Reviewing 2025/26

I predicted the men from Dean Court to have a reasonable season but even I couldn't have predicted they would finish sixth, just three points behind Liverpool! Andoni Iraola really has created a culture full of hard work, togetherness and family and that attitude made them an incredibly tough team to beat, losing just twice at the Vitality all season. Couple that with the fact that they put together a run of eighteen games unbeaten from January 3rd right to the end of the campaign and you can see just what helped them into the top six.

Looking ahead to 2026/27

Are they ready to sustain a good level of Premier League performances whilst trying to juggle it with a pretty intense European schedule? I don't think so. It can be all too much for clubs with bigger squads and bigger budgets so it's easy to understand why most early predictions are poiting to a bottom half finish. The loss of manager Andoni Iraola to Liverpool was widely anticipated, but it won't make it any easier to push through for incoming boss Marco Rose. Rose has a strong reputation in Germany. Can he transfer it to the English game?

With a need to build on the squad, it's somewhat surprising to see just the one arrival so far in the shape of Alvaro Rodriguez, a 22 year old centre forward from Villareal. The departure of Marcos Senesi to Spurs on a free will sting a little, and his presence at the back will need replacing as soon as possible.

Court Offside Tip

I've predicted them to produce another top 10 finish but there's a lot of things that need to happen in order for that to come to fruition. The team need to gel with the manager most importantly and whilst I think they will, if they don't, there may be trouble ahead. They're 9/1 to be relegated which isn't even in my mind right now but if things go badly in the first few games, those odds will be slashed!