The Biggest Question Facing Every 2025-26 Premier League Team

It’s that time of year again: new hopes, new stars, and plenty of unanswered questions. Here’s what to look out for.

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The soccer calendar really is never-ending these days, and no season proves that more than this one. We’re less than a month removed from Chelsea’s Club World Cup triumph, and the Blues are already preparing for their Premier League opener against Crystal Palace.

The Premier League’s 38-match, 10-month marathon kicks off on Friday at Anfield as defending league champions Liverpool host Bournemouth. The Reds are the oddsmakers’ favorites to repeat as champions (+175 odds), but they are not without close challengers. Arsenal is trying to beat the “always the bridesmaid, never the bride” allegations after three consecutive second-place finishes. Manchester City has a newly rebuilt squad and will be looking for revenge after missing out on a chance to win its fifth straight Premier League title. Chelsea will claim it belongs among the favorites, especially after winning the Club World Cup.

At the bottom of the table, Leeds, Sunderland, and Burnley have uphill battles to stay in the league after the last two seasons have seen the newly promoted teams go straight back down.

To preview the 2025-26 Premier League season, I ranked all 20 teams based on where I think they’ll finish in the table and then posed the biggest question facing each club.

20. Burnley: What happens once the defense regresses to the mean?

Burnley conceded just 16 goals in 46 league matches last season. The previous Championship record for fewest goals allowed was 30. It was a historic campaign that still didn’t result in a title because of how dominant Leeds were (more on that later). You would probably think Burnley conceded the fewest chances in the league if they were that successful defensively, but you would be incorrect. The Clarets conceded 39.1 expected goals, which was actually 10 more xG than Leeds.

Multiple things can be true at once. Opponents were incredibly bad at finishing against Burnley last year, and goalkeeper James Trafford had an outstanding shot-stopping season. Trafford has since transferred to Manchester City, and it’ll be a struggle for the Clarets to compete in the league once inevitable regression hits this defense.

19. Sunderland: Will the squad overhaul help save this mediocre Championship team?

Sunderland was a mid-table-level attacking team in the Championship last year that scraped through the playoff in dramatic fashion to qualify for the Premier League. Well done to them, but that doesn’t negate the fact that they finished only ninth in xG created, ninth in goals scored, and eighth in overall xG difference in the second division. They’ll have more resources at their disposal than the average promoted team because they’re a historically big club in England with a large stadium and a rabid fan base, but this current squad doesn’t look nearly talented enough to remain in the Premier League.

The Black Cats have seen winger Tom Watson and midfielder Jobe Bellingham leave the club (for Brighton and Borussia Dortmund, respectively) and are trying to rebuild their midfield on the fly with a combination of youngsters—Habib Diarra (Strasbourg) and Noah Sadiki (Union Saint-Gilloise)—and experienced veterans like Granit Xhaka (Leverkusen). Sunderland also added hyped striker prospect Marc Guiu, on loan from Chelsea, and permanently signed the more experienced Simon Adingra (Brighton) as a competent wide forward. With all of the turnover, Sunderland have a chance to dramatically reinvent themselves, but they have a long way to go to be good enough to stay up.

18. Wolves: Where will their chance creation come from?

Career seasons from Matheus Cunha and Rayan Aït-Nouri saved Wolves from any real relegation danger last year, but both departed this summer for the two Manchester clubs (United and City, respectively). It’s hard to make the case that Wolves won’t take a step back and be in a relegation scrap this year. Cunha was the team’s leading scorer, and he and Aït-Nouri were first and second in expected assists last year, respectively. Wolves are putting a lot of eggs in the basket of 21-year-old wide forward Fer López, who has signed from Celta Vigo, to make up for the loss of attacking creativity. López had an impressive season for a young player in La Liga last year, but there’s not much else on the roster to provide service for striker Jorgen Strand Larsen. Strand Larsen is a respectable box-poacher type, but he adds little else creatively. I think this is the year Wolves finally go back down after seven consecutive seasons in the Premier League. After all, they did have the worst xG difference of the non-relegated teams last year.

