Former Aston Villa forward Gabby Agbonlahor has issued a stark warning to several Premier League sides battling near the bottom, insisting that this season’s promoted clubs — Leeds United, Burnley, and Sunderland — are no easy targets for survival.

Leeds suffered one of their poorest results of the season on Saturday, losing 2-0 at Burnley after goals from Lesley Ugochukwu and Loum Tchaouna. That win saw the Clarets climb to 17th, having also beaten Sunderland earlier in the campaign by the same scoreline.

Despite setbacks, all three promoted teams remain outside the relegation zone — Leeds sit 15th, Burnley 17th, and Sunderland impressively in seventh. Each has already taken points off more established top-flight sides, with victories over Everton, Brentford, Wolves, and Nottingham Forest highlighting their competitiveness.

Forest, Wolves, and West Ham currently occupy the bottom three spots, though the Hammers could climb out with a big win over Brentford. Even so, Agbonlahor believes those clubs are in serious danger.

“Burnley showed real fight against Leeds,” Agbonlahor told talkSPORT. “They didn’t care about possession — they just worked harder. That’s a problem for the struggling teams. This season isn’t like before, where promoted sides drop straight back down. Leeds, Burnley, and Sunderland will all back themselves to stay up. If you’re Forest, West Ham, or Wolves, you’d better watch out.”

Leeds out to defy the Premier League ‘curse’

Many predicted that the trio would struggle, given the record of recent promotions. The last six clubs to come up from the Championship were all relegated the following season, including Southampton, Leicester City, and Sheffield United.

Leeds boss Daniel Farke has repeatedly referred to that pattern as a “curse,” but this year’s newcomers appear determined to break it. With all three outside the drop zone, the pressure is instead piling up on underperforming sides like Forest, Wolves, and West Ham — all of whom have already changed managers this season.

Although defeat at Burnley was a setback, Leeds have a quick chance to respond when they face West Ham at Elland Road on Friday night. The Hammers first host Brentford this evening before travelling north for what could be another crucial fixture in the relegation fight.

Farke hopes to have more attacking options available for that clash, with Willy Gnonto and Noah Okafor both sidelined for the loss at Turf Moor. Dan James, who returned from an ankle injury, was only fit enough for a substitute appearance but could feature more prominently on Friday.