PL PREVIEW: PART ONE

With the new Premier League season now upon us, the prospect of Sunderland facing the big teams as well as some new clubs is becoming more and more exciting. For those who like a long read, Gabriel Naile has done a deep-dive into every single team we'll play in 25/26. It'll be split up into several parts, this is part one.

ARSENAL:

THE WINDOW SO FAR

Across the last few weeks, Arsenal have not made as many moves currently as the fans would have liked, with the biggest names being Chelsea's Noni Madueke and Viktor Gyokeres from Sporting - finally, a proper number nine at the Emirates. Fans believe that a club of Arsenal’s stature should be chasing for “bigger” names instead of what is essentially a glorified backup player. Further names arriving at the Emirates include Brentford’s Christian Norgaard for £11M, the long-awaited Martin Zubimendi from Real Sociedad for £55M alongside Kepa Arrizabalaga for £8M after impressing at Bournemouth. The departure of right-back Takehiro Tomiyasu has taken place but last season he only played six minutes across the whole league season due to injury.

LAST SEASON

While difficult to pinpoint if it were a good or bad season as a whole for the Gunners, it is safe to say it was filled with equal highs and lows. A 3rd runners-up finish may come as an annoyance to fans, as many expect the club to be pushing on further towards a real title charge rather than to stagnate around their usual expectations. Overall, the league did not go too badly for the Gunners, who went on to finish 10 points behind a red-hot Liverpool side who looked poised for the title by December. In their cup campaigns is where things went much further south: within a week of each other they were eliminated from both the Carabao and FA Cups to eventual winners Newcastle and round 5 losers Manchester United on penalties respectively. Throughout the season, their saving grace remained the Champions League, hoping to impress. Impress they did as they cruised to the quarter finals against Real Madrid where they managed two big wins across both legs to win 5-1 on aggregate. Unfortunately, Arsenal were eliminated from the semi-finals to another eventual winner, PSG.

THE MANAGER

Mikel Arteta has been at the club now for nigh on six years now, joining in December 2019 following his days on Pep Guardiola’s coaching staff. In his time in North London, he has overseen 290 games with a 59% win rate. Restoring Arsenal to a consistently high-finishing club has been a massive achievement in his coaching career but has also, somewhat unfortunately, brought an equal amount of dirt to his name. Consistency is one thing, but winning is another. A lack of trophies is a glaring problem, as none have been won since around his initial arrival. A covid-ridden FA Cup and two Community Shields is nowhere near acceptable for six years at the wheel of a club like Arsenal.

SUMMARY AND PREDICTION

With all things said, it is now glaringly obvious to predict Arsenal to finish 2nd again following their new expectations from fans. However, I believe Arsenal will struggle to keep up with the title charge with a few shock losses along the way. Necessary steps will need to be taken to improve, which first means taking a few steps back. If so, a season of overviewing the successes and failures means that I will be tipping Arsenal for a 3rd place finish in 2026. Despite this, I believe that if the right steps are taken then things are bound to be positive.

ASTON VILLA:

THE WINDOW SO FAR

Coming off the back of another impressive season and narrowly missing out on Champions League next season, Villa are yet to make moves in the transfer window in terms of bringing players in, with the only departure being former European star Philippe Coutinho finally leaving permanently, for Vasco de Gama in Brazil, after a disappointing spell at Villa Park across a few years. However, the rumours look much more promising. Manager Unai Emery has reportedly had his eyes on a return for former midfielder Douglas Luis following a subpar season in Italy with Juventus alongside his teammate Federico Gatti.

LAST SEASON

In short, it was another stellar season for Villa under Emery. With European qualification now being the main goal, the team has done exactly that, having missed out on qualification for the Champions League due to a controversial goal that left all fans wondering if it should have stood. Despite this, Europa League football will be played next season due to their 6th-placed finish. This is still leagues above that of just three years prior, with battles for survival and mid-table finishes, and keeps the fans happy to be performing well and doing so consistently. Their league campaign was another solid one with this culminating in 66 points, placing them on goal difference to the Mags and only three points behind 4th place Chelsea. Their long-awaited campaign in the Champions League was a promising one, with a relatively easy path to the quarter finals, where they would unfortunately be beaten by the eventual winners PSG in a very close 5-4 aggregate. Along their journey came a monumental 1-0 win over Bayern Munich, with Jhon Duran firing the long-range shot past Manuel Neuer to round off an unforgettable night.

THE MANAGER

A manager who needs no introduction, Unai Emery’s time across Europe has been an interesting one. He is a serial winner in Spain with the Europa League a particular favourite of his (three with Sevilla, one with Villareal) and a 2x French Cup winner with PSG. Villa fans widely regard Emery as their best manager of recent times, having guided them to the Champions, Europa and Europa Conference Leagues across his near-three-year reign. From developing players such as former Exeter and Brentford striker Ollie Watkins into a 15-goal player and forming the recent successes of Morgan Rogers, Youri Tielemans and Jhon Duran, Emery knows how to get the best out of his players.

