Sport
Preview
Ticketmaster’s Premier League 25/26 season preview
It's felt like an eternity but the best football league in the world is back – here's what to expect
The new Premier League season is upon us. Are you locked in? Nothing brings the band back together like the football, be it down the pub, at home or in the grounds. We really can’t wait for the goals to start flying, and for the VAR checks to complete, so here’s how we expect the 2025-2026 Premiere League season to line up.
The Contenders
Liverpool
Arne Slot’s Liverpool are rightfully the bookmakers’ favourites to secure the league title for a record 21st time. The Dutch manager somehow managed to adopt Jurgen Klopp’s team, make no meaningful summer signings, yet still enact a more deliberate build-up style and guide the club to domestic success where Klopp’s men had faltered the year previously.
The Reds have also been incredibly aggressive in the transfer market, signing playmaker Florian Wirtz, fullback Jeremy Frimpong, forward Hugo Ekitike, and left-side man Milos Kerkez. Outgoings include the likes of Trent Alexander-Arnold, Darwin Nunez, and Luis Diaz.
It remains to be seen what kind of impact the tragic passing of Diogo Jota has on the team, on and off the pitch. It’s also unclear how long it will take for Liverpool to adjust to losing Alexander-Arnold’s source of creation from deep, pivoting instead to a classic central build up model; the signs in pre-season suggest it will take a while yet. Sixteen-year-old Rio Ngumoha also looks incredibly promising.
Man City
Pep Guardiola’s Sky Blues were far off it last term, losing nine times before finishing third. City’s dramatic crash out in part explains how Slot was able to win the league at a canter (the other part of that equation, of course, being Arsenal’s crash out).
City’s fall off was inevitable at some point, given the relentless year-on-year success under the most demanding of managers. The Etihad faithful will be hoping the arrival of Tijani Reijnders and Rayan Cherki in midfield, along with Rayan Aït-Nouri at full back, will help turn the tide following a number of uncharacteristic flop signings from the state-owned club. The likes of Kevin De Bruyne (Napoli) and £100m man Jack Grealish (Everton loan) make way.
Perennial nearly men Arsenal dust themselves off after a mixed season last campaign in which they ultimately finished second for the third successive season. They were never in the race last term, and Mikel Arteta’s goon squad ultimately unravelled due to an injury to central defensive stalwart William Saliba and mental fragility. Despite impressive reinforcements this off-season, including a much vaunted striker, it’s hard to shake the sense that the Gunners may miss out on the top prize once more.
Among the incomings are forward Viktor Gyokores from Sporting Lisbon, pass master centre-mid Martin Zubimendi, wing-man Noni Madueke from Nottingham Forest, and Christian Norgaard from Brentford, to support No.10 Martin Ødegaard.
The Underdogs
Leeds
You can take your pick as to which, if any, of the promoted sides will stay up this season. Sunderland have made the most flashy, expensive outlay this summer (Granit Xhaka!), but they also have the most ground to make up after spending eight seasons outside the Premier League. Daniel Farke has been here before with the likes of Norwich, where he didn’t make much of an impression – but at the helm of a galvanised Leeds, with some decent new signings and a perennially electric Elland Road homegrown, perhaps this time he can make it stick. Wolves, West Ham and Brentford looking potentially catchable this season, too.
Man United
The Red Devils have been so bad for so long (they finished 16th last season) that it is trite at this point to hype them up in expectation of some big rejuvenation. And yet, Rubin Amorim’s board has backed the manager this transfer market, adding exciting attacking depth in Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbuemo and Benjamin Šeško. Additions are needed further back, but Amorim will make hay with the extra training ground time due to zero European football. Expect them to finish in the top 8.
Brighton
The Seagulls have proven themselves to be so adept at replenishing their squad with worthy additions year on year, and there is little reason to see this season being any different at the Amex. Brighton manager Fabian Hürzeler seemed to be quite the character last season; he should have the nous to deal with potentially losing Carlos Baleba to Man United for over £100m.
Promising Transfers
João Palhinha
The 30-year-old Portuguese was the best holding midfielder in the league at Fulham. Although his stats dropped off a cliff at Bayern last season, that seems entirely due to Thomas Tuchel’s sacking, and Vincent Kompany’s uber-possession style of play. Thomas Frank’s Spurs won’t play like Kompany’s Bayern, and so expect to see pre-2024 Palhinha gracing the pitch of the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on loan, transforming The Lilywhites in the process.
João Pedro
The new Chelsea front man already looks to be the real deal, and an immediate upgrade on poor old Nicolas Jackson, himself a victim of Chelsea’s slapdash hiring policy. Pedro scored three in three matches in the FIFA Club World Cup, and will be supported by Liam Delap.
Fabian Wirtz
Liverpool’s new £100m+ creator is such a good player that it’s hard to see how he can’t light up the league. It remains to be seen how exactly Slot will construct his midfield; Wirtz is so technically superior that he could seemingly slot in anywhere. Reds fans will be hoping it won’t be another, even more expensive Thiago situation.
Rayan Cherki
With the departure of Jack Grealish on loan to Everton for the season, new signing Raya Cherki from Lyon has been handed the prestigious number 10 shirt, so all eyes will be on him. If his time in France is anything to go by, 21-year-old Frenchman should be skilful enough in all departments to satisfy – expect to see him pop up in his own regular highlight reel.
Viktor Gyökeres
The Swede is probably the most hotly anticipated addition to the league, for the simple fact that Arsenal have been crying out for a prolific striker for the past three seasons, and Gyökeres may or may be that man. The former Coventry City player scored 97 goals and provided 28 assists in two seasons with Sporting Lisbon, though the level of competition is lower. Consider how Darwin Nunes scored 26 goals in 28 league games the season before be joined Liverpool. In any case, Gyökeres has an eye for the spectacular, and appears to have predatory instincts, something Arsenal have severely lacked at times.
