Arsenal face an immediate test of title credentials against a revamped Manchester United at Old Trafford. Meanwhile, defending champions Liverpool open at home to Bournemouth on Friday, 15 August 2025. The Premier League 2025/26 season opener also arrives with Newcastle set to be without wantaway striker Alexander Isak. They face a tough trip to Aston Villa.
United and Arsenal are poised to hand top-flight debuts to new No 9s Benjamin Sesko and Viktor Gyokeres respectively. Arsenal had long tracked Sesko before instead backing Gyokeres, whose fee could rise to £66 million. United, meanwhile, rebuilt their attack with Sesko, Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha in a spend exceeding £200 million, just in time for the Premier League 2025/26 opener.
Spending, Context and What to Watch Next
Liverpool bucked recent trends by outspending rivals despite arriving as champions. They committed about £260 million on Florian Wirtz, Hugo Ekitike, Jeremie Frimpong, and Milos Kerkez. Trent Alexander-Arnold, Luis Diaz, and Darwin Nunez departed. The club continues to reel from the death of Diogo Jota last month. Head coach Arne Slot said the side is adapting but “definitely ready for the league to start.” The Premier League 2025/26 season opener will test that claim.
For Villa and Newcastle, financial rules narrowed options. Villa’s major addition is Evann Guessand. Newcastle’s chase for replacements stalled as several targets opted elsewhere. Both clubs, however, have recently outperformed parts of the “big six”. They will eye Champions League places again as they compete in the season opener for the Premier League 2025/26.
