As the new season begins, we will analyze the top contenders for the English Premier League title in the 2025/2026 season.
In this article, our experts will analyze various factors, including team recruitment, style of play, team depth, previous history, current form, and team incentives or motivation.. This is perhaps the best breakdown you will find online today.
Our top six ranking for the fight for the prestigious EPL title goes as follows:
(6)Tottenham
A bitter-sweet season indeed! Despite finishing 17th in the EPL with a -1 goal difference, they secured the UEFA Europa League title, proving their strength on the European stage. How joyous were they when they finally got a hold of their first title in 17 years! The 2024/25 season was disappointing for Spurs, who faced an injury crisis that sidelined as many as eight first-team players at once. After a disappointing performance in the Premier League, the Tottenham board members decided to part ways with Ange Postecoglou.
Thomas Frank, a proven mastermind at Brentford, is now the head coach of Tottenham, poised to lead the team into a dynamic new chapter. This marks the beginning of a powerful new era defined by strategic excellence and a relentless pursuit of competitive success.. We expect a positive managerial bounce. A potential boost could see them rising to 6th place in the 2025/26 campaign, despite their poor league position in the 2024/25 season. Below is our reason for such a prediction;
Team Recruitment: Notable signings like Mohammed Kudus, Joao Palhinha, Luka Vuskovic, Kevin Danso, and Matthys Tel will help bolster their squad, giving them the squad depth they lacked when they had their injury crisis last season. They are finalizing the signings of Eberechi Eze and Savinho, which will decisively strengthen the team. Adding those players to their squad will significantly increase their chances of qualifying for a European spot.
Style of Play: Thomas Frank demonstrates remarkable adaptability in his tactical formations, skillfully tailoring his strategies to exploit the strengths and weaknesses of his opponents. During the pre-season friendly matches, he made switches from 4-4-1-1 to 4-2-3-1 to 4-3-3. We also saw him nearly masterfully executing the 3-5-2 formation in the UEFA Super Cup match against PSG.
We also expect Tottenham to be a force to reckon with when it comes to set pieces.
Tottenham is set to clinch a 6th-place finish, with impressive odds of 2.60 available on BetKing. This is an opportunity you won’t want to miss!
(5) Manchester United
Following their abysmal display in the 2024/2025 season, where they finished 15th in the league table, amassing 42 points, with a negative goal difference of -10, we have tipped Manchester United to finish 5th in the 2025/26 season. While this might seem like a dramatic jump as they have lots of points and goal difference to make up for (in context, Newcastle finished 5th in that season with 66 points and a +21 goal difference), find our reason for such expectations from the Red Devils below.
Team Recruitment: Manchester United’s recruitment this season focuses more on their attack deficiencies. Having signed Matheus Cunha from Wolves, Bryan Mbeumo from Brentford, and Benjamin Sesko from RB Leipzig, we expect this trio, with a combination of 78 goals contributed from last season, to have an impact on the Red Devils attack, an area in which they suffered from in the previous season. Comparing these stats to Man Utd’s expected outgoing forward players’ contribution(48), there is a healthy +30 goals contribution steered in that direction. We expect this to help Manchester United jump to 6th position.
Style of Play: While Ruben Amorim is dogmatic about his 3-4-3 formation, this approach can be quite helpful in solidifying his defensive system as the wingbacks adopt the fullback’s role, converting the formation to 5-4-1. They will tend to play more on the breaks. With the current clinical attacking players, we expect them to capitalise on their chances, making them a deadly team on the break.
The 2024/25 season marked Manchester United’s worst performance in Premier League history, as they finished a disappointing 15th, a significant decline from their previous 8th place under Erik ten Hag. We do not see history repeating itself.
One of the advantages of having the poor run they did in the 2024/25 campaign is that it gives players enough recovery time, as they will miss out on European competition. One of Amorim’s complaints for last season is not having time to properly implement his ideas on the training ground. You can call their miss in a European competition a blessing in disguise.
Ruben Amorim has set their target on securing a European spot this season, and we see that coming into fruition.
Bet on Manchester United to secure a 5th place finish at enticing odds of 2.00 on Bet9ja. This is a solid opportunity you won’t want to miss!
(4) Chelsea
Two words to describe The Blue’s 2024/25 season-el Magnifico! They earned a UEFA Champions League spot after finishing fourth in the league, amassing 69 points with a 21-goal difference. They also had a convincing 4-1 victory against Real Betis in the UEFA Conference League Cup. That was soon followed by their quest to conquer the world to become World Club Champions, defeating PSG 3-0 in the final, a 32-team tournament that was hosted in the USA, organised by FIFA. The statement win against the best team in Europe proved that Chelsea is a force to be reckoned with, and should not be looked past in the title challenge.
We have placed Chelsea to finish fourth this season. We strongly believe that the FIFA World Club Champions are a couple of signings away from being serious title contenders. They are moving in the right direction. We firmly believe Chelsea could finish higher than fourth, but their inexperience in the youthful squad will likely be a critical issue when the pressure mounts.This might lead to inconsistency in their performance.
Team Recruitment: The Blues aren’t one to shy away from the transfer market. They have had an eventful transfer season, bringing in players like Joao Pedro, Jamie Gittens, Jorrel Hato, Liam Delap, Estevao, and Dario Essugo. They play a pivotal role in the signings of Alejandro Garnacho and Xavi Simons.
Their squad depth is looking very healthy as they can boast of two quality players vying for every position.
