A new Premier League season begins this weekend and one of the major talking points over the past few weeks has been whether a side can break into the top-six of the league.
Wolves, having secured a spot in Europa League qualifying last term, have been productive in the transfer market to bolster their ranks this summer, putting them in a strong position for the new campaign.
The same is also the case for Leicester City and Everton, two sides who have enjoyed European campaigns previously, while West Ham are also considered to be a member of the chasing pack.
The last time Newcastle United challenged at the top end of the table was back in the 2011-12 season, when Alan Pardew's side stormed to a fifth-place finish.
And while the signings of Joelinton and Allan Saint-Maximin has lifted the mood on Tyneside slightly after another summer of upheaval, few fans are expecting a repeat of that campaign seven years ago.
However, data gathered by BettingExpert suggests that aspiring to reach the top-six this season could prove to be an impossible task - as the established ‘big six’ are more comfortable than ever.
Last year marked the first time where the top-six has remained unchanged for two consecutive campaigns, with the points gap between the sides finished in sixth and seventh growing.
The average points difference between those places since the 1992/93 season is 3.8 but over the last three seasons this has shot up to 8.6, which suggests the leading pack are pulling further away than ever.
While this could all change over the course of next season, it does show that the benchmark has been set extremely high and that objectives for the campaign may need to be reassessed.
