Premier League 2025-26: Analysis and Predictions for the 20 Teams

The Premier League is back! Although it seems like the previous season ended yesterday, the ball is already rolling again. With the start of the 2025-26 season, the excitement and anticipation are at their highest. The defending champion, Liverpool, will host Bournemouth at Anfield this Friday, marking the kickoff. Despite a preseason that seemed brief, the changes have been significant. Liverpool, Arsenal, and Manchester City have made significant investments, anticipating a fierce fight for the title. Chelsea, true to its style, has also strengthened its squad. Tottenham has a new coach and seeks to fill the void left by Son Heung-Min’s departure. Newcastle faces challenges with its star striker, while Manchester United continues to spend with a somewhat unclear vision of the value of players and team building. Here’s a detailed analysis of each team, with predictions and key summer moves.

Contents

1. Liverpool 2. Arsenal 3. Manchester City 4. Chelsea 5. Brighton & Hove Albion 6. Newcastle United

1. Liverpool

Previous season position: 1st

Key Highlights:

Florian Wirtz (Bayer Leverkusen, €125 million)
Hugo Ekitike (Eintracht Frankfurt, €80 million)
Milos Kerkez (Bournemouth, €46.9 million)
Jeremie Frimpong (Bayer Leverkusen, €40 million)

Key injuries:

Luis Díaz (Bayern Munich, €70 million)
Darwin Núñez (Al-Hilal, €53 million)
Jarell Quansah (Bayer Leverkusen, €35 million)
Caoimhín Kelleher (Brentford, €14.8 million)
Trent Alexander-Arnold (Real Madrid, €10 million)

Key Statistic:

Liverpool improved their shooting quality and reduced defensive errors, which allowed them to surprisingly win the title. The big question is whether the offensive reconstruction will affect the team’s balance. Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk renewed their contracts, more than €200 million was invested in young attackers (Wirtz and Ekitike), and replacements were signed for the aging full-backs and right-back. Alexander Isak is also being sought. Salah led the Premier League in goals (29) and assists (18). With the departures of Díaz and Núñez, and the tragic loss of Diogo Jota, he will have a different supporting team. Will this new offensive talent take the spotlight away from Salah? Will Frimpong’s presence put more pressure on the defense? If Liverpool doesn’t meet expectations in the 2025-26 season, defensive failures could be the cause. However, the possible signings of Marc Guéhi and Giovanni Leoni demonstrate that the club is trying to strengthen that area. With the talent they possess, Liverpool starts the season at the top.

2. Arsenal

Previous season position: 2nd

Key Highs:

Martín Zubimendi (Real Sociedad, €70 million)
Viktor Gyökeres (Sporting Lisbon, €65.8 million)
Noni Madueke (Chelsea, €56 million)
Cristhian Mosquera (Valencia, €15 million)
Christian Norgaard (Brentford, €11.6 million)
Kepa Arrizabalaga (Chelsea, €5.8 million)

Key Downs:

Thomas Partey (Villarreal, free)
Kieran Tierney (Celtic, free)
Jorginho (Flamengo, free)
Takehiro Tomiyasu (end of contract)

Premier League 2025-26: Analysis and Predictions for the 20 Teams

Legend: Will Arsenal be able to end 22 years without winning the title?

Key Statistic:

Arsenal has eight players valued at at least €60 million in their squad. The key is for their best players to play more minutes in the 2025-26 season.Key question: Can Arsenal generate enough quality chances to win the league? Arsenal had the best defense in the league, but needs to improve its ability to create high-quality goalscoring opportunities to aim for the title. Arsenal need a more consistent attack to aim for the title.

3. Manchester City

Previous season position: 3rd

Key Highs:

Tijjani Reijnders (AC Milan, €55.0 million)
Rayan Aït-Nouri (Wolves, €36.8 million)
Rayan Cherki (Olympique Lyon, €36.5 million)
James Trafford (Burnley, €31.2 million)
Sverre Nypan (Rosenborg, €15.0 million)

Key injuries:

Yan Couto (Bor. Dortmund, €20.0 million)
Máximo Perrone (Como, €13.0 million)
Kevin De Bruyne (Napoli, free)
Kyle Walker (Burnley, free)
Jack Grealish (Everton, loan)

Legend: Laurens: Donnarumma is not a Pep Guardiola player.

Key Statistic:

In the last three seasons, Manchester City has had an expected goal difference of 0.85 goals per 90 minutes better when Rodri is on the field.Key question: What about the defense? The City allowed more shots and touches inside their penalty area, which suggests defensive problems, especially without Rodri and with aging midfielders. If Rodri doesn’t return fully healthy or Guardiola doesn’t find a tactical solution, the defensive transition will be a problem.

4. Chelsea

Previous season position: 4th

Key Highs:

João Pedro (Brighton, €63.7m)
Jamie Gittens (Borussia Dortmund, €56m)
Jorrel Hato (Ajax, €44.2m)
Liam Delap (Ipswich, €35.5m)
Estêvão (Palmeiras, €34m)
Dário Essugo (Sporting CP, €22.3m)

Key Downs:

Noni Madueke (Arsenal, €56m)
João Félix (Al-Nassr, €30m)
Djordje Petrovic (Bournemouth, €28.9m)
Lesley Ugochukwu (Burnley, €28.7m)
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall (Everton, €28.7m)
Armando Broja (Burnley, €23m)
Mathis Amougou (Strasbourg, €14.5m)
Bashir Humphreys (Burnley, €14m)
Kepa Arrizabalaga (Arsenal, €5.8m)

Legend: Could United regret letting Garnacho join Chelsea?

Key Statistic:

In the last seven seasons, the Premier League champion has averaged 2.6 significant signings. Chelsea has had eight this summer.Key question: When will the template be ready? Chelsea won the Conference League and the Club World Cup last season. Cole Palmer had 18 goals and 13 assists, and Moisés Caicedo began to meet expectations. However, the constant rotation of the squad raises doubts about stability and the possibility of a successful campaign.

5. Brighton & Hove Albion

Previous season position: 8th

Key Highlights:

Charalampos Kostoulas (Olympiacos, €35.0 million)
Maxim De Cuyper (Club Brugge, €20.0 million)
Tom Watson (Sunderland, €12.0 million)
Diego Coppola (Hellas Verona, €11.0 million)
Do-young Yoon (Daejeon Hana C., €2.0 million)
Olivier Boscagli (PSV Eindhoven, free)

Key Downs:

João Pedro (Chelsea, €63.7 million)
Simon Adingra (Sunderland, €24.4 million)
Pervis Estupiñán (AC Milan, €17.0 million)
Valentín Barco (R. Strasbourg, €10.0 million)
Evan Ferguson (AS Roma, €3.0 million loan)
Kjell Scherpen (Union SG, €2.0 million)
Odeluga Offiah (Preston, €1.6 million)

Legend: Does a big transfer for Carlos Baleba to Man United make sense?

Key Statistic:

Last season, eight players aged 22 or under played at least 1,000 minutes for Brighton. Coach Fabian Hurzeler is the youngest in the league, at 32 years old.

Key question: Who will stand out?

With such a young team, there is potential for many players to improve. However, Brighton needs someone to step up to aim for a higher position in the table. If a young attacker like Yankuba Minteh or Georginio Rutter performs well, possession in the final third could translate into more goals.