Where AI thinks West Ham, Burnley and Wolves would finish in the Championship next season if relegated | OneFootball

AI chatbot ChatGPT has predicted where West Ham, Burnley, and Wolves would finish in the Championship next season should they be relegated

AI has predicted where it thinks each of West Ham, Burnley, and Wolverhampton Wanderers would finish in the EFL Championship next season should each of those three sides be relegated.

The three teams that were relegated from the Premier League last season, namely Ipswich Town, Leicester City, and Southampton, have all failed to meet the expectations that the usual parachute payment teams come with.

Ipswich have, for one reason or another, just not got up to speed yet as we approach the halfway stage in the league, whilst Leicester have been marred by their off-field financial issues, and Southampton are on their second head coach of the season following the dismissal of Will Still.

Despite this, with the league being so closely contested this year, with over half of the league fancying their chances at a play-off spot come May, the three aforementioned sides will be included in that bracket, and in Ipswich's case, harbour ambitions of a top-two finish.

Usually, the parachute payment sides are at too big an advantage to not challenge in the upper echelons of the league, but this season has bucked that trend somewhat.

Looking ahead to next season already, with Wolves looking almost certain to drop into the second tier next season, both Burnley and West Ham also find themselves in precarious positions in the midst of the Christmas period in the Premier League.

Based on that, Football League World has asked ChatGPT to predict where these three sides may finish in the Championship next season should their worst fears become a reality.

ChatGPT says: West Ham – 7th: A squad stronger than most of the league but inconsistent enough to narrowly miss the play-offs.

West Ham would automatically be one of, if not surely, the biggest clubs in the division in terms of fanbase, history, stadium, and almost everything in between should they be relegated.

The Hammers last spent a season in the second tier during the 2011/12 season, but were instantly promoted back to the top flight courtesy of Ricardo Vaz Te's heroics against Blackpool in the play-off final.

Having won the UEFA Europa Conference League as recently as 2023, their European glory night seems a million miles away now, having dismissed David Moyes for Julien Lopetegui in May 2024, and have since been through Graham Potter and now Nuno Espirito Santo.

The Portuguese head coach worked wonders during his stint with both Wolves and Nottingham Forest, and under him stand every chance of remaining in the league, but if they do face the drop, AI has them finishing outside the play-off places, in what would be a cataclysmic disaster for the side, especially financially.

ChatGPT says: Burnley – 2nd: Their recent Championship dominance and structural stability make them strong automatic promotion candidates.

Burnley faces a real risk of becoming England's new regular yo-yo club, as if the Clarets were to be relegated this season, it would be their third relegation since 2022.

Scott Parker worked wonders at Turf Moor last campaign, forming the best defensive record the Championship has ever seen by conceding just 16 goals across the entire season.

But with James Trafford, CJ Egan-Riley, and Josh Brownhill all leaving the club, each integral to their efforts last campaign, Burnley instantly faced an uphill battle in trying to stay in the division, and have already conceded over double the amount of goals they had conceded just last season.

Despite this, AI's prediction is kind to Burnley, and backs the Lancashire-based outfit to bounce back to the top-flight once more should they be relegated, having done so both times after they were last relegated.

It's unlikely Parker would remain in charge should Burnley face the drop, but AI backs them to find a boss that can lead them back to the promised land once more, just as Parker and Bayern Munich's Vincent Kompany did.

ChatGPT says: Wolves – 14th: Relegation exposes deeper issues, leading to a steady but unspectacular mid-table season.

Wolves are on course to become statistically the worst team in Premier League history, with zero wins in any of their opening 16 league games of the season, and look completely devoid of confidence.

The departures of Matheus Cunha, Rayan Ait-Nouri, and Nelson Semedo, all integral parts of their side last season, have had a damning effect on the squad and have simply not replaced them to a high enough degree.

Neither Ki-Jana Hoever nor Jackson Tchatchoua have replaced the output of Semedo, Hugo Bueno and David Moller Wolfe have not effectively replaced Ait-Nouri, whilst replacing Brazil international Cunha, who contributed to 21 direct goal involvements in the league last season, was always going to be a next to impossible task.

The last time The Old Gold were relegated from the Premier League, they were immediately relegated from the Championship to League One, and whilst AI doesn't predict their return to the second tier to go that poorly, a bottom-half finish is still a damning indictment.

Wolves face real turmoil on and off the pitch, and the arrival of Rob Edwards from Middlesbrough has done little to lift moods around Molineux.

Edwards joined his former club as head coach, knowing the real possibility of relegation, and it looks like he will be the man to lead them into the Championship next season, unless he can perform a miracle and keep them afloat this campaign.