⚽ Premier League 2025/2026 Discussion Thread ⚽

[Adiljutt156]

How do you guys judge Man City's yesterday's performance against Saudi Al-Hilal, when the Citizens unexpectedly dropped out of the FIFA Club World Cup after losing 4-3?
I'm not going to lie, this is not the result I was expecting. The City did perfectly in the group stage (winning 3 out of 3) and I believed they are level above and would not have any problems going through to the quarter-finals.
I'm not sure if I underestimated Al-Hilal, or overestimated Man City. Either way, losing 4 goals in a game is a clear indicator of something not working as it should in the defense. They did dominate in both ball possession and shots on goal, but they still allowed Al-Hilal to make 17 shots with 6 on target, which is quite a lot.

I hear that Guardiola acknowledged the problem, so hopefully he will work towards fixing it before the season starts. But it's a shame they dropped out so early being one of the favourites.

The performance of Alhilal Saudi Club was not bad against Fluminense football team but that team could not do more goals in this match. The stats of Alhilal Saudi Club was excellent because that team shots were 15 in this match which were more against opponent team and 4 shots were on target. The possession percentage of that team was brilliant which was 58 percent and that passes of that team were also more in number and these were 432 . But the stats of Fluminense team was comparatively less good because shots were less and 3 shots were on target.That team did more goals in this match and that was the reason, they easily won this match but possession percentage was low in this match.

[Bobrox]

A big team like Manchester City, initially they never took the pre-season match of the Club World Cup seriously, but after they were faced with the bitter reality where they failed in the domestic league and also the Champions League, which made them fail to win a single trophy this season, and that made Manchester City suddenly become a club that is quite serious in its ambition to be able to win the Club World Cup trophy with several changes and recruitment of new players ahead of the competition. But it is very unfortunate when they have touched the last 16, Manchester City had to be faced with the bitter reality and had to return home early to England.

Surely Manchester City not seriously for FIFA Club World Cup match? You can see how bad performance of Manchester City when eliminating by Al Hilal but won all group phase matches. Recruited several top players for next season, Manchester City actually very seriously preparing team for next season after failure defending the premier league trophy and firstly in last four season in a row finished outside from the 2nd standings.
Eliminated from FIFA Club World Cup match make Manchester City have many time getting recovery and players get moment for holiday, premier league season 2025/26 start at 16th August and the first match The Citizen facing Wolves. I think Pep Guardiola will give the players around two weeks off before starting training camp for next season.

[AYOBA]

Manchester City is a good team but looking at their performance as they performed very well  the expectations of the fans and viewers also increase, they think about the results that will be on the next level. But the outcome of this match was not as good as the expectations had been, in fact, it would not be wrong to say that this outcome was very disappointing and heart breaking. I think the team of Manchester City is a team with talented players and capable players and they can compete very well with any good club. They can give them a tough competition, but in this, they push back a lot of expectations because when your hopes are hyped and they are not as you think you will feel  broken, then it is a little difficult to trust and hope again. So the important thing is this to keep moving forward in a good way.

Everyone is usually aware that Manchester City's outstanding success is a result of their talented players. However, I'm curious as to why they didn't perform well during the previous season.  Does their management have a problem? Their performances are not encouraged because they are surrounded by better players.  Indeed, Manchester City is a team capable of competing against any squad they face. However, when they play against teams, they can get caught off guard because even the fans will be expect them to be easy to defeat. And at end of day will be ease ultimately break by weak team by defeating them easily.

[Adbitco]

Wherever this news is coming from it should better be a joke because it is funny. I don’t believe Arsenal would want a player that will get 10 chances and miss 8 or 9 of the chances. I really can’t wait for this whole Arsenal striker hunt to be over honestle because I am exhausted from reading same news each day for a month now. Sesko or Gyokeres they should just get one quickly.

