PL PREVIEW: PART THREE

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. This is part three of four.

LEEDS:

THE WINDOW SO FAR

Following their eventual promotion back to the top flight in May, Leeds have brought a solid 4 players through the door. A favourite of mine is former Wolfsburg and Manchester City striker Lukas Nmecha who once showed promising talent but has since been very injury prone and struggles for game time. Hopefully he can be back at his best coming back to England as he can be a threat when not on the sidelines. Other signings include £22M centre-back Jaka Bijol from Udinese and £11M defender Gabriel Gudmundsson from Lille. Dominic Calvert Lewin reportedly turned us down in favour of a move to Elland Road, but I'm not disappointed about that.

LAST SEASON

Following their play-off final defeat to Southampton the previous in 23/24 it was expected that the following season would be the one for Leeds to blitz the league. And they did exactly that. Only Burnley could put up with them for the whole season, eventually ending in an epic final day clash to decide the title. It luckily fell to them on goal difference as they beat Plymouth 2-1. Farke’s men were consistently beating teams with huge scoreline including emphatic performances by scoring 7, 6 and 4 past Cardiff, Stoke and Bristol City respectively. Remaining the favourite side to go up all season it is clear to see the club is a force to be reckoned with in the second tier.

THE MANAGER

While carrying some top flight experience under his belt with Norwich, those were in horror seasons in which both ended in a dead last finish. Although well-proven by now in the Championship this has made fans worried as to whether the side will stay up at all. However, a year-long spell at Borussia Mönchengladbach in which he achieved tenth with the side shows he can grind out good performance at high levels. Regarded as a very mixed bag, fans will hope that this time Farke can develop a good side.

SUMMARY AND PREDICTION

With the somewhat high activity in the transfer market, I believe Leeds will attempt to put up a fight. But now that expectations are high that all promoted sides go right back down the bar is set high for Farke’s side following their 2-year absence from the Prem. I imagine them to not beat the agenda of newly promoted teams and finish 19th.

LIVERPOOL:

THE WINDOW SO FAR

Liverpool got off to a flying start with the signings of young Bundesliga talents Jeremie Frimpong and Florian Wirtz to boost their defence and midfield options respectively. Frimpong is a lightning-fast right-back who is very helpful both going forward and defending while the £125M fee coughed up for Wirtz is sure to be worth it with the 22-year-old attacking midfielder putting 16 goals and 14 assists on his tally last season. Despite having half the league chasing his signature, left-back Milos Kerkez has ended up on Merseyside. A shining player recently for Bournemouth, he is bound to excel with the Reds. Hugo Ekitike looks to be a great addition and perhaps Alexander Isak will be joining him up front!

LAST SEASON

Nothing short of spectacular. The club won their 20th league title in 24/25 with a team nobody expected to bounce back right away after losing long-standing legend Jurgen Klopp. Defying all odds and looking ready for the title by December, it is a season of wonder that fans will never forget. Domestically, not so much. Letting Newcastle win the Carabao Cup was a moment to forget, as well as losing to the eventual Champions League winners PSG. However, a truly rock-bottom moment was a 1-0 loss in the FA Cup to Plymouth of all teams: the notoriously horrendous Championship side that got relegated in 23rd.

THE MANAGER

Following the departure of the beloved Jurgen Klopp in 2024 after his 9-year tenure, there were big boots to fill for Feynoord boss Arne Slot upon his arrival. An esteemed manager already in the Eredivisie, he inherited a brilliant Reds team and was a clear favourite to win the league early on while shutting down speculation of a disappointing start.

SUMMARY AND PREDICTION

Given the momentum and consistent form the club was in all season, I believe Slot can find success again with the usual standout players alongside the hopes of new signings hitting the ground running. I predict (and would also much prefer) for Liverpool to complete the double and finish first again.

MAN CITY:

THE WINDOW SO FAR

With a very strong squad, the club have sent £100M man Jack Grealish on loan to Everton. It has been no secret that this price tag has not lived up to expectations with a slew of poor performances on and off the pitch alongside injuries. New signings include Wolves’ Rayan Ait-Nouri in the left-back position for a fee of around £37M and star winger Rayan Cherki from Lyon for the same price. A regular starter in France from the age of 19, his skill Premier League will be tested with high expectations.

LAST SEASON

As for a team of high standards that Pep Guardiola has built up over his time in Manchester, last season was not what was expected. A horror run of form in the November period led to a winless month and 7 games without a win. Such a sudden implosion was not expected for fans who were hoping for a fifth league title in a row and killed all hopes of a title immediately. Omar Marmoush and Abdukodir Khusanov were brought in an January signings to help get City back on track, but it was far too late. However the club still finished in third place with 71 points to their name and qualified for the Champions League again.

THE MANAGER

Does he really need an explanation? Spanish boss Pep Guardiola has been tactical genius everywhere he has managed. From his 3/4 year spells at Bayern Munich and Barcelona to his now 9-year tenure in blue, he has revolutionised the game and changed the way it is played. Winning the league 6 times and even a historic treble in 2023, it is safe to say that Pep will be recognised as one of the best to ever do it.

SUMMARY AND PREDICTION

Having sorted out problems on and off the pitch, the Blues will be able to pick back up their winning ways but will still be just narrowly beaten by Liverpool again. Hence a second place finish.

MAN UTD:

THE WINDOW SO FAR

Improvement is a must for the club going into 25/26, with the signing of esteemed forward Matheus Cunha from Wolves for £75M being confirmed last month and Brentford's Bryan Mbeumo also arriving for big money. Benjamin Sesko is expected to lead the line after arriving from Leipzig.

LAST SEASON

To say the least, 24/25 was a season every fan would like to quickly erase from memory. Weeks of woe in the league led to an eventual finish in 15th, and the worst start to a season in a long time. October saw the sacking of Erik Ten Haag, who many fans thought to be the problem. November saw the appointment of rising coach from Sporting, Ruben Amorim. Saw by many to be the answer, it only confirmed the fact that the problems within the club were much deeper than on the pitch. However, one hope that always remained was that of the Europa League. Throughout the campaign they pulled off decent performances but still failed to win over Tottenham in the final. A horror show of a season.

THE MANAGER

An esteemed coach at Sporting, Ruben Amorim has been able to get the most out of players such as Viktor Gyokeres who is now wanted everywhere in the world. In his time at Sporting he won two league titles and helped the side to win a third title despite departing halfway through the season. Still on the come-up as a manager, his brief stint with the Devils has definitely been one of chaos. However, he has pushed through and stood his ground with players that have a notable attitude.

SUMMARY AND PREDICTION

It has been recognised by the club that a rebuild must be done to grow as a club and try to restore their name to former glory. If more signings are made and more action is taken going forward, I believe the club can finish 9th. We are scheduled to play Man United first away on the fourth of October with the home fixture being on the ninth of May.