Premier League Returns: 2025/26 Predictions

***These predictions are Kunle's predictions for the 2025/26 Premier League season, not the On About Nothing's.

'We're tired?..' you get the idea by now. Football is back, like it never left, mostly because it didn't. No sooner did the Champions League final end than the People's Egalitarian Club World Cup begin, and the dust barely settled on that before domestic football returned.

So, here we are, once again, about to enjoy another top-flight season, and act like the workers in the sport are not being stretched beyond their limits, the fans are not being overcharged for it, the travel is not detrimental to the environment, and there's no absolutely no images being sanitised to sway us away from mass killings and engineered starvations.

While we wish for more disruptions to the machine of normality, and an end of to the 'Everything is Fine' notions we're trying to maintain, some thoughts on who'd finish where.

20. Burnley

Double-figure signings for the newly-promoted side, and unlike their last time in the here, it’s more Premier League experience than raw potential. But questions remain about the signings; such as would they be here if they weren’t past their peak (Kyle Walker, Martin Dubravka), or were good enough in their previous sides (Armando Broja, Lesley Ugochukwu). But perhaps the biggest ‘?’ is their manager, whose record in the league is one full-season that resulted in relegation, one ¼ of a season that was already doomed, and one tiny part of a season in which he’d pretty much conceded his team’s fate before being sacked (then they stayed up). Throw in the ever-growing chasm between the newbies and the rest of the Premier League, and Burnley are in for a long season.

19. Brentford

A bold call? Perhaps. But Brentford have lost a significant part of their spine, with skipper Cristian Norgaard having left for Arsenal, goalkeeper Mark Flekken also departing, top scorer Bryan Mbeumo doing the same, and his co-conspirator in goals, Yoann Wissa, might leave too; even if former Liverpool duo Caiomhin Kelleher (goalkeeper) and Jordan Henderson (centre-midfield) might be sufficient replacement to plug some of the missing holes. The biggest loss, however, has to be manager Thomas Frank being poached by Spurs, and the uncertainty over his replacement, former set-piece coach Keith Andrews. Brentford’s data-driven policy should mean they’d have prepared for a potential managerial departure, and looked at the bigger picture, but there’s too much key personnel missing for their season to start without doubt. With Mbeumo (and potentially) Wissa out of the picture, they need to replace those goals; players like Fabio Carvalho and Igor Thiago can’t have the same seasons they had last term.

18. Leeds United

Leeds’ summer recruitment looks a touch promising; in the likes of Sean Longstaff, Anton Stach, and Sebastiaan Bornauw, they have players who either possess relative Premier League know-how or look ready to make the step up in such a league, and Lucas Perri should be a more assured presence in goal than (at least last season’s version of) Ilhan Meslier. But there are still too many ‘yeah buts’. Leeds had the best defence in the Championship last season, but never really looked like the best at defending; they surpassed 90 points and won the league, but had a wobble between February and March that could easily have torpedoed their campaign. Then there’s a manager with a not-so flattering record in the Premier League in Daniel Farke. Plus, the question of if they’ll stick or twist in the top-flight. Leeds were the Championship’s top scorers by a distance, but the goals won’t flow so much in the Premier League, due to the quality they face. There are good signs, but it’s hard to ignore how much of Leeds' second-division successes have simply been because they had a better squad than most. They won’t have that same luxury in 2025/26.

17. Wolves

There’s no denying the job Vitor Pereira did with keeping Wolves up last season, especially in relation to their start to the season (even though the performances of the Bottom Three made going down a task in itself). But it’s also key to note how Wolves only won successive league games in Pereira’s first games in charge and the admittedly impressive run of six on the bounce between March and April. And three of those six wins came against the relegated trio, and other three were against the teams in 14^th, 15^th, and 17^th place; and asides from that run and the New Manager Bounce phase, they won two in 14. The bigger question is the replacement for Matheus Cunha – who they did start to phase off last season – the scorer of nearly one-third of their league goals, as well as how they cope with the loss of Rayan Ait-Nouri.

16. West Ham

Simply put; last season was bad for West Ham. And there haven’t exactly been many signs to indicate that things would be better this term. Departed Mohammed Kudus may have had an underwhelming second season in East London, but he was still their joint-third top scorer, and his departure doesn’t ease the goalscoring burden on Jarrod Bowen (even if the arrival of Callum Wilson might). It looks like West Ham’s season would go one of two ways: there’s patience with Graham Potter, and his plan slowly starts to take shape, even it’s not for this season; or Potter is shown to have made another poor choice of job, leaves in autumn, and someone steadies the ship towards shore…just about.

