The 2025-26 Premier League season is upon us and there is so much intrigue as teams look to close the gap with reigning champion Liverpool and finish in the Champions League spots.
With a record number of teams in European competitions, the strength of the Premier League is perhaps at its peak, and the promoted teams all look strong and prepared for the nine-month August-to-May gantlet.
Let’s take a look at the key storylines heading into the new season.
Can new-look Liverpool get the balance right?
After spending big on four key signings this summer (and possibly adding striker Alexander Isak in the coming weeks for a British record transfer fee of over $150 million), Liverpool has not stood still.
But their expensive rebuild has shown signs of early growing pains.
German playmaker Florian Wirtz is a generational talent and looks like a bargain, even for $133 million.
Forward Hugo Ekitike is still raw but will score plenty. New fullbacks Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong are exciting and energetic. Yet the balance has been off in the preseason, and manager Arne Slot knows it.
Liverpool will score in bunches, but it’s all about getting the balance right, especially in defense and out wide. With Trent Alexander-Arnold sold to Real Madrid and Andy Robertson now a backup, Liverpool’s strength for so long has been out wide defensively.
Gyokeres could be the final piece in Arsenal’s trophy-hungry jigsaw
For so long Arsenal have wanted, and needed, a proper center forward to finish goal-scoring chances. Now they have it in Viktor Gyokeres.
The Swedish striker buried a header in their final preseason game and you could see the cogs swirling around inside the heads of Arsenal fans. “Hang on, is this it?!”
The comparisons to when Erling Haaland arrived at Manchester City are plentiful, and although Gyokeres still has a long way to go to reach those levels, on a simplistic level this should work.
Arsenal create so many chances and whip in so many crosses, but they drew 14 games in the Premier League last season.
Change of culture and new forward line has Manchester United looking up
Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim hit the reset button hard after a tough first eight months in charge. Last season was a disaster in the Premier League, but United showed they could still rise to the occasion as they made it to the Europa League final where they lost to Tottenham.
That probably did them a favor as they have no European action to worry about this season and Amorim can work longer and harder on the training ground with his squad.
In preseason all the talk has been about a change in culture at United. They have moved on Marcus Rashford, while Alejandro Garnacho and Rasmus Hojlund are next, and a line has been drawn in the sand. This underachievement can’t go on.
United have added real quality and experience in attack with Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo and Benjamin Sesko coming in.
After Club World Cup glory, Chelsea can challenge for the title
Chelsea has some serious momentum heading into the new season as Enzo Maresca’s young side won the Club World Cup, unexpectedly, this summer and that has seen them grow massively in confidence.
Cole Palmer is their star but new recruits Joao Pedro, Liam Delap and Jamie Gittens will give them an extra cutting edge and decisiveness in the final third.
That’s the thing Chelsea missed last season as Maresca’s side dominated games but couldn’t put teams away.
They have the Champions League to look forward to, too, and there is no slowing down in signing new players as Xavi Simons, Alejandro Garnacho and others are linked with moves to Stamford Bridge.
Other storylines to keep an eye on …
Record nine Premier League teams will play in Europe
Get used to plenty of Premier League teams rotating their lineups as a record nine teams will compete in European competitions this season. Six teams are in the Champions League with Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester City, Chelsea and Newcastle joined by Tottenham Hotspur courtesy of the latter winning the Europa League last season.
Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest will be in the Europa League and Crystal Palace are in the Conference League.
Manchester City continues to wait for a verdict
After winning four-straight titles, Pep Guardiola and Manchester City rallied to finish third last season as new signings in January kicked them on.
City has added the likes of Ait-Nouri, Cherki and Reijnders in the summer, and even if they aren’t favorites for the title, they will be up there.
But there is still plenty of doubt about its future as the verdict regarding the 115 charges from the Premier League against City (the charges are for a period from 2009 until 2018) still loom.
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