Chelsea will finish in 4th place, and the odds for this on BetKing are currently at 1.70.
(3) Liverpool
The current Premier League champions had a brilliant season that saw them go level on league titles (20) with their arch-rival Manchester United. Overseeing the replacement of their iconic manager, Jurgen Klopp, Arne Slot brought about stability and balance to the Liverpool squad. Against all odds, they clinched the title and proudly secured their 20th English championship.
This was an impressive achievement, accomplished without any new signings except for Frederico Chiesa, who barely contributed on the field. Their impressive run saw them top the UEFA Champions League table (league phase), and carried them to the EFL cup final they lost to The Magpies.
Team Recruitment: Contrary to popular belief that Liverpool has had a fantastic transfer window, we beg to differ. In fact, as of the day of writing this piece, they have let out more players than they have replaced.
Notable Forward Players Out: Luis Diaz, Darwin Nunez, and the sad passing of Diogo Jota (RIP)
Notable Forward Player In: Ekitike
While some may argue that sensational British record signing player, Florian Wirtz, is a forward player, we have our reservations about that, as we see him playing more as an attacking midfielder or a free role midfield player.
While they can boast of a good first-team squad, their squad depth is quite shallow, as fatigue or an injury crisis could easily disrupt the team’s flow.
STYLE OF PLAY: Liverpool transitioned from Klopp’s heavy metal football to a balanced, energy-conservative style of play under Slot. While this is good for energy conservation, a downside would be being too passive and allowing opponents to dominate/dictate the gameplay.
Their defensive performance is concerning, having kept only one clean sheet in their last 16 matches.
We do not see Liverpool defending their title successfully, and have placed them as third in the 2025/26 Premier League season.
Liverpool will undoubtedly finish in third place, boasting strong odds of 1.50 on Bet9ja.
(2) Manchester City
By their incredible standards, “The Cityzens” had a blip in their performance for the 2025/26 campaign. A season Guardiola went without winning a silverware for the first time since his debut campaign in 2016/17. After losing their Ballon d’Or winner, Rodri, to a season-long injury, they lacked the right balance in the midfield, leaving them vulnerable to counterattacks.
Manchester City picked up at the close of the campaign, picking up 23 points from 27. We expect Manchester City’s strong performance to continue into the 2025/26 season, as they aim to reclaim their dominance. The title race is likely to be competitive and could go down to the wire. will go down to the wire.
TEAM RECRUITMENT: Following the loss of their midfield maestro, Rodri, to an ACL injury and the lack of mobility in their midfield, they have gone on to sign Nico Gonzalez, Tijjani Reijnders, and Ryan Cherki to help bolster their squad. We think they have overcompensated by making some extra signings, a thought Guardiola agrees with, as he once threatened to quit his job over the strength in squad depth.
Manchester City can boast of having at least two solid players for every role. Their squad depth is so rich and full of quality, and we believe this would help them charge on to the title.
STYLE OF PLAY: City loves dominating their opponents, thereby playing a defensive high line to help close the distance between the midfield and the attack. This was why Rodri was a big miss as he would usually help break up potential attacks from the opponents when they are susceptible to quick breaks. While Nico Gonzalez might not be in the same conversation with Ballon D’Or winner, Rodri, the signing of Reijnders would bring mobility and energy to the midfield, one that they lacked with some of their ageing players.
Manchester City will finish in second place, and BetKing confidently sets the odds at 2.00. This is a prime opportunity for bettors to take advantage of their undeniable talent and strong season performance. Don’t miss out!
(1) Arsenal
Yes, Arsenal will win the 2025/26 Premier League.
The Gunners have ended up as runners-up for the third consecutive time, losing the league title to Liverpool and Manchester City, respectively. We have tipped them to eventually see it over the line in the 2025/26 campaign.
Why Arsenal? Our key factors are undeniably clear: we excel in strategic team recruitment and we play with a captivating, dynamic style.
Team Recruitment: After the long cry of bringing in a marksman, the Gunners eventually brought in “the mask-man”. Viktor Gyokeres is one of the major signings that will help end the 22-year wait. Arsenal did a decent job in the transfer market by bringing in notable signings like Zubimendi, Gyokeres, Madueke, Noorgard, and Mosquera…
The midfield combination of Zubimendi, Rice, and Odegaard feels like a match made in heaven. The Spanish midfielder, Zubimendi, is known for his line-breaking passes, awareness of space and players around him, ability to sniff out danger, and isn’t shy of making robust tackles. This gives Declan Rice the freedom of mobility to be a box-to-box midfielder. Odegard is known for his flair and ability to play in tight spaces. His link-up play with Saka is one to watch.
Arsenal have a better squad depth than last season. The signing of Madueke is a proactive decision to provide cover on both flanks in case of injury or fatigue.
STYLE OF PLAY: One of the major reasons we tipped Arsenal to win the 2025/26 Premier League title is because of their defensive solidity while maintaining some of their fluid attacking football. They have the best defensive record in the league for two seasons in a row, conceding only 29 and 34 goals respectively. They defend in a unit as a team, making it difficult for the opponents to find spaces. Their set-piece prowess in both boxes is another one to consider.
To put it, they can win clean, and they can win dirty. This is a unique feature that champions are made of.
With Liverpool predicted to fall off the pace and Manchester City to struggle a little bit in defending quick breaks, this leaves Arsenal’s stability in previous years to rise above them. The EPL 2024/25 season will make for an interesting watch.
Arsenal to win the English Premier League title is placed at 3.00 odds on SportyBet.