Grading every Premier League team's season
The club football season is over! Arsenal won the Premier League for the first time in 22 years. Pep has left Manchester City. Aston Villa and Crystal Palace secured European glory. And Spurs narrowly avoided relegation at West Ham's cost. Let's grade each Premier League team's season now that the 2025/26 campaign is over.
Arsenal - A*
Winning the Premier League for the first time in 22 years can only merit an A* grade. There were points during the season when their hold on the trophy was looking a bit shaky but they persevered and got over the finish line. The Gunners' standout player was William Saliba - without whom their defence would be a lot shakier.
Man City - A
Not many would have predicted City to be in the title race until the last couple of games in the Premier League season but they were able to string a run of games together at the start of this year. The additions of Semenyo and Guehi were critical to their title push and when they beat Arsenal at the Etihad, it looked for all the world that City were on the way to overtaking the Gunners. But draws away at Everton and Bournemouth handed the Gunners the advantage. The biggest news for City though was that Pep Guardiola has left the club after 10 years of domination and the club will be hoping his replacement could emulate even a fraction of his success.
Man United - B
It was a season on 2 halves for United. The first half was presided over by Ruben Amorim, and whilst there were some signs of improvement, the back 3 system just wasn't providing consistent results. Once Amorim was gone, Michael Carrick came in and provided some stability and a feel-good factor which saw United win the most points since his appointment and finish in the Champions League spaces comfortably. Alongside Carrick's success, Bruno Fernandes broke the Premier League assists record and won the Premier League and FWA Player of the Season awards.
Aston Villa - A
Villa has their most successful season in their recent history. They finished in the Champions League places quite comfortably and won the Europa League - which was their first trophy since the 1996 League Cup. After a difficult start to the season, Villa went on an 8 game winning run which shot them up the table into the Champions League places. Emery deserves a lot of credit for the consistency his side has produced and the performances he has got out of the likes of Morgan Rogers and Emi Buendia in particular this season.
Liverpool - D
Liverpool struggled a lot this season. The former champions started the season by winning their first 5 games, then it all spiralled from there as they went on to lose 4 games in a row. Altogether, they lost 20 games in all competitions this season and Slot really struggled to emulate what he did in the previous season. Big money signings like Isak and Wirtz failed to make any real impact and Slot had constant disagreements with Mo Salah throughout the season. At the end of the season, Salah, Robertson and Konaté left the club and Slot was sacked with Andoni Iraola the favourite to replace the Dutchman.
Bournemouth - A
It was an outstanding season for Bournemouth and Andoni Iraola as the Cherries secured Europa League football for the first time in the club's history. They did this by going on an 18 game unbeaten run in the second half of the season and they achieved this despite losing Semenyo in January. Eli Kroupi Jr. and Alex Scott were the breakout stars for the Cherries and could be on the move this summer. There is a lot to look forward to next season on the south coast and they'll be looking forward to what their new manager, Marco Rose, will bring to the club's first European campaign.
Sunderland - A
Never in their wildest dreams would Sunderland have thought they would be playing Europa League football next season. Regis Le Bris and his team have done something remarkable in being the first promoted team to secure European football since Wolves did it in 2018/19. Sunderland's recruitment strategy has been successful with the signings of Sadiki, Xhaka, Mukiele and Roefs all playing standout roles in the team's success. Now the focus will be on bolstering the squad further as they prepare to take on a first European campaign since 1973/74.
Brighton - B
It was kind of a mixed season for Brighton in which the Seagulls were inconsistent. They had a couple of good spells and some poor spells throughout but going into the final game of the season, they still had a chance of getting Europa League football. It wasn't to be as they lost 3-0 to Manchester United but they were still rewarded for their efforts over the whole season as they secured Europa Conference League football for next season. They will be looking to replicate what their rivals, Crystal Palace did this season in winning that competition next season.
Brentford - A
Many thought that Brentford would be battling relegation this seasons after losing Thomas Frank, Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa but the Bees have had a spectacular season nd only just missed out on European qualification. Igor Thiago was the second highest goal scorer in the league and Brentford weren't phased at all by the loss of so many key figures last summer. Keith Andrews deserves massive credit for providing his team with the platform to perform so well over the course of the Premier League season.
Chelsea - F
It was a disaster of a season for Chelsea who finished 10th and didn't qualify for any European football next season. After winning the Conference League and Club World Cup, Chelsea fans were looking forward to a season of progression but they got a season of stagnation. Summer recruitment was below par and by January, Maresca was sacked and Liam Rosenior replaced him. That was a car crash in itself as Rosenior found himself without a job in a few weeks. The Blues also lost the FA Cup final to Man City and will now be hoping that their new manager, Xabi Alonso, can bring some much needed stability to the club.
