Almost six months ago I wrote about my predictions on 10 future Premier League teams which you can check out Part 1 and Part 2 here.
Today I decided to analyse three of those clubs that have never played in the English top division to see if they're getting closer to their goal. I spoke about these teams a couple months back in a 3speak video as teams I predict will have a future in the Premier League.
Plymouth Argyle FC
Argyle are in good form in Sky Bet League One and are currently in fifth place in a playoff spot and have an excellent opportunity to gain promotion to the Championship and one step away from the Premier League. They had a fantastic start to the season, so much so, that manager Ryan Lowe was appointed manager at Preston North End and the club replaced him with assistant manager Steven Schumacher.
The south-west English city is one of the largest cities to have never hosted a Premier League side. Plymouth Argyle, founded in 1886, haven't even played in the top flight of football in it's entire history. Plymouth have a fantastic support base and when they were in the basement of the football league they still drew crowds of 10,000+.
Plymouth are likely heading for a playoff spot for promotion to the Championship
Source: Photo by Roger Cornfoot
Rotherham United
The South Yorkshire club are gunning it for promotion and at the end of 2021 had a 21-game unbeaten run broken, the best in their almost 97-year history. It was a run that helped propel them into first place and they remain top of the league. Wigan however are hot on their tails with two games in hand. With 8 games remaining it looks highly likely that Rotherham will gain automatic promotion to the Championship with a top two finish.
The metro area of Rotherham is about the size of Wolverhampton and they have the astonishing record of never having been relegated out of the Football League since its founding. But they haven't played top flight either. If they gain what's likely a promotion this year, they'll be one level away from a Premier League dream.
Yorkshire derbies with Sheffield and Leeds would be appealing in the Premier League, and they have good rivalries with South Yorkshire neighbours Barnsley and Doncaster.
Rotherham United are almost certain to gain promotion to the Championship with their current form
Source: Photo by Chris
AFC Wimbledon
Wimbledon AFC played their first game at their brand new stadium, Plough Lane, in 2020 and it's about 200 yards from the original Plough Lane of Wimbledon FC. It's a 9,000 capacity stadium with expansion possible to 20,000 seats. Like Plymouth and Rotherham, AFC Wimbledon own their stadium which is a phenomenal effort considering the club started from scratch in 2002. The stadium situation for all three clubs is why I see them all having a potential future in the EPL.
Unfortunately Wimbledon's form isn't like Rotherham and Plymouth's and they're in danger of dropping to League Two. They're only one point away from the relegation zone and sit in 20th place, but a far superior goal difference could help them in the closing stages of the season.
It would be a dream for many to see the phoenix club of Wimbledon FC gain promotion to the Premier League. The Original Wimbledon FC enjoyed a spell in the top flight however AFC Wimbledon is a completely new entity after the original Wimbledon FC relocated to Milton Keynes in controversial circumstances.
AFC Wimbledon earned five promotions in nine years to earn their way back into the Football League but they're in trouble this year
Source: Photo by Jodie25
So there you have it guys. Plymouth Argyle and Rotherham United both have excellent chances of promotion to the English Championship and AFC Wimbledon are in a battle for survival. I'll be keeping a track of all three teams to watch out for which will make the Premier League in the future.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!
Wolfgang Sport started in 2017 as a way to connect my passion for American and British sports. Today it's evolved into a blockchain sports blog pushing the boundaries into the crypto world and embracing Web3 technologies.