Hello and welcome back to The Full 90. This week, we will be discussing the summer transfer window and my predictions for the 2025-26 Premier League season.
Three best signings:
João Pedro: Pedro and his former club, Brighton & Hove Albion, agreed on a deal with Chelsea for a seven-year contract worth approximately $82 million. The unique attacking presence of Pedro requires defenders to cover his versatility throughout the attacking third. Having the quality to play as a striker, on the wing or as an attacking midfielder are all integral parts of Pedro’s game. While Pedro does find success as a number nine, his favored style of play is within the attacking half spaces. In this position, he can cause danger by floating in pockets of space in front of the back line. This ability has translated smoothly as Pedro has bagged five goals and three assists between his arrival during the Club World Cup and his features in the Premier League. His excellent form has been praised by manager Enzo Maresca, who has attributed Pedro’s ability to Chelsea’s present and future success with breaking down defensive low blocks, something Chelsea has struggled with over the last couple of seasons.
Xavi Simons: The shocking transfer of the summer saw long-time Chelsea target Simons change his mind and make a move to join London rivals Tottenham Hotspur FC. The 22-year-old Dutch attacker made his move to Tottenham on a $70 million move from German club RB Leipzig. Simons enjoys occupying half spaces within the attack and driving with the ball from deep within his own half to start decisive and ruthless attacks. His striking ability, along with his exceptional eye for a pass in the final third, combine to create a very promising and confident young attacker.
Alexander Isak: Reigning champions Liverpool decided to continue their dominance following their impressive 2024-2025 season with one of the strongest transfer windows in Premier League history. They were able to export dead weight within their squad while also signing world-class replacements for positions they needed to improve. The most impactful is sure to be Isak, the Swedish striker who was acquired from Newcastle by Liverpool for a record British transfer fee of $170 million. The now- Liverpool forward scored 23 goals and provided six assists in 34 appearances last season. Isak was the second-highest goal scorer in the Premier League last season, with the only player outscoring him being his now-teammate, Mohamed Salah. Isak’s dynamic ability to carry the ball from wide positions, combined with his tendency to spin off center backs, creates quite a handful for defenders around the league. Isak’s sight for the goal and ball striking ability create a threat from within the box and from distance, which heavily contributes to his stellar goal tallies over recent seasons. This lethal combination of skills bodes well for Liverpool, as it seems likely to be the best signing of the summer.
Champions – Liverpool seems the most likely to raise the Premier League trophy this year. Based on the immense success it achieved last year under new manager Arne Slot, coupled with one of the best transfer windows of all time, it seems the team will see tremendous success in this campaign. A well-rounded squad with efficient depth and maturity is more reason the reigning champions seem the most likely to be at the peak of the mountain come May.
Golden Glove (Alisson Becker) – When predicting the Golden Glove, I like to predict it based on the defense in front of the goalkeeper. Last year, David Raya won the award, and much of this can be attributed to his defense and how well they protected him. For this reason, I believe Becker will be awarded the Golden Glove. Not only is he an amazing shot stopper and massive presence within the goal, but he is also protected by one of the Premier League’s best center back pairings, Virgil Van Dijk and Ibrahima Konaté. The strong spine of this defense, combined with Becker’s brilliant goalkeeping skills, all point to him receiving the Golden Glove.
Golden Boot (Erling Haaland) – The Norwegian marksman is now in his fourth season with Manchester City, and he shows no signs of slowing down. Haaland has already won this trophy twice in the last three years and is looking to continue his goal-scoring prowess. In both years he won the award, he scored 25+ goals during the league campaign. Haaland has always been able to score goals; however, in recent campaigns he has struggled to keep full fitness throughout the season. When Haaland misses game time like this, it causes his goal tally to deplete heavily. If he can stay healthy, expect the Norwegian striker to lead Manchester City’s line with plenty of goals to boot.