But the problem is and the question is, is Arsenal even ready to sign either Gyokeres or Sesko? You can't always be having a particular player in your radar or hunting a particular player for that long, well I'm not even surprised, is it not Arsenal. I'm almost certain that at the end of this transfer window, Arsenal will not get Gyokeres or Sesko they will rather sign one certain player from no where, it's their tradition.

[X-ray]

We have the odds for next season PL winner already.

The top favourites:

• Liverpool - 2.85
• Manchester City - 3.25
• Arsenal - 3.50

Chelsea and Newcastle follow this trio with 17.00 odds given. In short, there is no expectation for the title to go to a team other than these 3 teams. Probably most people are sharing the same opinion. 

As for whom I favour, I'm going with Liverpool again. But I'm curious what Guardiola will do this time also. When it comes to Arsenal, they need to be more convincing next time.

Acceptable odds for the starts, but i predict the result may totally different.

Chelsea seems underrated here considering they're just getting better, and i think they may be having pretty small odds at the mid - late season. They can also compete with Arsenal next season. However, seeing Arsenal in the third is a big weird, but since they always finish at the second. So it's okay.

Newcastle may be always placing at the fifth.

[Ale88]

Wherever this news is coming from it should better be a joke because it is funny. I don’t believe Arsenal would want a player that will get 10 chances and miss 8 or 9 of the chances. I really can’t wait for this whole Arsenal striker hunt to be over honestle because I am exhausted from reading same news each day for a month now. Sesko or Gyokeres they should just get one quickly.

There have been too many names linked with Arsenal but we have not seen any clarity yet, Arsenal seem to be very slow in perfecting their squad or maybe they are very cautious? no one knows their plans. Sesko, Gyokeres, Jackson and Osimhen are 4 potential names but I agree Jackson is not the best option for Arteta squad. I want Gyokeres as their first option although it seems quite difficult to get a deal Arsenal should be willing to sacrifice a lot.

What do you mean by "very slow in perfecting their squad"? The transfer window literally opened 5 days ago, there are almost 2 months to go, why would they rush to buy someone? Also because there is a lot of confusion out there, what's the real situation for players like Gyokeres and Osimhen for example? Will they sell them for 60-70 millions or do they really hope to make 100+ millions? Because only a desperate team would pay 100 millions for those players...

[Adbitco]

Wherever this news is coming from it should better be a joke because it is funny. I don’t believe Arsenal would want a player that will get 10 chances and miss 8 or 9 of the chances. I really can’t wait for this whole Arsenal striker hunt to be over honestle because I am exhausted from reading same news each day for a month now. Sesko or Gyokeres they should just get one quickly.

There have been too many names linked with Arsenal but we have not seen any clarity yet, Arsenal seem to be very slow in perfecting their squad or maybe they are very cautious? no one knows their plans. Sesko, Gyokeres, Jackson and Osimhen are 4 potential names but I agree Jackson is not the best option for Arteta squad. I want Gyokeres as their first option although it seems quite difficult to get a deal Arsenal should be willing to sacrifice a lot.

What do you mean by "very slow in perfecting their squad"? The transfer window literally opened 5 days ago, there are almost 2 months to go, why would they rush to buy someone? Also because there is a lot of confusion out there, what's the real situation for players like Gyokeres and Osimhen for example? Will they sell them for 60-70 millions or do they really hope to make 100+ millions? Because only a desperate team would pay 100 millions for those players...

Seriously! 5 days ago? Are you trying to say Liverpool signed Florian Wirtz 5 days ago or Chelsea signed Delap 5 days ago? EPL transfer window has been open since around between June 1st and June 10th that was when the window was opened. I agree with him, Arsenal is too slow and wants cheap players. Clubs do tag outrageous fees to their players, I totally agree but we are in that time and period the early we accept it the better. When too many clubs are after one player, the club will tend to take advantage and raise the fee since there's no regulations concerning players selling price. Gyokeres, Sesko and Osimhen are in the radar of top clubs and will be sold to the highest bidder.

[Velvet78]

Ollie Watkins seems to be among the striker targets for not only Manchester United but also Arsenal. At least the recent rumours say so. What are your thoughts on this?

