Back in 2015-16, few could have predicted that the Premier League title would end up in the hands of Leicester City.
A remarkable campaign did, however, deliver the most unexpected of triumphs for the Foxes – with the fabled ‘big six’ in English football being humbled in the most dramatic of fashions.
With that success etched into the record books, Leicester can claim to have savoured domestic supremacy since Manchester United, Arsenal and Tottenham last got their hands on the top-flight crown.
Silverware
Those looking to bet online a decade ago were able to get the Foxes at 5,000-1 to finish in first place – with the out-of-sorts Red Devils from Old Trafford only 500-1 to land the same piece of silverware this season, despite slipping a long way off the pace
Another fairytale could, however, be written in 2025.
Nottingham Forest are treading a similar path to their East Midlands neighbours. With the services of a bet calculator on hand, you can price up how likely they are to finish in the top two, four or six – securing European qualification in the process.
Nobody outside the City Ground was tipping them to dust off passports before a ball was kicked in 2024-25, but more odds are being upset in spectacular style.
Perennial challengers Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester City are all there or thereabouts, so getting over the line ahead of them will be no easy task.
With that in mind, those on the banks of the River Trent are not allowing themselves to get carried away just yet.
Portuguese coach Nuno Espírito Santo has said of continuing to ignore the league table: “Maybe the end of the season I’ll take a look. We are trying to build something nice together. We have to enjoy the journey, nothing else matters. The table doesn’t matter. We just keep on going.”
He could be forgiven for shooting the odd glance at the Premier League standings, with Forest scaling heights that have not been witnessed in three decades.
Their success, which is being achieved while surrendering plenty of possession to opponents, is becoming increasingly difficult to explain.
They are, however, flying high on merit and have no intention of crashing back down to earth.
History dictates that they should be allowed to dream big, with anything seemingly possible – even in a sporting arena that tends to be dominated by those with the deepest pockets.
Trend
They did, however, boast a big-spending owner before billionaire moguls became all the rage and finished fourth and second respectively in the two seasons immediately prior to reaching the summit.
Theirs was not a tale of success against all odds, of ‘doing a Leicester’ before the Foxes had even done it themselves.
Lightening has, however, struck once in the Premier League era – a proverbial flash in the pan – and who is to say that it cannot happen agaiain
