The beginning of the 2025-26 Premier League season is right around the corner, and it is shaping up to be one of the most unpredictable and entertaining campaigns in recent memory.
A potential four-way title race appears to be on the cards, the newly promoted teams will be looking to break a recent pattern and evolving tactics look set to keep fans on the edge of their seats.
Here, Sports Mole examines why the 2025-26 Premier League season could be the most exciting one yet.
Four-Way Title Race
Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk with the Premier League trophy, on May 26, 2025
One of the most exciting parts of every Premier League season is the battle for the league title among the division's best teams, but that drama was largely absent last term as Liverpool had all but wrapped up the title with several months remaining.
While Arne Slot's Reds are favourites to defend their crown in 2025-26, early signs suggest Arsenal, Manchester City and Chelsea will join reigning champions Liverpool in a much tighter battle for the trophy.
Liverpool have strengthened significantly during the transfer window, adding Florian Wirtz, Hugo Ekitike, Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong to an already star-studded squad, meaning they are many people's picks to lift the Premier League title once again.
However, Arsenal, runners-up in each of the last three seasons, have bolstered their squad with Martin Zubimendi, Noni Madueke, Christian Norgaard and Cristhian Mosquera, while they have finally landed the striker they hope can lead them to their first league title since 2003-04 in Viktor Gyokeres.
Manchester City had won four straight Premier League titles heading into the 2024-25 campaign, but a disastrous run in November and December meant the Citizens had to settle for a third-placed finish last term.
With the brilliant Pep Guardiola at the helm and one of the strongest squads in the country, including the returning Rodri and additions of Rayan Cherki, Tijjani Reijnders and more, Man City are expected to be back amongst the fight for the crown this season.
Finally, Chelsea were a surprise early-contender for the Premier League title last season before fading after December, but having sensationally won the Club World Cup with a 3-0 win over Paris Saint-Germain in July and strengthening their squad with the likes of Joao Pedro and Liam Delap, joining Cole Palmer and Enzo Fernandez, Enzo Maresca's side should not be counted out of the race this campaign.
Sunderland's Dan Neil on December 10, 2024
There has been an emerging trend in the Premier League in recent seasons, with all three of the newly promoted teams going straight back down to the Championship, and Burnley, Sunderland and Leeds United will the be latest three to take on that challenge this campaign.
Many people expect Burnley to succumb to this trend, with it being widely predicted that they will finish at the foot of the Premier League table in 2025-26, having lost several key members of last term's team, including top scorer Josh Brownhill as well as James Trafford and CJ Egan Riley
However, Sunderland and Leeds Utd have impressed in the transfer market and are widely tipped to give some established Premier League clubs a much tougher fight for Premier League survival this term.
The Black Cats have brought in the experienced Granit Xhaka as well as the promising Robin Roefs, Habib Diarra, Simon Adingra and several others, while the Whites have signed Sean Longstaff, Anton Stach, Jaka Bijol and are on the verge of signing Dominic Calvert-Lewin.
These newly promoted teams will be hoping that their transfer activity can help them break the recent trend, and the weakening of several Premier League teams will only boost their belief and confidence.
Wolverhampton Wanderers have lost key players Rayan Ait-Nouri and Matheus Cunha, West Ham United will be without Mohammed Kudus after his move to Tottenham Hotspur, and Brentford are expected to struggle following the departures of Thomas Frank, captain Norgaard, Bryan Mbeumo and potentially Yoane Wissa.
While these established Premier League sides may well survive yet again and condemn the promoted trio to immediate relegation, there are certainly signs that the relegation battle should be much closer and more dramatic in 2025-26.
Direct Play & Physical Forwards
Nottingham Forest's Chris Wood celebrates after scoring on October 25, 2024
People love to reminisce about the supposed 'glory' days of the Premier League, often being remembered as the 'Barclays era', with the fast-paced and direct football of those times being seen as more entertaining than the recent tiki-taka style largely inspired by Guardiola since arriving at Manchester City.
Skilful wingers taking risks, crosses met by thumping headers and fast-paced counterattacks with the handbrake off were beloved hallmarks of that era that have often been missing in the Premier League in recent years, but the pattern of signings in the transfer window and evolving tactics seem to suggest a shift back towards that style.
Nottingham Forest proved to the league last season that sitting deep and springing counters is still an extremely effective approach, securing a stunning seventh-placed finish as the 6'3" Chris Wood scored a brilliant 20 league goals, and more teams are expected to follow suit this term.
Wood is just one of several taller, more physical strikers that thrived last campaign, alongside Erling Haaland, Jean-Philippe Mateta, Jorgen Strand Larsen and Delap, and that has led to teams investing their money in similar profiles for the upcoming campaign.
Arsenal's Viktor Gyokeres celebrates on August 9, 2025
Ekitike (6'3"), Benjamin Sesko (6'5"), Gyokeres (6'2") and Thierno Barry (6'5") are among the strikers that have joined the league this summer, further evidence of a return to the approach that utilises a taller striker with the ability to hold-up play, get on the end of crosses or break in behind the opposition defence.
Even pass-master Guardiola appears to be adapting to that style, with Man City among the highest crossers at the Club World Cup with 6.5 accurate crosses per 90 compared to just 4.2 per 90 in the 2024-25 Premier League campaign, while Ait-Nouri and Matheus Nunes operated as more traditional flying full-backs and Savinho and Jeremy Doku were given greater license to cut inside and take shots on goal.
While there will still be moments in matches that see the more modern, possession-heavy approach of controlling the ball and passing opponents to death, the anticipated return to fast-paced and attack-first football is sure to excite fans across the country.
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