He is 29 and still has 3 more years on his current contract. He is a decent striker, okay. But is he really that good? I don't think he is really the kind of CF these teams have been in search of.    They need to look for more productive forwards.

[slapper]

Arsenal seems to have not gotten it right when it comes to signing the right players they are only good scouting for players Arsenal should  as a matter of importance bring top quality strikers to the team because this one they are busy going for everyone and not taking enough action is not a too good thing going into the new season

That part is quite tough, because the ones who are good enough, requires risk and a lot of money with that risk. For example, who are the two great strikers that we all know on sale? Gyokeres and Osimhen, correct? Well, the situation with them is this; Gyokeres played at championship level before, and wasn't that great, he fit right in with Sporting and did great, but if he goes to Arsenal and fails, that would be a 80+ million mistake and probably plenty of years salary as well, not just one year, so we are talking about a 150+ million mistake possibly.

Osimhen is about the same, he was great at Napoli, he was great at Galatasaray too, but he had issues with Napoli and Conte, if he is bought, he would be a 150+ million deal too, between transfer and his salary and signing bonus and what not, so that would mean, if he is bought, and he has trouble here too, like he had at Napoli, then he would be a very expensive mistake.

People always get blinded by the “big names” and do not look under the hood. With Gyokeres, sure, it is an €80M+ gamble. And he’s literally built his CV climbing up the pyramid, adapting at every level, smashing records at Sporting, and barely missing games. His shot conversion is 28%, and he’s overperformed xG every year. Dudes who finish like that don’t usually flop, especially when they’ve already handled the physical grind in England with Coventry

What fans miss is, the true financial disaster is Osimhen: it’s not just the fee, it’s £350k+ a week. That alone destroys a wage structure. If he gets injured (he’s missed 487 days already), you’re stuck with a £150M+ black hole and angry agents knocking for pay rises

Clubs like Arsenal have learned from the Pepe and Lukaku horror shows. Nowadays, they’d rather walk away and buy a “hidden gem” than torch the wage bill for a star with red flags. That’s modern football, and, honestly, it’s about time

[SatoPrincess]

I hope Wirtz is not like Nunez who was bought at a high price, but it doesn't make fans happy when in the squad. Wirtz is a very talented player who was in the hands of the right coach (Xabi), he became the most expensive player at this time, and become a hope on center, but Liverpool has Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai who I think are quite capable on center. And I think, There may be a major change that made one of the players get eliminated, maybe one of them can be moved forward, or as a substitution to face the tight competition ahead.

Wirtz is a good and talented player and I can say is better than Darwin Nunez in terms of contributions to team. I am confident that he will be impressive for Liverpool next season. He is capable of playing in the number and ten role and will give options to Arne Slot next season.

[fuguebtc]

Wirtz is a good and talented player and I can say is better than Darwin Nunez in terms of contributions to team. I am confident that he will be impressive for Liverpool next season. He is capable of playing in the number and ten role and will give options to Arne Slot next season.

We have seen Wirtz 's performance in the last two seasons. He has  played well in the last two seasons with Leverkusen. Wirtz is primarily a defender.  But wirtz also has the ability to score a lot. If he gets enough support from his  teammates in the Liverpool squad, we will see a lot of goals from Wirtz . I do not want to compare Wirtz with Nunez. The two play in different ways. However , I believe liverpool did not make a mistake by buying wirtz  at a high price.  If WIrtz can adapt to the lliverpool squad quickly, then we will see a lot of goals and assists from him next season.

[NotATether]

We have seen Wirtz 's performance in the last two seasons. He has  played well in the last two seasons with Leverkusen. Wirtz is primarily a defender.  But wirtz also has the ability to score a lot. If he gets enough support from his  teammates in the Liverpool squad, we will see a lot of goals from Wirtz . I do not want to compare Wirtz with Nunez. The two play in different ways. However , I believe liverpool did not make a mistake by buying wirtz  at a high price.  If WIrtz can adapt to the lliverpool squad quickly, then we will see a lot of goals and assists from him next season.

