It’s back. After a summer of watching other sports – and the occasional football match, courtesy of the Club World Cup – the Premier League is returning like it never left. Liverpool won England’s top division at a canter last time out, and Arne Slot will be hoping to mimic the success from his maiden season.
Others – Arsenal and Manchester City, most notably – will be looking to knock the Reds off their perch and what they will need are top performers. But the question is, will those players be able to?
Every time a new season comes around, there are strikers who do not score as many goals as predicted, midfielders who do not dictate the engine room as expected and some defenders who leak more goals than they wanted to. Here is an XI of Premier League players who may end up not reaching the heights expected of them throughout the coming season.
Goalkeeper: Aaron Ramsdale (Newcastle United)
Aaron Ramsdale’s move to Newcastle United is, for now, merely temporary, but there is an option to make his move permanent at the end of next season. Whereabouts Eddie Howe’s side will be at come May 2026 is currently unknown, of course – but Ramsdale, a five-cap England international, will unlikely strike confidence into the St James’ Park faithful this season.
Born and raised in Stoke-on-Trent, the shot-stopper was seamlessly replaced by David Raya at Arsenal for a reason; he was part of one of the worst teams in Premier League history (Southampton in 2024/25) and his shot-stopping, on the whole, is rather shaky. Placing your trust in him is a risk.
Right-Back: Jeremie Frimpong (Liverpool)
Trent Alexander-Arnold’s departure split the Liverpool fanbase: some believed he was well within his rights to leave; others are under the assumption that he let the club down. His replacement, Jeremie Frimpong, will be hoping to hit the ground running as he gets his Anfield career underway. But his introduction begs the question: will Arne Slot get the best out of him?
There is every chance that Frimpong, 24, will enjoy a solid season; but he is defensively vulnerable and is accustomed to bursting up the wing at every given chance. Conor Bradley, too, will provide plenty of competition, which means the Dutchman may not play week-in-week-out. There are going to be an awful lot of times when he’ll get caught out, especially with how defensively unstable the Reds have looked in pre-season.
Centre-Back: Cristian Romero (Tottenham Hotspur)
Will the weight of the armband prove too heavy for the Argentina international? Perhaps. Cristiano Romero’s future at Tottenham Hotspur was hanging in the balance earlier in the summer – with the likes of Atletico Madrid sniffing around his signature – but he’s seemingly now solidified his status by taking on the captain of the north Londoners.
Thomas Frank, in comparison to Ange Postecoglou, is much more pragmatic, which could help the 27-year-old, but there is no man on earth that could shake the rashness out of Romero. The young and exciting Luka Vuskovic will also be knocking on the door throughout the campaign, unnerving the World Cup winner in the process.
Centre-Back: Ruben Dias (Manchester City)
There was a point during Ruben Dias’ career when he was widely recognised as one of the – if not the – best defenders in world football, but that is no longer the case. The centre-back’s first few seasons at Manchester City were fantastic, but he’s experienced a dip in form in recent times, and may no longer be Pep Guardiola’s go-to man in the heart of the back line.
The Catalonia-born boss has an array of central defenders to pick from – Nathan Ake, Josko Gvardiol and Manuel Akanji all spring to mind – and whether Dias can hold his place remains to be seen. Another important factor to consider is the fact that he missed 11 Premier League games last season through injury.
Left-Back: Destiny Udogie (Tottenham Hotspur)
Destiny Udogie, since signing for Tottenham Hotspur from Udinese in the summer of 2023, has been quietly brilliant; but he’s largely been without serious competition, allowing him to go about his business unphased. But who else foresaw Djed Spence, a right-back by trade, being so well-rounded on the left?
Pedro Porro seemingly has the right-hand side locked off, which means Spence and Udogie could battle it out for that spot under the stewardship of Frank, who has given the Englishman the chance to shine in pre-season. The Italian is also currently returning from an injury – so how quickly he can get back up to speed is the question on everybody's lips.