17. West Ham: Has Graham Potter actually improved West Ham?

Graham Potter replaced Julen Lopetegui as the West Ham manager in January, and the team’s profile has changed considerably. Potter improved the Hammers’ defensive numbers; after conceding 42 xG in the first 20 matches of the season, West Ham allowed just 22 in the final 18 matches once Potter became manager. That said, their attacking output declined at the same time. West Ham scored just 22 goals in those 18 matches, and only the three relegated teams and Manchester United scored fewer. Now that they’ve lost one of their most important attacking players in Mohammed Kudus, who’s departed for Tottenham, Lucas Paquetá becomes even more important. (Paquetá has been officially cleared of match-fixing charges.) Can West Ham keep him at the club? It looks like Jarrod Bowen is their only reliable goal scorer at the moment if not.

16. Brentford: Will the decision to promote from within help Brentford stay up amid personnel losses?

Brentford is a trendy relegation pick because of the departures of manager Thomas Frank (Tottenham), Christian Norgaard (Arsenal), Bryan Mbeumo (Manchester United), and potentially Yoane Wissa. Frank and those three players were critical to the Bees rising to and remaining in the Premier League—their 2021 promotion was the club’s first ascent to England’s top division in over 70 years. Despite the outgoings, the Bees have had a relatively quiet summer of transfers in and, as a result, could see their performance drop considerably.

Brentford have long been the Moneyball kings of the Premier League, consistently outperforming their financial status and resources. But there may come a time when the turnover is too great for Brentford to overcome. I don’t think we are quite at that point yet. The Bees will need forwards Igor Thiago and Kevin Schade and creative maestro Mikkel Damsgaard to take even larger roles in the attack, but the DNA of this club is too solid for the team to immediately drop to the Championship. Keith Andrews, who served as an assistant under Frank, is unproven as a head coach, but are you really doubting the Bees?

15. Leeds: Will Leeds’ historic dominance of the Championship translate to the Premier League?

There are two recent promotion comparisons for Leeds based on their dismantling of the Championship last year. Leeds finished with a plus-1.29 xG difference per 90 minutes last year, which was almost a full goal better than Burnley in second place.

The two comps are 2021-22 Fulham (plus-1.13) and 2019-20 Leeds (plus-1.06). Not only did both of those clubs stay up in their first season, but they both finished in the top half of the table. We saw Leeds manager Daniel Farke try and fail to stay in the Premier League as a newly promoted manager at Norwich. However, those Norwich teams were not nearly as dominant as Leeds last season. Heading into this campaign, the Whites beefed up their defense with the signings of midfielders Anton Stach (Hoffenheim) and Sean Longstaff (Newcastle) and defender Jaka Bijol (Udinese). Leeds seem primed to be the first newly promoted side to survive relegation since the 2022-23 season.

14. Forest: How much of the first half of last season was a mirage?

The chart below depicts the five-game rolling expected goal difference for Nottingham Forest last season. After a stellar first half of the campaign (they were third in the table on New Year’s Day), Forest fell off considerably, finishing 16th in second-half expected points. By the end of the season, Nottingham was playing like one of the bottom five teams in the Premier League.

For the most part, manager Nuno Espírito Santo had them successfully defending deep in a low block, attacking efficiently in transition, and converting chances at an elite rate. That works wonderfully when you consistently score first. But going forward, if Chris Wood’s finishing cools off as he ages (he’s 34 in December), Forest will be dangerously light on attacking production. Bringing in Bologna winger Dan Ndoye to replace the departing Anthony Elanga is an excellent bit of business, but Forest has glaring regression warnings as it’ll look to balance European and domestic campaigns with a limited attack.

13. Fulham: Will running it back with an older team catch up with Fulham?

Fulham was the oldest team (28.1 years old on average) in the Premier League last season, and it has been remarkably quiet in the summer transfer window thus far. The youngest player who regularly featured for Marco Silva’s side last year was 24-year-old Emile Smith Rowe. That’s a risky proposition given that the Cottagers project to be basically the same team this season, just a year older (though 34-year-old Raúl Jiménez has seemingly found the fountain of youth and keeps scoring goals). Silva runs the risk of things getting stale, even if his system is more or less effective. As long as Antonee Robinson is healthy to swing in crosses from left back and Alex Iwobi keeps showing up in the penalty area to score goals, Fulham should remain a respectable mid-table Premier League side.