Wirtz is not an out-an-out striker. He's a creative playmaker. That's going to be important for us now that Trent is off to Madrid. So don't compare him to Darwin. They literally have two different responsibilities.

Whoever we buy at CF - we absolutely must buy one right now - is going to be instrumental in Wirtz's chances getting converted.

[ILuckyGuyI]

It looks like Gyökeres is on his way to Arsenal! Recent news say that there is a big progress made lately. He is already looking forward to signing for them. It's all about agreeing on the fee with Sporting now.

Earlier he was really frustrated with Sporting chairman because of demanding a very high sum. I wonder if the situation is still the same...

Unless he turns out to be like Nunez in the PL, Arsenal will increase their chances much more for trophies.

[xzone]

It looks like Gyökeres is on his way to Arsenal! Recent news say that there is a big progress made lately. He is already looking forward to signing for them. It's all about agreeing on the fee with Sporting now.

Earlier he was really frustrated with Sporting chairman because of demanding a very high sum. I wonder if the situation is still the same...

Unless he turns out to be like Nunez in the PL, Arsenal will increase their chances much more for trophies.

It looks like this will be the biggest transfer of the year. If they can reach an agreement on the money, it will be a very critical and great transfer for Arsenal. Arsenal needs exactly such a star player. I think his price is not bad in addition to his talents and performance.
I don't know how much they agreed on for the transfer, but if their budget is sufficient, they will definitely contribute a lot to the team with this transfer

[Slow death]

It looks like Gyökeres is on his way to Arsenal! Recent news say that there is a big progress made lately. He is already looking forward to signing for them. It's all about agreeing on the fee with Sporting now.

Earlier he was really frustrated with Sporting chairman because of demanding a very high sum. I wonder if the situation is still the same...

Unless he turns out to be like Nunez in the PL, Arsenal will increase their chances much more for trophies.

This time Arsenal is to be congratulated, they finally have a chance to make a good signing in this transfer window, I say this because Arsenal signed Martin Zubimendi

OFFICIAL: Martin Zubimendi joins Arsenal on €65m deal from Real Sociedad, as agreed since May.

https://x.com/FabrizioRomano/status/1941816047490814335

Martin Zubimendi played 36 games, scored 2 goals and got 1 assist and comes from a weak team, but Arsenal are still paying 65 million for him. I wonder:

Why didn't they use that money to sign Gyökeres?

I know Gyökeres costs more, but they could take that money and easily increase and pay Sporting and have Gyökeres. But they are making strange signings as always. It's hard to understand Arsenal when it comes to new signings. That's why in my opinion if they manage to sign Gyökeres, it will be the only good signing they have made in this transfer window, because they have been focusing on signing Chelsea players who can't even do well at Arsenal.

[Akbarkoe]

Ollie Watkins seems to be among the striker targets for not only Manchester United but also Arsenal. At least the recent rumours say so. What are your thoughts on this?

He is 29 and still has 3 more years on his current contract. He is a decent striker, okay. But is he really that good? I don't think he is really the kind of CF these teams have been in search of.    They need to look for more productive forwards.

Bejamin Sesko and Viktor Gyokeres are still hot topics, because both Arsenal and Man United are quite interested in bringing in the player, unexpectedly now there is another player being fought over between The Gunners and The Red Devils.

Ollie Watkins is not a great striker but he can be relied on as a sharp spearhead, besides that he is also quite skilled at providing assists. Manchester United have approached both the player and Aston Villa, but the approach made did not produce sweet results, maybe because the offer given was not attractive or something else, but the player was reluctant to accept the offer and Aston Villa remained determined to be able to retain him.

And from some rumors that I heard that Arsenal is one step away from being able to get Sesko, so I think compared to trying hard to get Ollie Watkins, it is better for Arsenal to focus on Sesko's transfer, don't let the transfer stop in the middle of the road without clarity and Sesko is hijacked by another club. because remember it's not only Man United who wants to bring in the RB Leipzig player.

