Innholdsfortegnelse for Season Preview 2025 i FourFourTwo UK

X @JamesAndrew_ E james.andrew@futurenet.com Football, much like life, is about the journey for many, not the destination. Each season, only a handful of supporters get to celebrate winning a league or a cup, but millions more go on the 10-month adventure of highs and lows. From famous cup wins to shock away defeats on a Tuesday night miles from home, it’s all very much part of the experience of being a football fan. The lows make the highs feel better, and even if those highs don’t lead to anything in the end, enjoy every moment that happens along the way – snatching victory from the jaws of defeat in stoppage time, earning the derby day bragging rights, causing a cupset or beating the team at the top of the league.…

01 Peter Shilton and which France goalkeeper hold the record for the most World Cup clean sheets, with 10? 02 Jobe Bellingham (right) joined Borussia Dortmund this summer. How many major trophies did older brother Jude win in Germany? 03 Which newly promoted European club play their home fixtures at the Arena Garibaldi? 04 Who has the most Premier League assists (87) of any player born outside of Europe? 05 Which team were the solitary representatives of Oceania at this summer’s FIFA Club World Cup? 06 Matheus Cunha has signed for Manchester United from Wolves this summer. From which Spanish club did the latter recruit him in 2023? 07 Though overlooked for the England job, Harry Redknapp has managed at international level. Which nation did he preside over for a…

QUEEN OF THE SOUTH 6 DUNDEE 0 Scottish League Cup, 1977 “I was 20 and captain of Dundee for the second leg of a League Cup tie – we drew the first leg, then got hammered away. There’s a time in your life when you think, ‘I’m a useless captain.’ We were embarrassed, but 10 days later, Billy McNeill signed me for Aberdeen – I later found out a big part of his decision was that Billy’s best friend, Mike Jackson, was Queen of the South manager. Billy asked how I did, and Mike said, ‘He kept plugging away right to the end.’ Even when I think about it now, it’s too scary to contemplate missing out on the life I’ve had, if I hadn’t kept trying.” ABERDEEN 2 REAL…

Just 36 hours before Liverpool were scheduled to return for pre-season, everything changed in a tragic instant. The mood up to that point had been buoyant. The Reds were champions of England for a 20th time after a dominant 2024-25 and had just added three big signings – Jeremie Frimpong, Milos Kerkez and £100m recruit Florian Wirtz, joining from Bayer Leverkusen for what was a club-record fee. Liverpool’s sole focus had been on retaining the league title, for the first time since 1984. “A CHAMPION FOREVER, NO.20 FOREVER. YOUR LEGACY WILL LIVE ON. WE’LL MAKE SURE OF IT” Things had been going perfectly for Diogo Jota, too. His final act of the 2024-25 club season had been to lift the Premier League trophy aloft with his team-mates, at a joyous…

“CITY ARE IN A GREAT POSITION TO KICK ON AND DOMINATE AGAIN” Manchester City may have been short-priced odds to win a fifth straight Premier League title last season, but the signs of a fall were there if you knew where to look. That’s according to ex-City winger Shaun Wright-Phillips, reflecting on a 2024-25 campaign in which Pep Guardiola’s side finished 3rd, 13 points behind Liverpool, and didn’t win a major trophy for the first time in eight years. “It was the season that a lot of people might have expected after the Treble in 2023, but that drop-off was delayed,” Wright-Phillips tells FFT. “The physical and mental strength it takes to keep winning titles, year in, year out, takes its toll. They opted to sign only Savinho and Ilkay…

On a dark February evening, teenage midfielder Harrison Rimmer swivelled inside the penalty area and fired low into the bottom corner, to score the first goal at Everton’s new home. If that seemed like a feelgood story, there was some bad news: the goal was against the Toffees, for Wigan U18s, by a boyhood Liverpool fan who promptly held up six fingers in reference to his beloved Reds’ six European Cups. Around 10,000 people were inside the Toffees’ new home at Bramley-Moore Dock that night, the first test event for a 53,000-capacity venue since renamed the Hill Dickinson Stadium, after a local commercial law firm. A second test event followed in March, in front of 25,000 against Bolton’s B team. This season, the competitive era begins. Goodison Park’s final Premier…