SUMMARY AND PREDICTION

Given their recent record of European qualification, it would be no crazy prediction to make that Villa would do it again. It can be argued that they had placed their focuses on Europe much more than the league, hence the more laid-back approach. Their European success eclipses that of high finishes, but I believe that this season will be a much more balanced approach. With hopes of returning to the Champions League again, I believe Villa will be ever so slightly pipped once again, finishing 5th.

BRENTFORD:

THE WINDOW SO FAR

At this moment in the transfer window, things look fairly concerning for the Bees. Having just lost their long-serving boss Thomas Frank to Tottenham, much speculation has been stirred around how the club will perform after losing star man Mbeumo, and also potentially Wissa. Amongst this however has come the signing of consistent talent Caoimhin Kelleher for £21M. A proven keeper during his time at Liverpool and well-liked for putting up brilliant performances when the team was riddled with injuries, this buy should surely be a good one. Another former of Liverpool arrives in the form of Jordan Henderson, sporting their captain’s armband and sadly quashing any dreams of a Wearside homecoming.

LAST SEASON

Excelling once again and proving themselves to be a stable side in the top flight, Brentford showed no signs of wanting to continue what seemed to be a season of error in 23/24. Fans were sceptical going into 24/25 after a 16th place finish alongside the loss of star striker Ivan Toney. But it seemed that this seemingly crucial loss was of no worry to Frank or the rest of the squad, as the side went on to score 66 goals and finish 10th, only behind 9th-placed Bournemouth on goal difference. Varying doubt was set upon the Bees after Toney’s departure to Saudi after his 20-goal season. However, they knuckled down and put the loss aside. Come the end of the season Mbeumo scored 20 to match Toney’s previous tally and Wissa managed a further 19. An unexpected turnaround resulted in great joy for fans, proving once again that they are able to stay afloat in the Premier League.

THE MANAGER

The recent loss of Thomas Frank has been seen as a large blow by many fans, with former set-piece coach Keith Andrews appointed as his replacement. Despite his many playing spells most notably with Wolves, MK Dons and Blackburn in the 2000’s this is his only first-team managerial stint to date since his playing days came to an end in 2015, following assistant roles at MK Dons and the Republic of Ireland at both under-21 and senior level until November 2023 alongside a place in Sheffield United’s backroom staff the following month. Obviously Brentford wanted a familiar face around the club to fill such a void left by Frank, but to hire a coach with no real managerial experience seems a real risk.

SUMMARY AND PREDICTION

Despite Brentford showing excellent ability to do well under pressure, the loss of their well-renowned boss and two brilliant performers in the squad spells trouble again for the side. The Premier League moves fast, and teams must adapt equally as quick to keep up. I predict a rocky season overall, but signs of promise through players such as Kevin Schade and Mikel Damsgaard will guide them to 14th place.

BRIGHTON:

THE WINDOW SO FAR

A club notorious in recent years for their excellent transfer business and eye for foreign talent, Brighton have since added left-back Maxim De Cuyper from Club Brugge for £20M who played 109 games across two seasons for the Belgian club and is expected to challenge for a spot in the team’s defence. Before las season even ended they announced the signing of a young lad called Tommy Watson, apparently he scored an important goal in May. Coming the other way of course is promising winger Simon Adingra in a deal worth over £20M. A slow start to the window likely means that searches are ongoing, as a push for Europe is likely on the cards again after falling unsuccessful twice in a row.

LAST SEASON

The club’s sudden resurgence from just five years prior continued to prove itself more in 24/25. From being a club fighting for Premier League survival to playing in the Europa League just two years ago, their transformation is nothing short of remarkable. However, a rethink was needed following an 11th place finish due to focusing their efforts primarily on Europe during that time and the subsequent departure of manager Roberto De Zerbi. This did not faze Brighton at all, with them taking a shot at one of the league’s youngest ever managers in 31-year-old Fabian Hurzeler. This turned out to be a great call as the club racked up 16 wins and 63 points which ended in a positive 8th place. An improvement from their previous outing as there was no Europe to focus on, this can now hopefully be repeated.

THE MANAGER

While still only 32, German boss Fabian Hurzeler has already proven himself able to keep his side afloat and not letting the expectations on his name get the best of him. After a poor run of games in December and January which culminated in a horrifying 7-0 loss to Nottingham Forest on the first of February, it was reported that Hurzeler had made a complete shift in how his team were to play. After apologising for the club’s worst league defeat since 1958 they got straight back to work, their efforts proven by beating Chelsea just a week later and sparked the beginning of a seven-game unbeaten run lasting until 29th March. Someone always open to change up his tactics, he is absolutely one to keep for the future. Funnily enough, in the Brighton squad James Milner, Lewis Dunk, Joel Veltman and Danny Welbeck are all older than Fabian which maybe makes for a strange dynamic in the dressing room.

SUMMARY AND PREDICTION

As the Seagulls have established themselves as a fighter for frequent top-half places, I believe they can do so again in 25/26. While falling short of their European hopes again, I predict they can finish in 10th while producing a few more young talents to be on the lookout for in the coming years (including promotion-winner Watson).