It’s hard to see anything more than that unless Fulham invests in some players with more developmental upside. This season, they’ll rely on a lot of 29-year-olds to maintain their form levels.

12. Bournemouth: What does the next phase of “Iraola ball” look like?

Andoni Iraola’s Bournemouth was an electric viewing experience in the first half of the 2024-25 season. They pressed, brought relentless energy to matches, and maximized the amount of chaos on the pitch. The second half of the season saw teams adjust to their style of play a bit, and their results suffered. Now that the Cherries have lost three of their four starting defenders—Milos Kerkez (Liverpool), Dean Huijsen (Real Madrid), and Illia Zabarnyi (PSG)—Iraola faces two major challenges. One is finding replacements who can meet his physical demands. Another is warding off injuries as a result of his intense playing style. But you’d trust Iraola to navigate any sort of setback: He has shown immense talent as a tinkerer and problem solver.

I don’t have the answer to what the next phase of Iraola ball is, but I’m excited to find out.

11. Crystal Palace: Is there a ceiling to Palace’s transition-heavy attack?

The season hasn’t officially started yet, and Oliver Glasner’s squad already has silverware. Their win against Liverpool in the Community Shield this weekend was a microcosm of everything Glasner has built in South London. The Eagles frustrated Liverpool’s newly rebuilt attack, created multiple big chances in transition, and took another big-time win. Palace beat Fulham, Aston Villa, and Manchester City en route to their FA Cup title in the spring, and they were quietly one of the best teams in the Premier League in the second half of the season. In that period, Palace were fifth in expected points behind only City, Liverpool, Arsenal, and Newcastle. The return of Adam Wharton in the midfield after a three-month injury layoff helped them considerably during the run-in.

Oliver Glasner appreciation post 🤩👏 pic.twitter.com/8OSanINLMt — Crystal Palace F.C. (@CPFC) August 10, 2025

The other challenge for Palace is keeping hold of their best players. Defender and England international Marc Guéhi is reportedly in talks with Liverpool. And if star man Eberechi Eze departs the club, with rumors of interest from Tottenham and Arsenal circling, it will be difficult to replace his 16-goal contributions. He’s an extremely high-volume creator for Palace’s attack, but I do think they can replace him in the aggregate by getting more production from Wharton, Daichi Kamada, and Ismaila Sarr, who all took steps forward last year. The bigger question is what will happen if teams adjust to their more defend-and-counter style of possession. Will the Eagles struggle if teams let them have the ball more often and challenge Palace to break their opponents down?

10. Everton: Is Everton finally emerging from the darkness?

After years of flirting with relegation and battling financial issues, Everton has a new stadium, new owners, and new ambition to return to the top half of the table. The Toffees cleared out a lot of older players from their squad who weren’t offering much production anymore. Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Ashley Young, and Abdoulaye Doucouré all played major minutes for the Toffees last year and ran out their contracts. As David Moyes leads the club into a new era, they’ve made some pretty smart bets on young players with upside. Thierno Barry, joining from Villarreal, is a quintessential Moyes striker. He navigates the penalty area well and can win the ball in the air. He also notched 15 goal contributions in La Liga last year at just 21 years old. Jack Grealish, on loan from Manchester City, isn’t a long-term solution for Everton, but he was once one of the most dynamic playmakers in the league and is still under 30. Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall was buried on the depth chart at Chelsea, but he’s now immediately one of Everton’s best passers. The Toffees still have business to do to fill out the squad, but I really like how the team is shaping up in Moyes’s image. I’m taking a surprise top-half finish for the Toffees.

9. Manchester United: After it scored just 44 league goals last year, how much better will the new attack be?

If you just look at the additions, it’s easy to like the summer that Manchester United just had. Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha had career-best seasons for their respective clubs last year, and both 26-year-old forwards now join the Red Devils at a time when United is badly in need of goal scorers. United also took a bigger swing on 22-year-old Leipzig forward Benjamin Sesko, widely considered one of the best strikers on the market. After a historically bad 15th-place finish last year, manager Ruben Amorim has now had a full preseason and a proper transfer window to remake the club in his image. With only one game per week due to no European obligations, it’s easy to see how this season could go much better for Manchester United.

