The 2025 summer transfer window has been one of the busiest in history. Premier League clubs have spent £2.2 billion on players to reinforce their squads for this season. With that in mind, let’s look at where things stand now and the five bestPremier League squads heading into the 2025-26 season.
5. Brighton
The top four Premier League squads pretty much speak for themselves. The order is the only real thing up for debate. Number five, though, is tough. I’ve gone withBrighton because I think their squad is talented and also unique compared to other top-flight clubs.
For one, the Seagulls are incredibly young. Even with James Milner (39), Danny Welbeck (34), and Lewis Dunk (33) in the side, Brighton were the second-youngest team in the league last season, with an average age of 23.7 years old (perFBref).
Brighton got even younger this offseason, bringing in 18-year-old attacker Charalampos Kostoulas, 19-year-old forward Stefanos Tzimas, and 19-year-old winger Tommy Watson, among others. The average age ofBrighton’s seven signings this summer is just 20.8 years old. All of them, except Yoon Do-young (18), who has been loaned to Excelsior, could get meaningful minutes for the Seagulls this season.
Another reason why Brighton’s squad is so unique (and why I like it so much) is how evenly spread out the talent is. Outside of Kaoru Mitoma, Carlos Baleba, and maybe Yankuba Minteh, no one’s place in the lineup is secure.
Brighton used the same midfield trio in back-to-back games just once in the final two and a half months of last season. This was partly due to injuries, but it was mostly because Fabian Hurzeler had so many good options to choose from. This will also be true this year.
By my count, there are eight players vying for two spots in Brighton’s midfield with Baleba. Each of them has a strong case to be starting. Other managers would be desperate to have this kind of squad depth.
4. Chelsea
No Premier League team has spent more money on players in the last three seasons thanChelsea. Has it been worth it? I think so.
Chelsea are legitimately two or three deep at every position. Sure, the overall strength of the side isn’t at the level of the very top teams, but I’m not sure the gap is that big anymore based on what we saw at the Club World Cup.
Cole Palmer would walk into most starting lineups in Europe. The same goes for Moises Caicedo. His former Brighton teammate João Pedro has already erased any doubts about whether he’s a top-quality player.
In defense, Reece James (when healthy) is one of the few right-backs in England who can single-handedly take control of a match. Marc Cucurella on the other side is one of the most dependable left-backs in the world.
Enzo Fernandez, Pedro Neto, Wesley Fofana, and the rest of Chelsea’s squad aren’t at the same level as the other names I’ve mentioned, but they are solid players who would improve pretty much every other team in the league.
3. Arsenal
Arsenal were already one of the most complete sides in Europe before signing Viktor Gyökeres. Now, I can only see one weakness left in their squad on the left wing. Even with that weakness, this is a really, really good squad.
The Gunners’ defense contains Gabriel and William Saliba—the best center-back duo in the league—and Declan Rice, one of the best defensive midfielders in Europe. Jurrien Timber, Ben White, and Riccardo Calafiori are underrated defenders who can play multiple positions in the Gunners’ backline. The goalkeeper, David Raya, has won the Premier League Golden Glove award in both of the last two seasons.
In attack, I don’t need to tell you how good Martin Ødegaard and Bukayo Saka are, but I will anyway. Saka is arguably the most dangerous passer in the Premier League not named Mohamed Salah. He led the league in goal-creating actions and assists per 90 minutes.
Ødegaard, meanwhile, is an elite ball progressor. He was in the top ten for key passes last season and ranked third for passes into the penalty area and through balls. Bruno Fernandes and Bruno Guimaraes were the only Premier League midfielders who completed more progressive passes than Ødegaard.
It’s too early to say if this is the year they finally pull it off, but Arsenal’s squad is definitely good enough to win the Premier League.
2. Manchester City
On paper,Manchester City have probably had the best squad in the Premier League for nearly a decade. This season, though, I don’t think it’s particularly close between them and Liverpool. City have more gaps in their squad than ever and too many key players suffered from inconsistent form last year.
For the gaps, I’m immediately drawn to right-back and goalkeeper. Whether it’s Matheus Nunes or Rico Lewis, right-back is the weak link in Man City’s defense. In goal, it’s looking likely that James Trafford will take over from Ederson this season. He has potential, but he’s far from being one of the best goalkeepers in the Premier League right now.
The rest of Manchester City’s starting lineup (Erling Haaland, Omar Marmoush, Rodri, etc.) is solid, but I’m not as convinced by their bench as many others seem to be.
Oscar Bobb coming back from injury is a big boost to the squad, and Abdukodir Khusanov should take another step in his development. On the other hand, I’m not sure John Stones and Manuel Akanji are still top-quality players after their inconsistent performances and injuries last year. Ilkay Gundogan and Mateo Kovacic are in a similar position for me. At their best, they can be world-class players. I’m just not sure how often they can be at their best anymore.
1. Liverpool
I would’ve ratedLiverpool as the best squad in the Premier League before this transfer window started. Now that the Reds have spent £265m to sign Florian Wirtz, Hugo Ekitiké, Milos Kerkez, and Jeremie Frimpong, they are clearly the top team in the league this season.
Arne Slot’s team doesn’t have a single weak spot. Ekitiké looks like he could be one of the most dangerous forwards in the league already, and Salah is arguably the league’s best player. The midfield group of Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai, Ryan Gravenberch, Harvey Elliott, and Wataru Endo has just gotten even better with the addition of Wirtz.
If you wanted to be picky, you could point out Kerkez at left-back, but I think that would be harsh—especially since Andy Robertson is his backup.
Center-back is the only area I see that needs to be addressed. Even then, Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konaté are an elite center-back pairing. Liverpool just needs more depth. It’s clear the club agree with me, since they are trying to sign Marc Guéhi from Crystal Palace.
With or without Guéhi, I think this Liverpool team is far and away the best squad in the Premier League this season.
Cody Aceveda
Cody Aceveda is a freelance writer based in Porto, Portugal. He has written for The Trivela Effect since February 2023. Cody is a fan of the Brighton, Portland Timbers, Portland Thorns, and Rayo Vallecano. He is also an experienced iGaming writer with over two years experience writing about sports betting and the sports betting industry for a variety of outlets.