Central Midfield: Granit Xhaka (Sunderland)
There’s no doubt that Granit Xhaka will bring plenty of experience – especially in the Premier League – to Sunderland. An underrated asset for Arsenal between 2016 and 2023, he left and became key in Bayer Leverkusen’s incredible 2023/24 campaign. It’s, therefore, not unfair to say that he’s used to rubbing shoulders with the very best in the game.
That, despite Regis Le Bris’ side enjoying a fruitful summer, will not be the case at the Stadium of Light; but can Basel-born Xhaka, who is now 32 years of age, drag them through tough times? During his time in north London, he was known for his hot-headed approach and that will not be useful for a club fighting who are looking to avoid the prospect of relegation.
Central Midfield: Jordan Henderson (Brentford)
Keith Andrews, Thomas Frank’s successor at Brentford, would have scuttled around the options of the summer transfer market looking for experience with the London club’s status as a Premier League side looking shaky. They landed on Jordan Henderson – a Premier League-winning captain, of course, but his stocks have dropped exponentially over the years.
Once Jurgen Klopp’s utility man in the middle of the park, Henderson left for the allure of the Saudi Pro League in 2023 – and that went, well, we don’t have to remind you. He became a fan favourite at Ajax, where he took up the role as skipper, but the former Liverpool man is far past it. He’s no longer got the legs to match the physicality of English football.
Central Attacking Midfield: Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United)
Despite the additions of Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha, Bruno Fernandes will remain Manchester United’s talisman for the coming season – though, he will likely be playing in a deeper midfield role. Since his arrival in January 2020, the Portuguese has thrived in a free-roaming role, but that won’t be the case under Ruben Amorim in the 2025/26 campaign.
GIVEMESPORT Key Statistic: In May 2025, Fernandes became the first player to reach north of 30 goal contributions in the Europa League’s knockout stages.
Commonly admired as one of the best penalty takers in world football, scoring from the spot could be a chance for the Red Devils skipper to get on the scoresheet moving forward – but however much you rate him as a player, his output will likely see a decrease by virtue of playing in a role further back and sharing the load. Maybe his employers should have listened closer to the £100+ million offers from Saudi Arabia.
Right Winger: Pedro Neto (Chelsea)
A brilliant player during his time on the books of Wolverhampton Wanderers, Pedro Neto has not set the Premier League alight in west London for Chelsea. The winger moved in the summer of 2024, and he's since notched 18 goal contributions in 51 outings for the Blues. You’d expect more from £54 million, wouldn’t you?
A name that was bound to excite the Stamford Bridge faithful but the club’s willingness to splash the cash has now bloated their attacking areas… is Neto’s spot in the team secure? Combine that with the Portugal international’s eyebrow-raising injury record and there’s every chance that he flatters to deceive Enzo Maresca once again.
Striker: Chris Wood (Nottingham Forest)
Happy to be proven wrong; but Chris Wood’s rampant form last season has to be something of an anomaly, right? The seasoned New Zealander plundered 20 goals in 36 Premier League appearances – but it’s important to note that two of those came in the final ten outings and having to balance Europa League football, too, will be a concern for Nottingham Forest’s striker.
Wood was one of the surprise packages of the 2025/26 season – but that level of potency is, surely, not sustainable. Especially with Anthony Elanga now being a Newcastle player, the service will not be as ready-made as it was last term and, while his instincts will still serve him well, there’ll certainly be a drop-off.
Left Winger: Anthony Gordon (Newcastle United)
Ahead of Thomas Tuchel picking England’s 2026 World Cup squad, Newcastle United winger Anthony Gordon will be wanting to stick out like a sore thumb – for a good reason, of course – in the northeast, but he’ll no doubt face far more struggle without Alexander Isak latching on to the end of his deliveries.
At the time of writing, with the Magpies not possessing an out-and-out target man, Gordon may be entrusted to lead the line for Howe – and that is a position he’s not all too familiar with. Last season in the league, he registered 12 goal contributions, but it's important to note that they all came within the first 23 games. It’ll be a risk to invest stocks in the Liverpool-born wide man.