However (not to get too in my Billy Beane–Moneyball mode), I don’t think the production Manchester United got is nearly as good as advertised. For starters, Cunha and Mbeumo overperformed their expected goal tally by more than every other player in the Premier League last year, save for Chris Wood. The pair combined for 35 league goals last season, but if you strip away highly volatile finishing variance and penalties, their expected goal total was just 16.1 combined. Solid players, but not true difference makers on a team that has top-four aspirations.

Sesko, meanwhile, resembles United’s previous young striker acquisition, Rasmus Hojlund. Both possess the height, speed, and movement of a skilled forward. However, like Hojlund, Sesko does not grade well at generating shot attempts (59th percentile in the Bundesliga) or penalty-area touches (12th percentile). United will marginally improve, but consider me, once again, a skeptic.

8. Spurs: How will Thomas Frank improve Tottenham on set pieces?

This is the hardest team to write about as of August 13. Since I started thinking about this column, Spurs lost starting playmaker James Maddison to a major injury and have been closely linked to both Manchester City’s Savinho and Crystal Palace’s Eberechi Eze. Without knowing how Spurs will finish their summer business—they need to add multiple attacking players, and maybe a left back, before the end of the month—I’ll focus on things we know more about. Thomas Frank replaced Ange Postecoglou as manager, and that should mean an immediate and tangible improvement on set pieces at both ends of the pitch.

Brentford conceded two goals from set pieces last year, which was the best in the league. Tottenham were bottom five in goals conceded. This is not a one-off. Spurs struggled both years under Postecoglou, while Frank’s Brentford consistently excelled. Some of that is personnel—Spurs goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario really struggles to deal with crosses at times. But a lot of that, to me, is coaching. Frank employs a dedicated set piece coach as part of his staff and has even held squad tryouts for a long-throw-in taker. The quickest way for Tottenham to improve on their disastrous 17th-place finish last season is to work on scoring and preventing goals from dead-ball situations, like Brentford did last year.

7. Aston Villa: Can Villa find secondary goal scorers around Ollie Watkins?

Head coach Unai Emery is back in the Europa League, so all is right in the world again—you can surely pencil Aston Villa in for a deep run in the competition next spring. Given the financial constraints at the club right now, bringing in forward Evann Guessand (who notched 12 goals and eight assists for a fourth-place Nice side last season) for 35 million euros (roughly $41 million) is a good bit of business.

The story of Villa’s 2024-25 campaign was a lack of goal scoring from everyone but Ollie Watkins. The club tried to plug the gaps in production with loan signings in the January transfer window, but Marcus Rashford and Marco Asensio were not long-term solutions. Villa is still searching for secondary goal scorers after sending Jhon Durán and Moussa Diaby to the Saudi Pro League last year. Watkins and emerging star Morgan Rogers are the only two Villa players still at the club who scored more than three league goals last season. Villa finished with 58 league goals last year, the fewest of any team in the top half. The only way for them to improve their league position is to find more goals.

6. Brighton: Who is the next Brighton superstar, and will he emerge this year?

After selling João Pedro (Chelsea), Alexis Mac Allister (Liverpool), and Moisés Caicedo (also Chelsea) to bigger Premier League clubs in the past two years, Brighton has brought in a bunch of lesser-known talents with upside to become its next star. Few clubs in world football are as good as Brighton at talent identification and the development of young players. One could say that all-around midfielder Carlos Baleba is already on that star trajectory, attracting a ton of attention from Manchester United this summer. My early front-runner for Brighton’s breakout star of the season is Yankuba Minteh. The 21-year-old had six goals and four assists last year despite starting only 20 games in the Premier League. He flashes a ton of dribbling and creative skill on the ball and has the potential to develop more finishing ability. He could be an elite all-around Premier League winger.