Trevoh Chalobah joined sibling Nathaniel as an England international when he made his senior debut this summer, but two brothers haven’t played in the same game for the Three Lions since the Nevilles faced Spain at Old Trafford in February 2007. Before them, it was Bobby and Jack Charlton. That may well change soon. This summer, 19-year-old Jobe Bellingham joined Dortmund from Sunderland for £27m and immediately shone at the Club World Cup, albeit not against big brother Jude after a yellow card accumulation meant he missed the quarter-final with Real Madrid. Yet by the end of the season, it wouldn’t be the biggest surprise if the Bellinghams are united on the pitch for the first time. England are on course for the World Cup ahead of their final five…

“FOREST’S ABILITY TO COUNTER-ATTACK WILL STAND THEM IN GOOD STEAD IN EUROPE” For the first time in 30 years, Nottingham Forest are in a continental competition – even if they did fall short of a shock Champions League qualification. Forest spent more than four months in the Premier League’s top five, yet ended up 7th – still a remarkable achievement after finishing 17th in 2023-24. Stan Collymore was the star of the last Forest side to qualify for Europe, scoring 25 goals as they finished 3rd in 1995, before Liverpool made him an offer he couldn’t refuse. Forest reached the UEFA Cup quarter-finals, but were relegated within two years. “I do sometimes think, ‘What could have happened with that Forest team if I’d stayed?’” he tells FFT. Their flirtation with…

On a sweltering summer night at the Mineirao in Belo Horizonte, the date of December 6, 2023 became etched into Palmeiras’ history. The Verdao sealed back-to-back Brazilian league titlesin the most dramatic fashion you could ever imagine, clawing back a seemingly insurmountable 14-point deficit to overhaul Botafogo in a title race that will live long in the memory. It was a night of triumph, of legacy, and perhaps, of prophecy. Palmeiras – the Sao Paulo giants once created by Italian working-class immigrants, who moved to Brazil in the early 20th century – stretched their record haul to 12 national titles, four more than their nearest rivals Santos. But that night wasn’t just about silverware. It was the coming of age of Endrick. Still just 17, the Real Madrid-bound phenom delivered…

WHAT’S CHANGED? In recent years, Serie A has become the most unpredictable league in Europe. Few expected Napoli’s Scott McTominay – sorry, McTomadona – to lead a charge to the title last term, as the Scudetto changed hands once again. Now they target the first successful defence of the Italian title in six years. Can they pull it off? Antonio Conte has stayed, Kevin De Bruyne has arrived and almost all of the other leading clubs are under new management: Inter, Roma, Atalanta, Fiorentina, Lazio and Milan. Juventus, who replaced Thiago Motta with Igor Tudor in March, are the other top side to keep the same coach. Sassuolo and Cremonese are back in Serie A, but leaning-tower connoisseurs Pisa provide the real novelty factor as they return after 34 years…

“IT’S FOR THE FANS AND EVERYONE WHO HAS WORKED HARD OVER THE YEARS” The shisha bars all along King Abdullah Street in downtown Amman are packed. It’s late evening and the customers are talking about the summer of 2026. Jordan have just qualified for the World Cup for the first time, and the whole country is in celebration mode. “This is what we dreamed of,” one of those present, Omar Hussein, tells FourFourTwo. “It still doesn’t feel real and maybe it won’t until we kick off the first game. The world will see how much Jordan loves football. I can’t wait, but I have been waiting for a long time.” There had been many ups and downs along the way, like a drive up and down the 19 hills, many…

A new FA Cup campaign brings with it fresh hope of giant slayings, hilarious mismatches and the kind of tales that remind you there’s still romance in this cynical old game. Don’t believe us? Just speak to Gary Lockyer, a project manager for a telecommunications company – and winner of last season’s FA Cup Golden Ball with 10 strikes in the competition. “It’s something that’s going to stay with me forever,” says Lockyer, who outgunned the likes of Erling Haaland, Mo Salah and Alexander Isak to win the Mitre-sponsored prize. “The award can be passed down to my children. My name will forever be written in the annals of the world’s greatest cup competition, and that makes me crazy proud. Growing up, you watch the FA Cup and dream of…

Billy Sharp bagged his sixth promotion in 21 years as a professional at the end of last season – then promptly signed a new contract at Doncaster Rovers to extend his career into his 40s. “I thought about retiring two years ago when I didn’t get another contract at Sheffield United. I didn’t think I could wear another shirt,” the boyhood Blades fan tells FFT. “But LA Galaxy gave me an opportunity to experience something different with my family, then I came back to the EFL with Hull, and now I’m in League One again. “MY WIFE KEEPS ASKING ME ‘WHEN ARE YOU GOING TO STOP?’ BUT I DON’T KNOW WHEN I WILL” “I’ll be 40 in February – my wife keeps asking, ‘When are you going to stop?’, but…

