Premier League 2025/26: Ladbrokes' writers predict the upcoming season

The Premier League 2025/26 is nearly upon us with another thrilling campaign expected in England's top flight.

Our expert writers Cian Cheesbrough, Matt Blogg, Tom Johnston and Harvey Watkins have stuck their necks out and had a go at predicting how they think the season will pan out, including the title winner, top goalscorer and the surprise package.

Liverpool were hardly unbeatable as Premier League champions last season and like Manchester City, have a host of new signings who I think will take time to gel. Arsenal are much more settled and have added some real quality and it might just be finally theirs for the taking, but it will be a close-run race!

Prediction: Arsenal

Last season was looking good for Man City until Rodri did his ACL, and they've strengthened in key areas this summer, so I can see them taking their crown back. Liverpool aren't convincing me defensively, and I think Arsenal are getting left behind a little bit, so the title is heading back to Manchester.

Prediction: Man City

I can't look past Liverpool. They were comfortably the best team in the league last year and have massively strengthened, but it will be interesting to see how long it takes for the new signings to settle. I'm resigned to Alexander Isak leaving Newcastle for Anfield, which is a terrifying prospect for the rest of the league.

Prediction: Liverpool

Liverpool were so dominant last season, winning the league in April, and they've spent over £300m this summer already. With Alexander Isak potentially joining before the end of the window too for well over £150m, it's hard to look past Arne Slot's men. I'm tipping the Reds to go back-to-back for the first time in decades.

Prediction: Liverpool

Liverpool and City will finish safely inside the top four and will be joined by Chelsea. Aston Villa are always in the European race under Unai Emery and an improved Tottenham will pip Manchester United and Newcastle, who for differing reasons I'm not confident they'll be up there with the big boys this season.

Prediction (1-6): Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester City, Chelsea, Aston Villa, Tottenham

City and Liverpool are far and away the top two for me, with Chelsea coming up behind them. They've recruited so many players, some of them are bound to impress - especially up top. Arsenal will be in the UCL spaces, just ahead of Villa, and I'm backing Thomas Frank's Spurs to complete the top 6.

Prediction (1-6): Man City, Liverpool, Chelsea, Arsenal, Aston Villa, Tottenham

Arsenal have all the tools to mount another serious challenge but will just fall short again. It should be a great title race, with City and Chelsea serious contenders too. Villa's depth should see them get 5th over Newcastle and Spurs, who will hope to have good runs in the Champions League.

Prediction (1-6): Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester City, Chelsea, Aston Villa, Newcastle

Famous last words, but the top four seems pretty easy to predict this year, with Arsenal, Man City and Chelsea (in that order) sitting behind title winners Liverpool. Aston Villa and Newcastle haven't added enough in the summer window to make it in, so I'm going with Tottenham and Man United to make up the rest of the top six.

Prediction (1-6): Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester City, Chelsea, Tottenham, Manchester United

Sorry Sunderland fans, I'm not sure Granit Xhaka is enough to save you from relegation! I think it could be a tough season for Leeds but Burnley might be the team to break the promoted teams curse, which spells trouble for West Ham after a lack of signings since a poor 2024/25 campaign.

Prediction (18-20): West Ham, Sunderland, Leeds

I'd love to sit here and say that all three promoted clubs will stay up, but I'm not sure how that ever happens again. The 'worst of the rest' last season was Spurs, so any team coming up has it all to do. That being said, I think Sunderland's summer business will be enough, and I really fear for Wolves. They haven't won a game in pre-season and their two best players have been sold, so they're bang in trouble.

Prediction (18-20): Wolves, Leeds, Burnley

The promoted sides will give it a good go, and if all three go straight back down for the third season in a row, the gap to the Championship is clearly becoming unsustainable. Brentford, Wolves and West Ham should probably be worried, but they all have proven Premier League quality, and ultimately I think Sunderland, Leeds and Burnley will be unable to bridge that divide.

Prediction (18-20): Sunderland, Leeds, Burnley

Poor Brentford... Thomas Frank, Bryan Mbeumo and Christian Nørgaard have all left the club, and it's quite likely that Yoane Wissa follows too. A lot of the success that the Bees have had over the last few seasons has been down to the aforementioned four names, so I wouldn't be surprised to see them get relegated. They join Burnley and Sunderland in my predicted bottom three.

Prediction (18-20): Brentford, Sunderland, Burnley

Liverpool, Arsenal and City will have a host of top-performing players but Cole Palmer stands out more as an individually pivotal player for Chelsea and he should be back to his top form for the Blues this season.

Prediction: Cole Palmer

In a season where Man City have all the ingredients to get back to their best, I can see Phil Foden becoming a key player again and winning POTY for the second time. He'll have to step up with the new signings coming through the door - but I think he'll do just that.

Prediction: Phil Foden

I think this season Declan Rice takes his game to another level. He's started to add goals and assists to his locker, and the signing of Martin Zubimendi will give him freedom to roam the pitch. He's a leader, English and liked by the media, which never hurts either.

Prediction: Declan Rice

Liverpool's summer business has been so impressive that it's easy to forget Slot added Florian Wirtz to his title winning squad well before the start of pre-season. The attacking midfielder cost over £100m, and with good reason too. He's one of the best players in the game right now, and he's going to prove that with a PFA Player of the Season win in his first season.

Prediction: Florian Wirtz

Salah, Gyokeres and Isak (whichever club he's playing for) will all score goals but Erling Haaland is a different beast, scoring 22 in 2024/25 in what was seen as a poor campaign. It would be foolish to back anyone else!