If Minteh is my top breakout pick from last summer’s haul of players, then former Club Brugge left back Maxim De Cuyper is my pick from this year’s group of signings. De Cuyper (24) is an excellent chance creator from wide areas and excels at getting forward. It appears the Brighton talent machine continues to churn, and there’s a lot to like about the Seagulls in 2025-26.

5. Newcastle: Can they keep Alexander Isak at the club? And what happens if not?

Arguably the most important transfer of the summer in the Premier League may not have happened yet. And it may not happen at all. Although, unfortunately for Newcastle, it seems increasingly likely. Alexander Isak was possibly the best striker in the Premier League last year, and whether or not he stays on Tyneside is a massive domino that is yet to fall. He’s such an impactful forward that the Magpies’ entire season could hinge on how the next two weeks play out.

It could cause a big shake-up to the top-five race, which looks relatively settled otherwise. Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester City, Chelsea, and Newcastle should all, in theory, fight for England’s Champions League places, but only four of them have invested in solidifying their squads this summer. Newcastle has not been a part of the top four arms race, but with Isak, they still remain clear of the chasing pack in my view. Their one big addition, the speedy Anthony Elanga from Nottingham Forest, fits a similar profile to winger Anthony Gordon, which could make for a lethal front three. But if Isak leaves—with little time at this point to find an inspiring replacement—we could be looking at a precipitous drop-off for Newcastle.

Newcastle will again have to balance Champions League football this year, which they struggled massively with two seasons ago. In response, Eddie Howe has adapted Newcastle’s play style to be less reliant on physical dominance and pressing energy, and I think that will serve their legs well as they try to balance both competitions this season.

4. Chelsea: How will Chelsea solve its low block problem?

Another year, another rotating cast of departures and arrivals at Chelsea Football Club. The Blues’ transfer strategy is more of a broad stroke than a precise painting, but through sheer volume they’ve added a ton of talent to the squad over the last few years. It’s easy to say that Chelsea will kick on from their dazzling victory against PSG in the Club World Cup final last month and challenge for a league title. That PSG matchup, however, played into the tactical strengths of Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca. He’s set the team up to be much more comfortable playing in transition and exploiting space in-behind opponents.

When Chelsea have had to play teams who defend in lower defensive blocks, however, they’ve had real issues breaking them down, and Chelsea will see more of that in the Premier League. They’ll be tested immediately on Sunday in their opening match against Crystal Palace.

Maybe the answer to Chelsea’s low block problems is the addition of forwards Joao Pedro from Brighton and Liam Delap from Ipswich Town. The two forwards offer a much different profile than the (likely) departing forward Nicolas Jackson, who ran hot-and-cold throughout his two years at the club. Pedro is excellent with the ball at his feet; Delap is strong, direct, and skilled in the air; while Jackson excelled at making runs in-behind the defense. However, for as much as Jackson was frustrating at times, he was also quite productive, and replacing his 34 goal contributions over the past two seasons will not be easy. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that Chelsea’s dip in form last season around the holidays coincided with an injury to Jackson.

All in all, Chelsea have plenty of talent to once again compete for the top four, but I still don’t think they’re cohesive enough to challenge for a title, even if they possess one of the best players in the league, Cole Palmer. They’ve certainly taken plenty of swings on transfers to give themselves a shot, though.

3. Manchester City: How much will City’s defense improve when Rodri returns?

The red flags were already flying two seasons ago when City’s vulnerability to direct attacks nearly cost them the title in 2024. The club then proceeded to have a quiet summer heading into last season and failed to significantly upgrade their aging core. That lack of investment caught up with them, especially once 2024 Ballon D’or winner Rodri tore his ACL in September, and City bottomed out last winter.

The second half of last season did eventually bring a recovery. January reinforcements stabilized the squad, and this summer has seen a midfield reset with the additions of Tijjani Reijnders from AC Milan and Rayan Cherki from Lyon. But above all, City has Rodri back and that might just change everything—well, eventually.