15. Sunderland

Bold, yes. The last time Sunderland were in the Premier League, and made statement signings, his name was Didier N’dong. It didn’t work out, and they would pay for it with successive relegations. It looks different this time, as the Black Cats are blending a mix of young talented names (to join the ranks of young talented names) with experienced heads; think Marc Guiu meets Granit Xhaka, and Habib Diarra alongside Arthur Masuaku. Combine those leaders in the squad with a manager with a track record of coaching youthful exuberance, Sunderland can probably be expected to ride out the tough moments when they come. There’s reason to be optimistic.

14. Nottingham Forest

Mostly gut than anything else. Perhaps it’s the noise surrounding Evangelos Marinakis, or the fact that last season’s achievements are unlikely to be replicated, especially with European commitments. Perhaps it’s because they only won two of their final eight games last season, and dropped from third to seventh with a bit of a whimper, or their minimal transfer activity, and a wretched pre-season. Many (including this predictor) called worse last season and were proven wrong. Perhaps that would be the case again.

13. Fulham

Minimal transfer window activity. A manager who’s adept at translating his ideas to his squad, and – despite setting a club record for points in the league – a team that can just about punch above their weight without doing too much, and just about underwhelm without disappointing. Fulham may be the only real mid-table side left in the league.

12. Bournemouth

They’ve kept Andoni Iraola (in fact, the will-he-leave whispers didn’t get to mid-June) which is good, but virtually the entire core of last season’s defensive line is gone. Replacements are solely needed, and bedding them in might mean a slow start. But Bournemouth should be fine.

11. Brighton

It’s almost surprising to think that Brighton finished 8^th last season, given how the mood regarding the club was sometimes (if not necessarily around it). Perhaps the problem was the tendency to go on spells without success (eight games without a win between late November and January; three defeats in a winless five in spring). Perhaps it’s a good thing that a bit of the glamour and romance around Brighton has died down; means they’re becoming an established Premier League side. Expect more of the same.

10. Crystal Palace

10^th-place will probably do alongside Palace consoling themselves for being demoted to the UEFA Conference League by inevitably winning it. The good times are very much residing at Selhurst Park right now, and while the rumours with Eberechi Eze won’t go away just yet, at the moment, Palace haven’t lost any key figures in the squad, have a manager that would be the envy of some of Europe’s tops clubs, and everyone at the club seems to be pulling in the same direction. Europa League snag aside, the Eagles are fine.

9. Manchester United

Is this an understating of Manchester United’s current abilities? An overstating? Or par for the course? We seem to have reached the ‘uncertainty’ phase of the post-Fergie United era (Paul Merson, here's your new bag of revels). The attacking signings are needed, given their record last season, and are quite exciting, but it’s typical Man United for those to overshadow underlying (read: glaring) flaws; the wing-back positions are as thoroughly inadequate as the midfield is insufficient. There’s too much left unknown at Old Trafford. They could go on to have the best attack in the league next term. They could have a ton of high-scoring games and finish 10^th. Ruben Amorim could walk in October, or be sacked in November. Right now, we know too much of what United are not, and little of what they are.

8. Everton

Perhaps the boldest of the predictions here. But it looks like something good is coming at Everton. Eight wins out of the 18 league games following the return of David Moyes isn’t exactly mouth-watering, and neither was the run of five draws in a winless six-game run from February to April. But the results didn’t always highlight the progress being made under the Scot. Then there’s the summer window, in which you could say Everton have had the best in the league, especially creative reinforcements. There was less optimism when Moyes did what he did with West Ham in 2020/21. Similar here wouldn’t be the biggest surprise.

7. Tottenham

Had them even higher until recent weeks, which might seem absurd given they were literally the next name on the table right after the relegated teams. But there are no philosophical or analytical insights to note that Spurs’ squad are better than 17^th. In new manager Thomas Frank, expect the ‘P-word’ to be used for most of the season. The big problem is still the relative lack of depth in the squad, especially in full-back positions, in addition to the injury to James Maddison, which leaves them short in the final third.

6. Newcastle

Remember the early part of the summer of 2022, when players kept saying no to Chelsea, before The Blues splurged late in the window, sacked their manager, then sacked their manager again before finishing in the bottom half? Newcastle are in Phase 1 of that. But nobody expects such a similar downturn in fortune, even if many targets have said they’d rather be elsewhere, and their star man Alex Isak looks like he won’t be playing for the club anymore. The bigger problem, however is that this is a relatively small squad, who – while good enough to finish above the rest of the league – found it hard to cope with the demands of European football and league football and the demands of their high intensity game two seasons ago. You get the sense that Newcastle surely won’t be this way when the window shuts (Malick Thiaw has been confirmed as a signing), but they best get a move on fast.

