Paddy Power has paid out on Fulham to be relegated from the English Premier League after just three games into the new season, becoming one of the earliest settlements in the operator’s history.

Fulham have endured one of the worst starts to a Premier League campaign, with Monday night’s 3-0 home defeat to Aston Villa making it three losses from three to the 2020/21 season conceding 10 goals in the process.  

As a result, the Flutter Entertainment-owned operator has settled on all single and multiple bets on Fulham getting relegated, its second-earliest relegation payout after settling on Stoke City to go down after one match in 2008/09, who ended up finishing 12th.

After its latest defeat, Fulham are now odds on to return straight back to the Championship at 1/4.

A Paddy Power spokesman said: “I feel sorry for Fulham and Scott Parker, but it looks like their race is already run – so we’re paying out on them getting relegated this season.”

Its not the first time a bookmaker has paid out early on bets made on the Premier League.

In 1998, Betfred co-owner Fred Done lost £500,000 ($642,392) by paying out early on Manchester United to win the title after being 12 points clear of eventual winners Arsenal. History then repeated itself in 2012 when Done again lost a similar amount by settling early on Man Utd to win the league, who were pipped by city rivals Manchester City on the last day of the season.