With the 2025/26 Premier League season almost upon us, many have begun making their predictions for how the campaign will play out. Pundits and ex-players all over the country have been revealing how they expect the league table to look by the time that May 2026 rolls around.
Alan Shearer is one who has had his say, and now, Owen Hargreaves has made a prediction. In a column with TNT Sports, the former Manchester United man was tasked with predicting where every team in the Premier League would finish this season and his answers are below.
Hargreaves' Premier League Table Prediction
Relegation Threatened
To the surprise of likely no one, Hargreaves believes the three teams promoted from the Championship last time out will all immediately drop back down to the second tier at the first time of asking. It would be the third season in a row that no promoted team manages to avoid the drop. While Leeds United won the second tier last season, finishing above both Burnley and Sunderland, the Englishman has tipped the Yorkshire club to finish dead last, with Burnley sitting above them. While Sunderland have had a solid transfer window so far, he doesn't think it will be enough and has the Black Cats going down in 18th.
Hargreaves believes Thomas Frank's Brentford exit will cause trouble for the Bees and has them only just avoiding the drop in 17th, with West Ham and Everton rounding out the bottom six and likely keeping an eye on the relegation zone throughout the season.
Hargreaves' Premier League Prediction 20-15
Position
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
Mid-Table
Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola watching on from the touchline
The ex-Bayern Munich man thinks Wolverhampton Wanderers will cope well with the exit of Matheus Cunha and has them finishing two spots higher this year in 14th. Crystal Palace finished 12th last time out and Hargreaves expects them to take a slight step back this season, despite their FA Cup triumph in May.
Bournemouth had their best ever Premier League campaign last year, but as a result, they've seen several of their best players lured away. The likes of Dean Huijsen and Milos Kerkez have departed the Cherries and Hargreaves thinks that will see them drop down to 12th, three places lower than their finish in 2024/25.
Rounding out the mid-table section, he has Fulham finishing 11th and Nottingham Forest finishing 10th. The Midlands club is set to play European football this year for the first time in decades and the ex-midfielder thinks that may have a negative impact on their form in the league.
Hargreaves' Premier League Prediction 14-10
Position
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
Fighting For Europe
Moving into the top half of the table and looking at teams who will be chasing European football, Hargreaves has predicted that Brighton will just about squeeze into the section, finishing ninth. After finishing in the top four in the 2023/24 season, Aston Villa fell to sixth last time out and he thinks they're only going to drop further this campaign and has tipped them to be eighth when we get to May.
He's expecting big improvements for both Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur. It was a historically bad campaign last time out for both sides, with them finishing 15th and 17th respectively. They've both been busy this summer, though, with the likes of Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo and Benjamin Sesko going to Old Trafford, and Mohammed Kudus and Kevin Danso going to Spurs. As a result, Hargreaves has tipped them both to finish in the top seven, with the Red Devils seventh and Tottenham sixth.
Hargreaves' Premier League Prediction 9-6
Position
6.
7.
8.
9.
Champions Leaue Spots
Entering the elite now, Hargreaves thinks Newcastle United will just make it into the top five and Champions League qualification for the second year in a row. It's been a terrible summer transfer window for the Magpies, who have missed out on multiple targets, but he thinks the team still has enough to make it into the top five. He's tipped Chelsea to come fourth, replicating their finish last season under Enzo Maresca.
Despite some solid recruitment earlier in the summer, he expects Manchester City to suffer the same struggles as they did last season, and has tipped Pep Guardiola's side to finish third again. Despite the signing of Viktor Gyokeres, he also doesn't think the title race will play out any differently this year, with Arsenal falling short and finishing as runners-up for the fourth straight season, while Liverpool's incredible transfer window will see them get their hands on the trophy once again.
Hargreaves' Premier League Prediction 5-1
Position
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.