ALEX CROOK PREVIEW: Premier League 2025/26

ALL KICKING OFF: Star Sports ambassador ALEX CROOK previews the 2025/26 Premier League season, with recommended ante-post bets!

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It is less than a month since Chelsea won the Club World Cup, bringing an official end to the 2024-25 season, but here we are ready to go again ahead of what looks like an enthralling battle for the title, the top four, and to avoid relegation, writes ALEX CROOK.

Liverpool have smashed the British transfer record once already this summer and may do so for a second time if their pursuit of Newcastle’s star man Alexander Isak proves successful.

Elsewhere, Pep Guardiola is overseeing a Manchester City reboot and perennial bridesmaids Arsenal have finally signed a number 9 for the first time in three years.

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Tottenham have a new manager in Thomas Frank as they look to build on their Europa League glory while Manchester United have made a mockery of Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s poverty pleas by splashing out more than £120m on Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha to bolster their goal-shy attack.

At the bottom, newly-promoted Sunderland have spent big in an attempt to buck the trend of the three teams coming up from the Championship heading straight back down, which leaves a couple of the so-called ‘established’ teams looking vulnerable.

So let’s start with the race for the championship, and there is little to separate defending champions Liverpool with last season’s runners-up and City in the betting.

The Reds are narrow favourites at 7/4 with starsports.bet to retain their crown, with Arsenal drifting out slightly to 11/5 at the time of writing and City available at 10/3.

Liverpool banged in 17 more goals than the Gunners last season to finish ten points ahead of Arteta’s men despite both only losing four games and Arsenal have a far better defensive record.

Ultimately, it was that lack of goals that contributed to a league high of 14 draws that cost the north Londoners and Arteta will be hoping the much-heralded arrival of Viktor Gyokeres can tilt the balance in their favour.

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However, there are no guarantees Gyokeres can translate his stunning record at Sporting Lisbon to the Premier League. Just ask Darwin Nunez!

While I do think the Arsenal team is set up for a proven centre forward to hit the back of the net, the additions of Florian Wirtz and potentially Isak will make it very tough for Arsenal and City to go past Arne Slot’s side.

I also like the addition of Milos Kerkez from Bournemouth, a younger, more dynamic left-back than Liverpool stalwart Andy Robertson while Jeremie Frimpong gives Slot the opportunity to tweak his formation when needed.

The Reds have also added sought-after Hugo Ekitike as another exciting attacking option, although their fans will not be happy if they do not manage to close out the Isak deal, having allowed Luis Diaz to depart to Bayern Munich.

When I spoke to Guardiola at the end of last season, he promised City would be much more competitive this term, but their shock exit from the Club World Cup at the hands of Saudi side Al-Nassr would not encourage me to back them with any real confidence.

I still think they look defensively vulnerable and much will depend on whether Erling Haaland, Phil Foden, and midfield king-pin Rodri, in particular, can get back to their best.

At 10/1 with starsports.bet, I think Chelsea may have been overlooked in the market, particularly having been handed a kind set of fixtures at the start of the season which will enable them to build momentum.

I spent most of last season waiting for Enzo Maresca to fail but it was hard not to be impressed with the way they rallied to sneak into the top four on the final day and then back that up by smashing European Champions PSG in New Jersey.

Cole Palmer looks to have got his mojo back and Joao Pedro could be one of the signings of the summer if he stays fit.

Pedro has the added motivation of wanting to nail down a spot as Brazil’s number 9 at next summer’s World Cup and looks a lively outsider at 18/1 with starsports.bet to win the Golden Boot.

With Newcastle struggling to get signings over the line and likely to lose Isak and Aston Villa hampered by PSR restrictions having missed out on Champions League qualification, it is hard to see any of the quartet at the top of the market not finishing in the top four.

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The top-six race could be more open and I am more optimistic about Manchester United’s chances than most of my punditry colleagues.

Last season was an unmitigated disaster for the once poster boys of the Premier League and having had a full pre-season under his belt and given the opportunity to freshen up his squad, the pressure is really on Ruben Amorim to deliver.

The glaring issue for United last season was a lack of goals and between them, Mbeumo and Cunha scored just nine fewer goals than their new club did as a team.

United will benefit from finding themselves in the rare position of having no European football to contend with, which should give them the edge over the likes of Villa and Newcastle.

I don’t think United finishing in the top six is a forlorn hope for their suffering supporters and one player who has looked particularly sharp in pre-season is Red Devils captain Bruno Fernandes.

He clocked up 10 Premier League assists this season and in Mbeumo and Cunha now has genuine quality to work with him at the top end of the pitch.

Fernandes is a tempting 8/1 with starsports.bet to be top assist maker.

Finally, the relegation market has Burnley, Leeds and Sunderland as favourites for an immediate return to the Championship, but I think that is too simplistic a way to look at it.

Sunderland, in particular, have impressed me with their ambition this summer, not least convincing former Arsenal midfielder Granit Xhaka to return to these shores after a couple of brilliant seasons at Bayer Leverkusen.

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Xhaka’s experience will be crucial if the Black Cats are to purr in the Premier League (sorry for the awful pun!). They have also lost Jobe Bellingham to Dortmund and play-off final hero Tommy Watson to Brighton.

But with Brentford losing Mbeumo and probably Yoane Wissa as well as manager Thomas Frank, Crystal Palace still under threat of being forced to sell Marc Guehi and Eberechi Eze and Bournemouth’s defence ravaged by departures, there will be a few teams who did well last season looking over their shoulders.

I would also include Fulham and Wolves in that list given their lack of signings while David Moyes has publicly bemoaned Everton’s slow transfer dealings, although I still think the Toffees will comfortably avoid being dragged into danger.

Regis Le Bris surprised many by leading Sunderland to promotion last season and I am willing to take a chance on him doing it again by backing them to stay up at 2/1 with starsports.bet.

For the good of the league, I hope all three promoted sides do not drop straight back through the trapdoor for the third season running.

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RECOMMENDED BETS
BACK Liverpool to win the league 2pts at 7/4 (⭐ ? CLICK TO BET NOW)
BACK Joao Pedro to win the Golden Boot 0.5pts each/way at 18/1 (⭐ ? CLICK TO BET NOW)
BACK Bruno Fernandes be top assist maker 1pt each/way at 8/1 (⭐ ? CLICK TO BET NOW)
BACK Sunderland to stay up 1pt at 2/1 (⭐ ? CLICK TO BET NOW)

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