The summer has not gone well for certain managers, while certain high-profile signings are under intense pressure to justify their fees
The new Premier League season is about to get under way, with defending champions Liverpool hosting Bournemouth on Friday, so it's time for us at GOAL to stick our necks out and make some predictions.
Ahead of the big kick-off at Anfield, our writers have already started having their say on the biggest talking points going into the 2025-26 season, including the Golden Boot winner, the first manager to be sacked and potential surprise packages.
Here, though, we're focusing on flops, by trying to figure out which teams will be the biggest disappointments of the coming campaign. Last term saw both Tottenham and Manchester United finish in the bottom six, so is there a team who could follow suit this time around? Our writers have their say…
Getty Images Sport'Villa run the risk of regressing'
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.
AdvertisementGetty Images Sport'Newcastle may struggle to finish in the top eight'
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.
Getty Images Sport'Brentford could be relegated'
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.
Getty'City's signings have been a little strange'
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.