[Mate2237]

It looks like Gyökeres is on his way to Arsenal! Recent news say that there is a big progress made lately. He is already looking forward to signing for them. It's all about agreeing on the fee with Sporting now.

Earlier he was really frustrated with Sporting chairman because of demanding a very high sum. I wonder if the situation is still the same...

Unless he turns out to be like Nunez in the PL, Arsenal will increase their chances much more for trophies.

This time Arsenal is to be congratulated, they finally have a chance to make a good signing in this transfer window, I say this because Arsenal signed Martin Zubimendi

OFFICIAL: Martin Zubimendi joins Arsenal on €65m deal from Real Sociedad, as agreed since May.

https://x.com/FabrizioRomano/status/1941816047490814335

Martin Zubimendi played 36 games, scored 2 goals and got 1 assist and comes from a weak team, but Arsenal are still paying 65 million for him. I wonder:

Why didn't they use that money to sign Gyökeres?

I know Gyökeres costs more, but they could take that money and easily increase and pay Sporting and have Gyökeres. But they are making strange signings as always. It's hard to understand Arsenal when it comes to new signings. That's why in my opinion if they manage to sign Gyökeres, it will be the only good signing they have made in this transfer window, because they have been focusing on signing Chelsea players who can't even do well at Arsenal.

65 million euros for a defensive midfielder is not a good I don't know how arsenal signing their players because this is a player that scored only two goals in 36 games this is not a good signing from arsenal



Arsenal is avoiding their main problem I think that arsenal is only concerned about doing business only and not really ready for the league title because you can see it on the way that they have been handling their signing

[TelolettOm]

Seriously! 5 days ago? Are you trying to say Liverpool signed Florian Wirtz 5 days ago or Chelsea signed Delap 5 days ago? EPL transfer window has been open since around between June 1st and June 10th that was when the window was opened. I agree with him, Arsenal is too slow and wants cheap players. Clubs do tag outrageous fees to their players, I totally agree but we are in that time and period the early we accept it the better. When too many clubs are after one player, the club will tend to take advantage and raise the fee since there's no regulations concerning players selling price. Gyokeres, Sesko and Osimhen are in the radar of top clubs and will be sold to the highest bidder.

The transfer window has been open for quite some time. In the last month, Arsenal have not made many moves, and only started to really focus on the 3rd week. And finally this time, Arsenal have officially signed Zubimendi

And not only that, Arsenal have also officially on verbal agreement and with personal terms to Gyokeres, in which the contract will last until 2030. It's a five-year contract.

Source: The agreement between Viktor Gyökeres and Arsenal on personal terms is valid until June 2030
And not only that, Arsenal are also still eyeing Rodrygo from Real Madrid.

[₿itcoin]

And not only that, Arsenal are also still eyeing Rodrygo from Real Madrid.

Their defense is strong enough, now they need a strong striker to make the midfield & attack unbreakable. The North Londoners 55 million's Zubimendi signing bung the midfield gap left by Partey & Jorginho. You know he is calm, intelligent, a strong passer under pressure, so he has the potential to strengthen the Gunners midfield. The Vikings could sell  Rodrygo to Arsenal, cause Rodrygo is not in Xabi Alonso's match plan, his skill is fine, but he won't coup 10+ goals in a season. What they really require is a finisher like Osimhen.

[asriloni]

Ollie Watkins seems to be among the striker targets for not only Manchester United but also Arsenal. At least the recent rumours say so. What are your thoughts on this?

He is 29 and still has 3 more years on his current contract. He is a decent striker, okay. But is he really that good? I don't think he is really the kind of CF these teams have been in search of.    They need to look for more productive forwards.

My honest opinion about Ollie is that 29 years old, scored 15 goals last season, and finished at 7th as top scorer. He's still worthy as a striker, but don't like his release clause, which is £60m. If his price can be reduced like £45m, it's worthy.