Sport
The Premier League season has the potential to be a classic.
The Premier League doesn’t shy away from its self-styled status as the best league in the world. It’s certainly the richest which leads to England’s top flight hoarding more talent than any other division. There is more quality at the top end of the table than in La Liga, Serie A, Ligue 1 and the Bundesliga. And yet last season was a bit of a let down.
Not for Liverpool, obviously, who strolled to the title. For the neutral, though, there was no title race to speak of, nor was there a genuine relegation scrap with Southampton, Ipswich Town and Leicester City going straight back down. This season, however, has the potential to be a classic. The ingredients are there.
Liverpool will surely face stiffer competition as they look to defend their title. Arsenal have strengthened over the summer, adding the likes of Viktor Gyokeres, Martin Zubimendi and Noni Madueke to their squad in an attempt to get over the line having finished second in each of the last three seasons.
Manchester City have also been busy in the transfer market, signing Rayan Cherki, Tijani Reijnders and Rayan Ait-Nouri. Pep Guardiola is still remoulding his team and could move for more targets – Rodrygo is the latest player to be linked with a move to the Etihad Stadium – but City are already younger and more mobile than they were before the summer.
Chelsea have a new-look attack having signed Joao Pedro, Liam Delap and Jamie Gittens. Glory at the 2025 Club World Cup hinted at the potential of Enzo Maresca’s team with the Blues still in the market for another winger (Alejandro Garnacho has been linked) and a number 10 (Xavi Simons is the most likely target).
Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur both appear stronger and will surely push their way into the top half after historically poor league finishes last season. Aston Villa and Newcastle United will also fancy their chances of qualifying for continental competition even if the latter have suffered a challenging summer.
At the other end of the table, Burnley, Leeds United and Sunderland are hoping to buck a trend that has seen the three promoted teams go straight back down in each of the last two seasons. Leeds and Sunderland in particular have invested heavily, but the gulf between the Premier League and Championship has never been wider.
Brentford and Bournemouth have both been pillaged of their best players over the summer. Brentford have lost their top scorer, their captain and their manager while Bournemouth have lost four of their starting back five from last season. They could be pulled into trouble down near the bottom three of the table.
Everton are entering a new era with new owners and a new stadium. The loan signing of Jack Grealish is a symbol of the renewed ambition within the Merseyside club. David Moyes has spoken about pushing Everton into the top half of the table and Everton certainly look more secure than they have in years.
Nottingham Forest will be aiming to build on an extremely impressive 2024/25 campaign. Nuno Espirito Santo lost Antony Elanga to Newcastle, but kept Morgan Gibbs-White despite Tottenham triggering his release clause. Forest could be set for another landmark season with the club competing in the Europa League.
There could be drama and excitement at all levels of the Premier League this season. There could be a title race that goes down to the wire. It’s almost guaranteed that as many as eight teams will scramble for European qualification spots with the relegation battle potentially more compelling than it has been in the last two seasons. You daren’t miss any of it.
