Premier League 2025/26: Can Arsenal, Chelsea, City Dethrone the Reds?

Summer is the cruelest season. The Club World Cup came and went. The Wimbledon and Tour de France only managed to scratch the itch, not eliminate it. And transfer rumors? Show me anyone who isn’t exhausted by Fabrizio Romano and I'll show you ten who are flat-out comatosed by his Here We Go.

Thankfully, the time of reckoning is at hand. Like fields of poppy after a pernicious winter, the real football is back. The Premier League opens this very Friday, August 12, and I'm here to tell you a little more about it.

Summer Winners & Losers

Perhaps less than how you end the season, it's still vitally important how you enter one. Just ask the fans of Newcastle United. Or better yet, watch any of their meltdown videos online.

Chelsea has to be the absolute undisputed winner of the summer break. Hardly a break for the Blues, Maresca's men fought valiantly and won the first-ever UEFA Club World Cup, beating heavily favored PSG in the finals. Bolstering their forward line with Liam Delap, Jamie Gittens, and João Pedro is also a smart piece of business.

The upbeat mood around the Stamford Bridge club is reflected in the odds given them for winning the English top flight. They're sitting fourth at the moment – equaling their league position last term – but 9.00 at BC.GAME is by no means an outrageous odds.

And there's Newcastle. The richest club in the world that can't bring in a decent player to save their life. The Magpies keep missing out despite qualifying for the Champions League. They were in for Bryan Mbeumo (gone Man United), Liam Delap (joined Chelsea), João Pedro (also Chelsea), Hugo Ekitike (joined Liverpool), and James Trafford (joined Man City). To make matters worse, Alexander Isak, their £100+ million starman, doesn't want to play at St. James's Park anymore.

Why all this? In short, Newcastle has entered the big-boys market without the big-boys' spending power (due to financial rules) or aura. In short.

Predicting the Winner

With the odds of 2.75 at Bet Panda, Liverpool is the one to beat.

Everyone (myself included) saw the Reds suffering in the post-Klopp era. But Arne Slot had other plans. The Dutchman won the league and left Arteta and Pep to bite the dust in the distance. The club rewarded him with a £300 million summer purse, bolstering their ranks with the likes of Florian Wirtz, Milos Kerkez, Hugo Ekitike, and Jeremie Frimpong.

By the bookies, Arsenal is the closest competitor to catch them. Five years in charge of the Gunners, Arteta must deliver the goods this season before the uncomfortable talks become a necessity. The North Londoners also had a sprawling summer, recruiting a new talisman in Victor Gyokeres and a new No. 6 in Martin Zubimendi, among others. Speaking of the Swede, the Playbet odds of him scoring 20 or more throughout the season are looking good at the moment (1.80).

The last on the shortlist of Premier League winner contenders is Pep's Man City. It's very much an unknown quantity, this Pep's side. Rodri is back, they've brought in two Rayans, Cherki and Aït-Nouri, and I wouldn't be surprised if another Here We Go is heard about Man City (Xavi Simmons?). But, to my mind, they still have a De Bruyne hole in the middle of the park that's dragging them down.

European Football

Barring a title, securing European football is the next best thing. I don't think Chelsea can get a sniff at a title this year, but the Blues are definitely in my top 4 books. As is Newcastle, despite the summer of discontent. But who are their main rivals for that iconic fourth?

Aston Villa, for one. Unai Emery's side gave an excellent account of themselves last season The Villans kept the spine of Rogers-Watkins-McGinn, but have yet to improve the squad. Still, expect some awesome moments at Villa Park this season. Maybe not beating Bayern like last season, but equally impressive in football terms.

And Tottenham. The Spurs brought in a new manager in Thomas Frank, but the departure of club captain Son Heung-Min and the injury to James Maddison pose real challenges. If they find suitable replacements (Eze's been heavily talked about), the Spurs are a real deal.

And Man United? I'm not convinced, although the Red Devils recruited well in the summer, adding Benjamin Sesko and Bryan Mbeumo. This is Amorim's second season at the helm, and it's bound to be better than his first. However, that's not much of an accomplishment.

Relegation Battle

At least four teams have only one thing on their mind – to stay up. Newcomers Leeds, Burnley, and Sunderland have all done their bit in the summer. Leeds have the best team of the bunch and are given the most chances of outperforming the other two (1.80 at Playbet). Burnley recruited 10 players (including Kyle Walker), and there are question marks about whether they all will gel together. Sunderland pulled a coup and signed Granit Xhaka from Leverkusen, but their squad is a little light elsewhere.

Brentford is also on a slippery slope for me. Outperforming their reputation for years, the Bees have lost their best player to Man Utd, their captain to Arsenal, and their manager to Spurs. Is this the year that the Bees finally suffer? We'll see.

Premier League Early Predictions

I've long learned not to expect much of any season. If pressed for an answer, I'd say some tired legs and a lot of God-tier games.

Predictions are another matter. I relish in predictions. Don't always get them right, but I'll always find a good excuse for it.

Anyway, top of the league is bound to be a three-horse race for most of the campaign. Liverpool, to me, looks the readiest to repeat. The Reds have added in attack and not sold in defence, and if Alexander Isak comes through the door, their chances go up even further.

I'm having Chelsea in the top 4, David Raya to hit the Golden Glove again (2.20 at Playbet), and Sunderland to finish bottom of the table. Top goalscorer? Let's call this Salah's last dance at Anfield.