Becoming the first goalkeeper to stop an FA Cup final spot-kick led to some unusual situations – and left Princess Di shocked at Dennis Wise’s swearing… How did your move to Wimbledon happen, at the age of 20, in 1979? I played for Edgware in the Athenian League – Brian and Edwin Stein were in the same team, they went to Luton and the talk was Luton were going to come back to sign me, but it never happened. Then Dave Bassett came to see a winger we had, I caught his eye and he invited me to a trial at Wimbledon. In the first game at the training ground – I think we played Cambridge – when I kicked the ball from my box to their box, they had…

THE PLAN After Brentford’s play-off final loss to Fulham in 2020, boss Thomas Frank tried to rally a dejected club. “You feel the pain,” he said, “but tomorrow the sun will rise again.” The Bees dusted themselves off, went up the next year and have since enjoyed four top-flight seasons without once dropping into the bottom three. Now comes another new dawn, but without their beloved boss – there has also long been expectation it would be without Bryan Mbeumo, whose 27 goal contributions was a tally only bettered by Messrs Salah and Isak last term. Promoting set-piece coach Keith Andrews is a typically maverick Brentford move as they seek more odds-defying progress. THE COACH Keith Andrews has a huge act to follow and zero experience as a head honcho.…

THE PLAN Chelsea are back where they belong, but getting there was far from smooth. Enzo Maresca & Co crawled over the finish line, never looking convincing but delivering a top-four finish nonetheless. With Champions League football back at Stamford Bridge, both stakes and strain are higher. Last year’s Conference League allowed squad rotation and risk-taking selections such as Tyrique George. Now? It’s a sprint across four fronts and Chelsea’s young, bloated squad – which will only swell further as Todd Boehly disrupts himself into knots – face elite tests twice each week. Progress must be visible and performances must have bite. Stop selling the project; start to justify it. THE COACH Enzo Maresca is still learning. There’s tactical nous in flashes, and Reece James’ half-time entrance in the Conference…

THE PLAN Return to dominance. Manchester City were widely tipped last term to extend their unprecedented four consecutive top-flight English titles to an equally unprecedented five – then they finished 3rd, some 13 points behind the champions. Early exits in the League Cup and Champions League, then a shock FA Cup final defeat to Crystal Palace, left Pep Guardiola without major silverware for the first time since 2016-17, his first season in England. So, in his 10th season, his sole aim is to lead a heavily revamped squad back to glory. It will require a vast improvement on nine league defeats in 2024-25 – more than they’d had in the two previous campaigns put together. THE COACH With his contract soon about to expire and rumours that he may be…

LAST SEASON LEAGUE ONE Winners FA CUP Fourth Round LEAGUE CUP Second Round TOP SCORER (ALL COMPS) Jay Stansfield (23) FAN FILE RYAN DEENEY @RyanDeeney2194 Last season was almost perfect. The aim was to smash records. Transfer record, earliest League One title win, EFL points record, the most wins… job done. The big talking point is whether we can go back-to-back. Our budget is the biggest outside of the parachute payment clubs. Fans think our owner is the saviour of Birmingham and the saviour of Birmingham City FC. Our key player will be Christoph Klarer [below], a natural leader. The opposition player I’d love here is West Bromwich Albion’s Torbjorn Heggem. He’s a versatile, powerful, leftie defender and it’s a transfer that would cause a stir. The opposition player who…

LAST SEASON CHAMPIONSHIP 17th FA CUP Third Round LEAGUE CUP Second Round TOP SCORER Mark Harris, Greg Leigh (6) FAN FILE TONY FALLOWS @themanorpodcast Last season was mission accomplished. Staying in the division was always the aim and United did it with a game to spare. I won’t be happy unless we find a centre-forward who can trouble defences more than Mark Harris [below] does. He can’t be faulted for effort, but his poor hold-up play and lack of goal threat means he can’t be the sole outlet all season. Our key player will be Cameron Brannagan [above], our heartbeat. Our most underrated player is Sam Long. He’s been with the club since he was eight years old, but he keeps defying the odds to step up the divisions. His…

League One clubs waved off Birmingham and Wrexham with some relief, along with play-off winners Charlton. While the sides expected to challenge those two drastically underperformed, the financial muscle of both made it tough for the chasing pack. But that sense of respite is temporary. Luton have landed still with Premier League parachute payments, while Cardiff – in the third tier for the first time since 2003 – and Plymouth Argyle are planning for a fast return to the Championship. The latter hope Tom Cleverley (right) can build on a bright start to his managerial career at Watford, while Cardiff are trusting in Brian Barry-Murphy’s elite coaching reputation. The tumbled trio will have to displace Stockport, who have money behind them and a relentless winning culture bred by Dave Challinor.…

