Who will be the biggest disappointment of the 2025-26 Premier League season? GOAL writers make their predictions

Mark Doyle: It's difficult not to be a little worried for Aston Villa. Unai Emery has done a sensational job with a club the hapless Steven Gerrard left in relegation trouble and reached the quarter-finals of last season's Champions League, where they were narrowly beaten by eventual winners Paris Saint-Germain. However, Villa's failure to qualify for this season's competition has hit them hard by seriously restricting their market movements. Emery's squad has barely been strengthened at all; in fact, it's even weaker than last season and when one considers Thursday night football is never really conducive to a good Premier League season. As such, Villa really run the risk of regressing this year.

James Westwood: Newcastle will fall out of the Champions League places after failing to land almost all of their primary summer transfer targets. Eddie Howe does not have the tools to build on the club's historic 2024-25 campaign, and things could yet get worse with star striker Alexander Isak pushing for the exits. The Magpies may struggle to even finish in the top eight if Isak leaves, because no one in the squad is even close to capable of replicating his goal output.

Amee Ruszkai: After being a wonderful addition to the Premier League in recent seasons, I'm really concerned about Brentford this term. Not only have they lost a fantastic manager in Thomas Frank, and replaced him with the inexperienced Keith Andrews, they've also bid farewell to top scorer Bryan Mbeumo, club captain Christian Norgaard and could yet lose starting striker Yoanne Wissa as well. It feels like too much all at once and could well result in the Bees losing their place in the top-flight.

Sean Walsh: The case for Manchester City improving on last season is that Pep Guardiola is one of the best managers ever and they have too much quality to fail so spectacularly again. That said, the Catalan coach is already talking of taking a post-Etihad sabbatical, while their signings have been a little strange. They'll need Rodri to get back up to speed to compete for the title again.

Tom Maston: Given the levels they've reached over the past two seasons, a finish more towards mid-table mediocrity would be seen as disappointment for Aston Villa. Under Unai Emery, Villa are a club with genuine Champions League aspirations, but their lack of transfer business is a concern given the spending that has gone on around them. Sure, if they are able to keep hold of Morgan Rogers, Ollie Watkins and Emiliano Martinez, then they still have a side capable of fighting for a top-four finish, but the impact of playing in the Europa League shouldn't be forgotten. In fact, their best chance of getting themselves back into the Champions League may well prove to be via winning the Europa League, though that will almost certainly come at a cost where it concerns their league form.

Joe Strange: Arsenal have spent big again this summer, splashing out nearly £200m to give Mikel Arteta the prolific striker he's been crying out for in Viktor Gyokeres, while strengthening in a number of other areas too. It won't be enough to win the title, though, and that will undoubtedly raise more questions over the manager's ability to take the Gunners back to the summit of English football. Another top-four finish has its merits, but it's ultimately not enough for a club who crave Premier League glory again.

Krishan Davis: Newcastle were outstanding in 2024-25 despite having a very quiet transfer window last summer, even ending their trophy drought. Things feel different this time around, though, amid a similar lack of activity and the threat of losing their best player if Liverpool get their way. When you compare that to the spending of the likes of Arsenal, Liverpool, Man City, Chelsea and even Manchester United, the Magpies are under serious threat of being left behind, especially as Tottenham could be resurgent too.

Stephen Darwin: After looking the part at the Club World Cup, with their dismantling of PSG in the final a particular feather in the cap, it feels like Chelsea have been talked up far too much as a result, and they'll ultimately fold under the weight of that expectation. Enzo Maresca will need another huge season from Cole Palmer, and it might be a case that many of the league's top defenders will have, to an extent, sussed him out. They'll sneak into the top four, but the trophy ribbons won't be blue in 2026.

Richard Martin: This should have been the season in which Newcastle consolidated their rise to the big time after winning their first trophy in 56 years and returning to the Champions League - and yet it feels like they have gone off the rails before the campaign has even begun. The Magpies began the transfer window with no sporting director and then missed out on all their major targets, only signing Anthony Elanga and Aaron Ramsdale. Alexander Isak then further destroyed club morale by asking to leave. It feels like the ship has already capsized and it will take real leadership from Eddie Howe to prevent it sinking.