The 2025 summer transfer window is now officially done and dusted, and there weren’t all that many major deals made on deadline day in the Premier League – and two of them were already expected.
After signing Alexander Isak from Newcastle the day before deadline day, Liverpool sealed their other expected dream signing, bagging superstar center back Marc Guehi from FA Cup winners Crystal Palace to become not just the Premier League title favorites but also Champions League title favorites.
Meanwhile, Chelsea sealed the transfer of Nicolas Jackson to Bayern Munich after recalling Marc Guiu from his loan at Sunderland to replace him, while London rivals Tottenham added depth at the striker position with the loan acquisition of PSG’s Randal Kolo Muani.
And finally, Manchester City wrapped up what may have been the biggest move of the deadline, officially signing the best goalkeeper of the 2024/25 Champions League campaign, Liverpool’s No. 1 thorn (and Arsenal’s, too) Gianluigi Donnarumma.
Following all the deadline day action, let’s reset the Premier League table and predict the top five teams in the English top flight at the end of the 2025/26 season.
5. Tottenham
Tottenham beefed up their front line with Randal Kolo Muani, but unless he can successfully transition to the left wing position or Thomas Frank moves to more two-striker looks, Spurs didn’t adequately address their biggest transfer need of the summer adequately.
After being rebuffed by Manchester City for Savinho, Tottenham failed to pursue Ademola Lookman and are without any real left winger of substance following club legend Son Heung-min’s early retirement tour in the United States.
Spurs were exposed badly from an attacking perspective by Bournemouth, who ripped Frank’s previously impressive side completely apart. The sheer lack of individual quality was apparent, and while Frank’s tactics are strong enough to boost this side into the top five – and both Xavi Simons and Mohammed Kudus are indeed great signings – this squad still isn’t strong enough to do much more.
4. Manchester City
Manchester City have a healthy Rodri, a dangerous Erling Haaland, and a great new midfielder in Tijjani Reijnders. They also have enough championship-winning experience to carry them through, as well as a shiny new goalkeeper in Gianluigi Donnarumma, who can more than paper over some of the remaining cracks in the Man City defensive lineup.
The thing is, Manchester City were in fourth last year and could have ranked even lower. They didn’t substantially improve their outfield roster to the extent that Arsenal, Chelsea, and, especially, Liverpool did, and after already being behind the Gunners last season, it’s hard to argue that they are any better than them this season, even acknowledging that Donnarumma is a massive upgrade on Ederson.
Manchester City were destroyed by Tottenham at the Etihad Stadium last week, and then this past weekend, they were blown away in the final minutes by Brighton, looking far from a team that is prepared to recapture the Premier League title.
Losing Manuel Akanji from an already thin defense hardly helps, and while Rayan Ait-Nouri allows Josko Gvardiol to move inside to center back, the concerning lack of depth in the midfield and defense threatens the entire foundation of this shaky squad.
3. Arsenal
Arsenal are so difficult to trust. On paper, they are a better side than the iteration that finished second last season for a third straight campaign, but reality told a different story this weekend against Liverpool.
Sure, they came close, again, on paper, losing just 1-0, but the reality is that it’s an early six-point swing in the title race for Liverpool. Arsenal’s new signings were far from impressive, and while time should prove that Martin Zubimendi, Eberechi Eze, and Viktor Gyokeres are all upgrades, it’s evident that they aren’t as good as the new players Liverpool signed.
Arsenal’s biggest problem is the fact that they play so negative in must-win games. Instead of going after their opponents, Mikel Arteta sets them up like cowards and then throws his substitutes under the bus for not bailing him out.
It’s the same story as ever for Arsenal, and while they will be contenders again this season, it seems like their negative playing style is going to leave points on the table, and they still need to prove that they can beat Liverpool.
2. Chelsea
It’s also not clear that Arsenal are any better than Chelsea, who showed to the whole world this summer that they are capable of beating anyone, dominating PSG in the Club World Cup Final after the Parisians were fresh off a dominant Champions League title run that included knocking Arsenal out of the semifinals.
Chelsea are down Nicolas Jackson and lost Liam Delap for several weeks with injury, but they are stronger than ever before after beefing up their midfield and attack with signings like Andrey Santos, Dario Essugo, Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, Joao Pedro, Alejandro Garnacho, and Estevao Willian.
The Willian and Pedro signings, in particular, look like game-changers, and Chelsea just might have the best long-term attacking trio in the Premier League when you factor in Cole Palmer as a Ballon d’Or candidate after being the best player at the Club World Cup.
Picking Chelsea in second over Arsenal seems a little bullish, especially since Chelsea have a far weaker defense than the Gunners, but they have the most upside and actually try to go for it in big games, which is why they are capable of getting results like the one they did in the final against PSG.
1. Liverpool
Liverpool are by far and away the favorites to win the Premier League, and that was the case even before the summer transfer window opened and the Reds brought in Hugo Ekitike, Florian Wirtz, Alexander Isak, Marc Guehi, Milos Kerkez, and Jeremie Frimpong (when he returns from injury).
All six of these players are starting-caliber difference-makers for Liverpool, who have been undefeated to start the season despite facing three very challenging opponents.
What makes Liverpool so good is that they are led by a thoughtful, humble manager in Arne Slot who is honest about the strengths of his opponents but never backs down from his high-reward, often cavalier playing style.
The Reds are four-deep in the attack with four of the best forwards in the entire Premier League and are arguably just as good in the midfield, boasting the best unit in the league before they spent a record fee to sprinkle German superstar Florian Wirtz into the mix.
Even if Crystal Palace try to cause the Guehi deal to collapse at the last second, Liverpool will still have the starting duo of Ibrahima Konate and Virgil van Dijk and a strong team at all levels than the one last year that won the Premier League in convincing fashion. They are the benchmark.
Joe Soriano is the editor of The Trivela Effect and a FanSided Hall of Famer who has covered world football since 2010. He’s led top digital communities like The Real Champs (Real Madrid) and has run sites covering Tottenham, Liverpool, Juventus, and Schalke. He also helped manage NFL Spin Zone and Daily DDT, covering the NFL and pro wrestling.