LAST SEASON LEAGUE ONE 10th FA CUP First Round LEAGUE CUP Second Round TOP SCORER Josh Koroma (12) FAN FILE MARCUS MIDDLETON Last season was a capitulation, from pushing for automatic promotion before Christmas to mid-table mediocrity in May. The big talking point is whether yet another change of manager, and ideology, can get the team consistently winning and entertaining. Former Stoke and Derby goalkeeper Lee Grant is in his first senior head coach role, but he has talked a good game so far. I won’t be happy unless we are promoted. We must reverse the tide of the last few years and start an upward curve toward credibility. I’m most looking forward to visiting Bradford City, for the guaranteed six points. I’m least looking forward to playing Luton Town:…

LAST SEASON LEAGUE ONE 3rd FA CUP Third Round LEAGUE CUP First Round TOP SCORER Louie Barry (16) FAN FILE HANNAH BROWN @_HannahJBrown Last season was a bit of a surprise – most fans envisaged mid-table obscurity, so finishing 3rd far exceeded expectations. I was in the ‘too much too soon’ camp last season in terms of promotion but we can’t fly under the radar again. Our key player will be Ollie Norwood [below] – he’s not just experienced, but a key playmaker. Everything goes through him. Our most underrated player is workhorse Callum Connolly. He’ll be even more important this year. Look out for Benony Breki Andresson, our Icelandic teenager, whom Dave Challinor hailed as “our best finisher”. He gets the thunderclap as a goal celebration – I’m hoping…

LAST SEASON LEAGUE TWO 11th FA CUP Third Round LEAGUE CUP First Round TOP SCORER Michael Cheek (26) FAN FILE COLIN HEAD @colinhead70 Last season was incredible. In our first season in the EFL, we finished four points off the play-offs and reached the FA Cup Third Round. The big talking point is can we do it again? The budget will be tight and Andy Woodman will have to play the loan market well again. I won’t be happy unless we stay up, with another cup run. That’s a success, given the competition. Our key player will be Michael Cheek [above]. If he stays amid a rumoured transfer request, and keeps scoring, we’ll compete again. Our most underrated player is Corey Whitely [below]. His near-telephatic link with Cheek is the…

LAST SEASON LEAGUE TWO 22nd FA CUP First Round LEAGUE CUP First Round TOP SCORER Bobby Kamwa (9) FAN FILE JAMIE HARRIS @1912Exiles Last season was a wake-up call. After a huge personnel shake-up, we lacked quality in the squad and experience on and off the pitch. A four-match winning streak in February saved us from relegation. The big talking point is David Hughes [below], our new manager. There’s cautious optimism despite his inexperience. We’ve built a stronger team around him than Nelson Jardim had last year, and we’re able to recruit some quality. Our key player will be Bobby Kamwa [above], who showed glimpses of class last season and scored two hat-tricks, but it could well be any of the incoming crop. Our most underrated player is Matt Baker.…

LAST SEASON CHAMPIONSHIP 2nd SCOTTISH CUP Quarter-final LEAGUE CUP Group Stage TOP SCORER Robbie Muirhead (19) FAN FILE CALUM BROWN @Calum_Brown99 Last season was a sensational display of bouncebackability: we returned to the top flight at the first time of asking and won the Challenge Cup. The big talking point is the loss of key players, including captain Jamie Brandon, creative midfielder Stephen Kelly and brilliant loanees Robbie Fraser and Macaulay Tait. Our most underrated player is winger Lewis Smith. He can be inconsistent, but he has a lovely left foot and in full flow is tough for any defender to handle. He was massive in the play-offs, sparking our comeback from 2-0 down to win the play-off final second leg. The active player I’d love to have back is…

NEVER FORGOTTEN LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND Diogo Jota lifted the Premier League trophy at Anfield in May – just six weeks later, tributes were being paid to the Portugal forward outside the same stadium, after his tragic death in a car crash. Among those to lay flowers was Jordan Henderson, his former Reds team-mate. Pic Christopher Furlong/Getty CONFETTI KINGS BRATISLAVA, SLOVAKIA England’s Under-21s won the Euros two years ago – this summer, they only went and did it again. UEFA soon unleashed every confetti cannon they could possibly get hold of – there’s a full squad in there somewhere… Pic Christian Hofer/Getty SPIRITUAL HOME OF THE SHOWBOAT AMAZONAS, BRAZIL It doesn’t matter where they are, Brazilians will take any chance to show off their ball skills. On a tributary of the Amazon, a ferry…

