New Premier League champions Chelsea are just third favourites for the 2017/18 title.
Sky Bet’s market for next season has the Blues at 7/2 (a Price Boost from 3/1), behind favourites Manchester City (9/4) and Manchester United (11/4).
Trader Ivor Davies explained the Manchester giants’ financial power is behind those odds, while Chelsea will also no longer have the advantage of no European football next term.
He said: “Both Manchester clubs will obviously throw a lot of money at it over the summer and they are priced according.
“Chelsea will be fighting on both domestic and European fronts so they will not have the luxury of playing their best team every week.”
Spurs, on course to finish runners-up this season and widely praised for their exciting brand of football, are 9/1 fourth favourites.
Davies added: “Tottenham might look big at 9/1 but they will be playing their home games at Wembley and if their form playing there in the Champions League this season is anything to go by it won’t be quite the fortress that White Hart Lane has become for them in the last couple of years, so they are opposed.”
Liverpool follow in the market at 11/1 with Arsenal 14/1 shots – their biggest pre-season price under Arsene Wenger, whose future remains unresolved.
Davies is not keen on the chances of Liverpool or Arsenal, both of whom are still battling to secure a top-four finish this season.
“Like Chelsea, Liverpool will be fighting in Europe next year, something they didn’t have to do this term, and the depth of quality in their squad is still lacking. They badly need to buy a top-quality centre-back as they concede far too many goals.
“Arsenal will probably struggle to attract top-quality players if they don’t make the Champions League and, of course, there is still the uncertainty about who will be managing them next season.”
It’s 80/1 bar the ‘Big Six’.
In the top-four finish betting for next season, five teams are odds-on, led by Man City at 1/6.
Chelsea and Manchester United are 2/7 shots with Tottenham (8/11) just ahead of their north London rivals Arsenal, who are 10/11.
Liverpool are a shade of odds-against at 11/10.
Posted at 2200 BST on 12/05/17.