 | 86 |
| 2. | Man Utd | 38 | 21 | 11 | 6 | 74 |
| 3. | Liverpool | 38 | 20 | 9 | 9 | 69 |
| 4. | Chelsea | 38 | 19 | 10 | 9 | 67 |
| 5. | Leicester | 38 | 20 | 6 | 12 | 66 |
| 6. | West Ham | 38 | 19 | 8 | 11 | 65 |
| 7. | Tottenham | 38 | 18 | 8 | 12 | 62 |
| 8. | Arsenal | 38 | 18 | 7 | 13 | 61 |
| 9. | Leeds | 38 | 18 | 5 | 15 | 59 |
| 10. | Everton | 38 | 17 | 8 | 13 | 59 |
| 11. | Aston Villa | 38 | 16 | 7 | 15 | 55 |
| 12. | Newcastle | 38 | 12 | 9 | 17 | 45 |
| 13. | Wolves | 38 | 12 | 9 | 17 | 45 |
| 14. | Crystal Palace | 38 | 12 | 8 | 18 | 44 |
| 15. | Southampton | 38 | 12 | 7 | 19 | 43 |
| 16. | Brighton | 38 | 9 | 14 | 15 | 41 |
| 17. | Burnley | 38 | 10 | 9 | 19 | 39 |
| 18. | Fulham | 38 | 5 | 13 | 20 | 28 |
| 19. | West Brom | 38 | 5 | 11 | 22 | 26 |
| 20. | Sheff Utd | 38 | 7 | 2 | 29 | 23 |
Manchester City - 1/50
With what Pep’s side have at their disposal it’s an outrageous thought to think that they would not finish in the top-six this season. At 1/50 with BetVictor, they are the shortest price of any team to do so, with Paddy Power even shorter at 1/200.
Chelsea - 1/16
The last time Chelsea failed to make the top-six was back in 2015/2016, but after looking strong under Thomas Tuchel and lifting last season’s Champions League trophy they can challenge City if they maintain those levels in this league campaign. 1/16 is on offer for a top-six finish.
Liverpool - 1/16
Jurgen Klopp’s Reds can also be backed at 1/16, which implies a 94% chance of a top-six finish. With the return of Virgil Van Dijk, Liverpool have the potential to be much tighter at the back after an injury riddled campaign last time out.
Manchester United - 1/12
Again BetVictor look to have the best price on offer, with 1/12 about a top-six finish for United. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will be looking to close the gap between their City rivals and the transfer of Jadon Sancho should bolster their chances.
Tottenham - 9/10
Spurs missed out on the top-six last season and come next in the betting at 9/10. The future of Harry Kane still looks uncertain, with the three-time top scorer odds-on to move to Manchester City, which could consequently see Spurs drift in this market.
Leicester City - 11/10
Brendan Rodgers masterminded a memorable FA Cup triumph for Leicester last season but the heartbreak of missing out on a top-four finish in the last week of the campaign, for the second time in a row will still hurt. 11/10 is on offer for The Foxes to make the top-six once again.
Arsenal - 11/8
The fact that Arsenal are odds-against for a top-six finish shows just how much the Gunners have declined in recent years, with bet365 offering 11/8. Mikel Arteta’s side have finished eighth in two consecutive seasons and their supporters will be demanding a better return in this campaign.
Everton 4/1
There’s a bit of a jump to the next team in the market with Everton being priced at 4/1 with various firms. The Toffees ranked 15th in terms of points taken at home last season and will need to improve that under Rafa Benitez in order to finish in the top-six.
Leeds - 9/2
Macelo Bielsa’s side have been nibbled at in this market after opening up at 11/2 with a couple of bookmakers. A ninth place finish in 2020/21 was an excellent achievement for a newly promoted club and it will be interesting to see if they can build on the foundations they built.
Aston Villa - 6/1
After battling relegation in 2019 Aston Villa exceeded many punters' expectations as they found themselves in the top-half of the table for the majority of last season. 6/1 can be backed for those in favour of a top-six finish although one would imagine a bigger price to be available should Jack Grealish leave the club before the end of the transfer window.
West Ham - 6/1
Unibet also go 6/1 about a top-six finish for West Ham. It was a monumental effort by the Hammers last season to achieve a sixth place finish and the reward of European football. David Moyes deserves and if the table was based on just home results last season, West Ham would have been second!
Brighton - 9/1
Graham Potter’s Brighton have the potential to improve on their 16th place last season if their expected goals (xG) data is anything to go by. The Seagulls ranked 5th in the expected points (xP) table from last term and need to find a way of converting the good chances that they create. A top-six finish looks a step too far though at 9/1, with a top-half finish a better prospect.
Wolves - 10/1
There’s plenty of question marks over how Wolves will perform this season without Nuno Espirito Santo. Bruno Lage now takes charge and will have the services of striker Raul Jimenez available after his long spell out through injury. Wolves finished seventh in both 2019 and 2020 and are 10/1 for a top-six finish this season.
Southampton - 16/1
We’re now getting into the big prices and Southampton can be backed for a top-six finish at 16/1 with BetVictor. The Saints slumbered to 15th place last season and need to improve on their total of just four away wins if they plan on making the top-half.
Burnley - 25/1
Sean Dyche is the longest serving manager in the Premier League and his Clarets side are 25/1 to make the top-six. Burnley have never finished in the top-six in the Premier League era, but have finished in the top-half in two of the last four campaigns.
Crystal Palace - 25/1
This will be the ninth consecutive season in the Premier League for Crystal Palace who have not finished in the top-six in a top flight season since 1991. Patrick Viera is the new manager at Selhurst Park replacing the legendary Roy Hodgson with 25/1 the price on offer in this market.
Newcastle - 28/1
2012 was the last time that Newcastle made the top-six in a season that saw Demba Ba finish as their league top scorer with 16 goals. That tally has not been beaten since for the Magpies in the Premier League and they can be backed at 28/1 to improve significantly and secure European football.
Brentford - 33/1
The shortest of the three newly promoted sides is Brentford at 33/1. The Bees had been knocking on the door to the Premier League for a few years before they secured their place in a play-off win against Swansea at Wembley.
Watford - 40/1
Watford bounced back from the Championship at the first time of asking and have managed to hold on to Ismaila Sarr which is vital for them. Josh King has been brought in to strengthen The Hornets attack and they are the biggest price of any team along with Norwich at 40/1.
Norwich - 40/1
The Canaries finished bottom of the table with just 21 points in their last season in the Premier League. That experience for some of the current squad should help, but there’s no denying that they face an uphill battle and even 50/1 looks a little short here in our opinion.