Rodri featured in the squad during the Club World Cup this summer but suffered a setback with what appears to be a groin injury, likely pushing his return until after the September international break. It’s a tough blow for City, who rely on his defensive anchor abilities so much, but, ultimately, he still should be present for the majority of the league campaign. His return alone won’t fix some of the other issues, however. City last year missed the pressing energy of forward Julián Álvarez, who was sold to Atlético Madrid. Club captain Bernardo Silva, who always brings out of possession work rate, is getting older and may no longer start. If City chooses to play Rodri in a midfield with the attack-minded Reijnders and Cherki, there will be a ton of pressure on Rodri. Reijnders was athletically limited in Serie A and that deficiency could be further exploited in the Premier League. And for all of Cherki’s creative skill—he was first in Europe in expected assists per 90 minutes last year—his defensive work rate is not what he’s known for.

Even with City playing more traditional fullbacks this year and moving top defender Josko Gvardiol centrally, it’s hard to see them smothering opponents to the same extent as past peak City teams.

2. Liverpool: How will Liverpool’s defensive depth hold up after a summer of attacking buys?

After a quiet 2024 summer and near misses on marquee signings in years past, Liverpool used the bully pulpit as reigning champions to go all in this window and heavily invest in young attackers. Twenty-two-year-old Florian Wirtz, who signed for a club record 136.3 million euros from Bayer Leverkusen, arrives as one of Europe’s top chance creators and should replace the creative ability of Trent Alexander-Arnold, who departed for Real Madrid.

Newly signed striker Hugo Ekitiké (Eintracht Frankfurt) also brings a ton of promise. Among players in Europe’s top five leagues last season, only Lamine Yamal, Kylian Mbappé, and Ousmane Dembélé joined Ekitiké in averaging 4-plus shots and 7-plus touches in the opposition box per 90 minutes, per Opta.

Florian Wirtz and Hugo Ekitike really needed just four minutes to connect for Liverpool's first goal of the season 🔥 pic.twitter.com/E0ddaI5i4S — ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) August 10, 2025

Milos Kerkez (Bournemouth) and Jeremie Frimpong (Leverkusen) provide new wide options at fullback, and Alexander Isak could yet follow. But nearly every signing leans toward the attacking part of the game, raising questions about the depth and defensive core of the team.

Liverpool’s title run was built on health and stability in their spine. Ibrahima Konaté, Ryan Gravenberch, Alexis Mac Allister, Alisson, and Virgil Van Dijk all logged over 2,500 minutes last season. But behind them, there’s not a ton of depth. If injuries strike, especially in central defense and midfield, the team could get exposed. (Though it’s possible the signing of Marc Guéhi from Crystal Palace gets over the line, reducing the issue.)

Liverpool will score plenty. But will they be able to keep the ball out of their own net enough in a more competitive title race?

1. Arsenal: Will Arsenal’s attack become more balanced with all of the new summer additions?

After last season’s disappointing summer transfer window and an injury-riddled campaign, Arsenal have reinforced their attack in a bid to take the final step toward the title. The arrivals of Viktor Gyökeres (Sporting CP) and Noni Madueke (Chelsea) give the Gunners two key elements they’ve lacked: a true striker to target in the box, and a wide forward who can ease the creative burden on Bukayo Saka.

Despite their continued strength on set pieces, Arsenal’s open-play attack has grown predictable. They’ve leaned heavily on Saka to generate chances, and his hamstring injury last season derailed their campaign. With new players capable of aiding transitions and creating variety in buildup play, particularly avoiding the overuse of right-sided overloads, Mikel Arteta must now adapt tactically. The team needs more risk-taking and offensive fluidity to break down low blocks and avoid the draws that plagued them against weaker sides. They also need to take advantage of transition attacking opportunities more often.

An up-and-down preseason suggests some issues, particularly as the team adjusts to a less aggressive press with Gyökeres leading the line. Ultimately, what Arsenal does with the ball—not without it—will determine whether they can bridge the gap to the top. Liverpool created roughly 22 more expected goals than them last season, a significant difference regardless of injuries.

Having invested in youthful potential in recent years, Arsenal’s latest moves for peak-age players like Martín Zubimendi (Real Sociedad) and Gyökeres show a shift toward a "win-now" mindset. It's a risky bet, but might just be the bet they need.

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