Fulham - B
Fulham's overall performance over the season probably reached the expectations the fans had going into it but there will be a feeling of a missed opportunity as they missed out on European football by just 1 point. Their standout performer was Harry Wilson as the Welsh winger scored 10 goals and got 7 assists and produced some stellar performances. Wilson looks likely to leave Craven Cottage on a free transfer this summer, whilst Marco Silva has already announced that he will be leaving the club after 5 years.
Newcastle United - F
It was a really disappointing season for Newcastle United, especially after securing Champions League football in the prior season. The whole Alexander Isak saga last summer certainly had a destabilising effect on the team and their summer recruitment did not pan out as they would have wanted. Anthony Elanga and Yoane Wissa struggled to make any real impact and although Nick Woltemade made a good start, he struggled to find any rhythm in the second half of the season. Anthony Gordon has already left for Barcelona, and there are murmurs of Lewis Hall and Sandro Tonali following suit. Eddie Howe has the backing of the hierarchy for now but if the poor performances spill into next season, the pressure on his job will inevitably mount.
Everton - C
Similar to Fulham, Everton had a season which would have met expectations at the start of the season. They too had a chance to qualify for European football but their form deserted them at the end of the season as they went winless in their last 5 games. It was also their first season at the Hill Dickinson stadium and there were certainly some memories made there, including a 3-0 win against Chelsea in March.
Leeds United - A
Before the start of the season, there was an expectation that Leeds United would be in the relegation zone once the season was over but Daniel Farke and his team exceeded expectations and comfortably finished above the relegation places. Around December, there were reports that Farke's job was under scrutiny but a run of positive results gave Leeds hope that they could survive and survive they did. Anton Stach and Dominic Calvert-Lewin were standout performers for the promoted side. They also made it to an FA Cup semi-final for the first time in 39 years!
Crystal Palace - A
It was back-to-back trophy winning seasons for Crystal Palace as they beat Rayo Vallecano in the Europa Conference League final and secured Europa League football for next season. This was Oliver Glasner's parting gift for the South London club as the Austrian announced earlier in the season that he would not be extending his stay at Selhurst Park. There were some rough patches for the Eagles throughout the season, especially after losing Marc Guehi to Man City and JP Mateta to injury for a fair chunk of the season.
Nottingham Forest - D
After a brilliant season last season, Forest would not have expected to be in a relegation battle this season. Losing Anthony Elanga was a major blow for Forest but things were made worse when Marinakis started sacking managers left, right and centre. Altogether, Forest had 4 managers throughout the season and it was Vitor Pereira who ultimately led them away from the relegation zone. Thumping wins against Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur were the standout results towards the end of the season, and Forest's standout players were Morgan Gibbs-White and Elliot Anderson.
Tottenham Hotspur - F
Tottenham Hotspur were so close to an unprecedented relegation, surviving by just 2 points. After a good start to the season, things under Thomas Frank really started to turn after defeat in the first North London Derby of the season. Injuries and poor form saw Spurs slide down the table before Frank was sacked and Igor Tudor was brought in on an interim basis. But the Croatian manager couldn't change Spurs' direction of travel and soon they found themselves in the relegation zone. In the final international break of the season, the hierarchy decided to appoint Roberto De Zerbi in a final attempt to change the team's fortunes on the pitch and this gamble paid dividends as Spurs won 3 of their last 5 games to avoid relegation. There is much work for Spurs to do recruitment wise this summer if they wish to make the much needed improvements their fans are calling for.
West Ham United - F
After a 13 year stay in the Premier League, West Ham United have been relegated. They cut it close with Spurs but just didn't have the quality throughout the season to make it out of the relegation zone. The Hammers started the season with Graham Potter in charge but he was soon replaced by Nuno Espirito Santo. Nuno brought the best out of Mavropanos and Summerville but it was ultimately their defensive record which saw them pay the price. Stars such as Matheus Fernandes and Jarrod Bowen could be on the move this summer whilst Nuno has confirmed that he will be staying at the club for the next season.
Burnley - D
Most people expected Burnley to go down. Their squad just wasn't geared to stay in the Premier League but they did have some memorable results including a 2-2 draws away at Liverpool and Chelsea.
Wolves - D
After flirting with the prospect of relegation in the past couple of seasons, it was no surprise to see Wolves relegated. They lost Matheus Cunha and Rayan Ait-Nouri last summer and Jorgen Strand Larsen left for Crystal Palace in January. When Rob Edwards came into the job, there were some murmurings of life especially when they managed to get a point against Arsenal at home but those hopes were short-lived.