5. Aston Villa

Speaking of no-cause-for-alarm-but-should-act-fast…

Villa are probably still feeling a bit tinged by the manner in which they missed out on Champions League football last season. What should also be a factor is how much of their season hit a reef towards the end of the season – in the space of a week they narrowly lost in the Champions League quarter-final to eventual winners, lost to Crystal Palace in the FA Cup semi-final, and conceded a late winner to Manchester City in the league, which played a part in harming their Top Five chances. But despite the expectations from some, Villa haven’t exactly hit a level of diminishing returns under Unai Emery. A key part of last season’s sustenance (until the final act, that is) was the signings they made in the winter transfer, and the fact some of those key assets were loanees means there are holes to plug in the squad, both for quality and depth. But this is still a well-marshalled side with an astute manager, with more stability to boast of than most.

4. Chelsea

Very much the whisper-it-quietly side many are looking at for a tilt at the title. Chelsea followed up winning the Conference League and securing a Top Four spot last term by winning the Gianni Infantino Not-Sportswashing Club World Cup in the off-season. The Club World Cup triumph – particularly the final win against PSG – made many sit up and wonder whether Chelsea could be close to the real deal in the Premier League again (they haven’t challenged for the title since they won it in 2017). But even the Club World Cup success still didn’t gloss over the flaw under Enzo Maresca, that Chelsea are better exploiting space than creating it, a key factor in them going from the whisper-it-quietly side many were looking at for a tilt at the title to fighting for a Champions League spot last season. Questions also remain about Chelsea’s goalkeeping options and their adequacy in challenging the elite sides. The Blues probably have some stability for the first time since Todd Boehly took over, and their signings are finally speaking more to squad augmentation than asset-flipping; but there are still very glaring kinks to be worked out.

3. Arsenal

Frankly, the Top Three could go any and every way. That’s perhaps how tight (and uncertain) it is. Plus, Arsenal have made some proper reinforcements in the summer, plugging significant areas (especially midfield). The arrival of Viktor Gyokeres in attack is almost certainly the headline, but it’s also whose glamour can take away the fact that perhaps the Gunners needed a centre-forward less than they thought. Noni Madueke joining in from Chelsea adds more options in the wide areas, and improvement from Ethan Nwaneri should add more, to an area where Mikel Arteta’s were probably most short-handed last term. There was a lot of flattering to deceive on the Arsenal front in 2024/25, and a tale of being in the title race without really being in the title race, and it was probably the first full season under Arteta that could be seen as a bit of let-down in expectations. Once again, the title is up for grabs. But once again, can they?

2. Liverpool

Obviously, the big talking point with Liverpool going into this season is the tragic news that came in July, and how the emotional effect will impact them as literal human beings, if nothing else.

On a mere footballing basis, there was the sense that Liverpool won the league without necessarily being at peak; which could mean we should expect a more Arne-Slot-esque Reds. They haven’t been shy in the transfer market, raiding the Bundesliga for full-back, creative, and goalscoring options. The question, though, is especially how Liverpool’s new use of full-backs leaves them when they lose the ball, as highlighted in the Community Shield loss to Crystal Palace. Still, this is a team that looks to have upgraded, especially in attack.

1. Manchester City

Again, the Top Three looks like it could go any and every way. By any standards, Manchester City were disappointing last season; by theirs, it was a borderline on-pitch catastrophe. At times, it nearly moved from schadenfreude to pity, especially when looked devoid of any will between late October and Christmas. Yet, they only finished 13 points behind top spot, and they were best team by sheer points total in 2025, despite playing a game less than Liverpool.

There are very much 2016/17 to 2017/18 vibes with City; a season where all their flaws where horribly exposed and the squad was as insufficient as it was ageing. The difference is the competition is at a more elite level than it was eight years ago, City still have a bit of a bloated squad (especially by Pep Guardiola’s metrics), and the right-back issue hasn’t been solved.

Yet, this is still a very strong squad – arguably the strongest squad in the league – whose refresh started in early 2025. Expect signings from 2024/25 (both summer and winter) to have bedded in a lot more, a fitter Rodri (though he’s out till September), and a significantly better midfield (among other things). It really could go any of three ways, but City still have that tendency to get to the wire first.