Prediction: Erling Haaland

At the risk of being a bit predictable, I can't look past the best striker in the league, especially if I'm tipping City to win it. There will be less pressure on Haaland to score if the likes of Marmoush, Foden and Cherki chip in, but the Norwegian will still comfortably get 20+.

Prediction: Erling Haaland

As Cian said, we're so used to Haaland's ridiculous goalscoring rate. He's scored 85 Premier League goals in three seasons! If he stays fit he'll win it comfortably. Gyokeres will run him closest, with Isak seemingly happy not to play for a bit.

Prediction: Erling Haaland

Haaland has won the Golden Boot in two of his three Premier League seasons so far, and I'm expecting him to make it three out of a possible four by the time the campaign ends next May. The Man City man is the most clinical striker in the world, despite what an injury hit run last season may have caused fans to forget.

Prediction: Erling Haaland

After topping both the goals and assists charts last season, Salah will have even more players to lay it on a plate for this season and should rack up the assists again in what is an underrated part of the Egyptian's game.

Prediction: Mohamed Salah

Having got 10 assists last season in a campaign where Aston Villa weren't at their best, Morgan Rogers has every chance of building on that this term - especially with Ollie Watkins scoring for fun in pre-season.

Prediction: Morgan Rogers

Wirtz looked really impressive on his debut in the Community Shield, and if he can hit the ground running should have no problem providing assists for Liverpool's fearsome attack. Slot will build this team around him.

Prediction: Florian Wirtz

For years many fans have said that Mohamed Salah is going to slow down and become less effective, but with each passing season the Egyptian seems to only get better and better. While I see Haaland winning the Golden Boot, Salah will use his elite playmaking abilities to pick up the Most Assists, supplying goals for Hugo Ekitike, Cody Gakpo, Wirtz and potentially Isak.

Prediction: Mohamed Salah

Hugo Ekitike and Florian Wirtz showed enough in the Community Shield that they'll be successes in the Premier League but for a more left-field choice, I'm backing new forward Evann Guessand to make a name for himself at Villa under Emery after a breakout season in Ligue 1.

Prediction: Evann Guessand

There have been some huge signings this summer, but Joao Pedro has the potential to be the stand-out. The Brazilian has already hit the ground running at Chelsea, and will take a lot of the pressure off Cole Palmer, with so much quality to offer in any one of the forward positions.

Prediction: Joao Pedro

With honourable mentions to Wirtz and Joao Palhinha, who I think will suit Thomas Frank perfectly at Spurs, the signing of Zubimendi for Arsenal is going massively under the radar. It won't be long before we're talking about this guy as one of the league's elite defensive midfielders.

Prediction: Martin Zubimendi

I've gone with Wirtz to win the POTY, so there's no way I can't have him as the signing of the season. However, I want to give an honourable mention to Joao Palhinha. I think he's exactly the type of player Spurs need, and Frank will love him. Expect Tottenham to do well this year, and the ex-Fulham man will be a key reason why.

Prediction: Joao Palhinha

Everyone seems to think Brentford are doomed after losing their manager, best player and captain - but don't forget Thomas Frank first got the role after being promoted from within back in 2018, so I think Keith Andrews will surprise a few as Bees manager.

Prediction: Brentford

Everton haven't been a feared Premier League team for a number of years now, but that could all be about to change. The move to their new stadium has helped attract big signings like Jack Grealish and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, and with a strong core of Pickford, N'Diaye, and Branthwaite - and most importantly, David Moyes - they're going to be a team to watch.

Prediction: Everton

I don't know if this counts as a surprise at this point, but I'm backing Man Utd to continue their recent trend and have another mediocre season. Their fans are getting a bit excited, which is how you know it's the transfer window. I think the highest they'll finish is 8th, and wouldn't be surprised if they missed the top 10. They still haven't fixed their midfield.

Prediction: Manchester United

As I've said previously, I expect Spurs to do well this year. I can't look past Frank. He's a world class manager who always punches above his weight. With key signings in Kudus and Palhinha coming in, and more potentially to join soon, Tottenham have addressed the issues in their squad. I expect them to challenge for a Champions League spot, potentially even getting into the competition if the Premier League is awarded five places again.

Prediction: Tottenham Hotspur

I'm expecting Leeds to struggle this season and Daniel Farke has yet to prove he can make the step up to the Premier League after dominating the Championship for years. He feels like an easy target, but that's for a reason and I'm just not convinced he's been backed enough to compete at this level.

Prediction: Daniel Farke

Nottingham Forest might have argued their way into the Europa League, but I can't see them having an enjoyable season this time around. They ended last season poorly, and only scored one goal in seven pre-season games. Nuno will either walk, or be given the boot.

Prediction: Nuno Espirito Santo

I'm not particularly sold on Man Utd, as you might be beginning to tell. The idea that Amorim is the first manager to deploy a back-three is funny, when Antonio Conte won the league in his first season at Chelsea using that exact formation. Teams don't fear Old Trafford anymore, the fans will turn by Christmas, Amorim will be gone soon after.

Prediction: Ruben Amorim

Nothing against Keith Andrews, and Brentford definitely do tend to get these things right, but you can't say that appointing a set piece coach as your Premier League manager isn't a risk. Unfortunately, Brentford have been gutted of players this summer, so I think Andrews is at real risk of being the first manager to leave this season.

Prediction: Keith Andrews

All odds and market details are accurate as of the time of publication.

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