Although the new season is just about to start, many players will be thinking about what will be happening at the end of it. The World Cup in the USA, Canada and Mexico is less than 12 months away, so it’s a hugely important season: play well, stay injury-free and get vital minutes on the pitch to impress. That’s particularly true for England’s Young Lions, who were crowned Under-21 European champions at the end of June. By beating Germany in extra-time in the final in Slovakia, Lee Carsley’s side not only won the trophy but defended their title, winning back-to-back tournaments for the first time since 1984. Harvey Elliott said he wanted to play more football, and the U21 Euros got the best out of him It was an incredible…

CHRIS FLANAGAN SENIOR STAFF WRITER @CFlanaganFFT YES I feel like Geoff Shreeves interviewing Branislav Ivanovic here. ‘Well done, Branislav, you’ve just defeated Lionel Messi’s Barcelona in the Champions League semi-final and you’re clearly delighted. By the way, did you know you’re suspended for the final? No? Oh…’ Like Geoff, looking at Branislav’s heartbroken face in 2012, part of me wonders whether writing this was a good idea. After the joys of May, this is not what fans of the three promoted sides want to hear right now – and I sincerely hope I’m wrong. All three going back down again would be terrible for football. But I fear the worst. During the past two Premier League campaigns, no promoted side has picked up more than Luton’s 26 points in 2023-24,…

“I WANT TO SEE CHELSEA PUSH TEAMS WHO HAVE BEEN CHALLENGING OVER THE PAST FEW SEASONS” For the very first time in the 70-year history of Europe’s leading club competition, six different clubs will feature from the same country. Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester City all took part in the 2024-25 Champions League, to be joined by 4th-placed Chelsea, Europa League winners Spurs and Newcastle who made it, despite finishing 5th, due to English clubs’ strong European returns last term earning the Premier League an extra spot. The Magpies should have a fairer crack at it this time thanks to the league phase – any resemblance to a European Super League is purely coincidental – when this season’s draw is made on August 28. In 2023-24, their return after more than…

At one end of Telstar’s BUKO Stadion, there sit two scoreboards. One is electronic, and typical of most stadiums. The other is a massive structure with fishing baskets attached on each side, to correspond to the number of goals scored by each team. A 50-year-old volunteer with Down’s syndrome attaches the baskets after every goal, and they’ll be doing it in the Eredivisie this season after the minnows’ unlikely promotion to the Dutch top tier. Telstar, based in the port area of Velsen, had the Eerste Divisie’s lowest budget last term, and had finished 17th in 2023-24. A strong end to 2024-25 edged them up to 7th for a place in the play-offs, where they suddenly turned into world-beaters, defeating ADO Den Haag, Den Bosch and Willem II (16th in…

Rarely have two points been such cause for celebration. Come the end of the 2015-16 Premier League campaign, that was all that would separate Sam Allardyce’s Sunderland, in 17th, from relegated rivals Newcastle United. “There’s no better feeling,” lifelong Mackem and host of the Roker Report podcast, Gavin Henderson, tells FFT. “Big Sam came in that year and saved us, while they went down. Still, it hadn’t been a good season.” Fans were used to it by then, having finished 16th, 14th and 17th over the previous three campaigns. Years of scattergun spending under a string of managers left a once-proud institution with an ageing, bloated squad and huge debts. To make matters worse, Allardyce was lured away by England that summer – and his replacement, David Moyes, didn’t sugar-coat…

WHAT’S CHANGED? FC Köln and Hamburg are back in the big time, following their promotion from the second tier. With nine German titles between them, the two sleeping giants frankly had no business being demoted in the first place. While the Billy Goats have bounced straight back, Hamburg return after seven years away – 34-year-old gaffer Merlin Polzin deserving huge credit for his sorcery. Elsewhere, former Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag takes charge at Bayer Leverkusen following Xabi Alonso’s exit to Real Madrid. Given the Basque led the Werkself to a first Meisterschale as part of an unbeaten league and cup Double in 2023-24, the Dutchman has a tough act to follow. Meanwhile, Ole Werner has left Werder Bremen to manage RB Leipzig. The 37-year-old led his former club…

WHAT’S CHANGED? For the first time since 1993, Ligue 1 can count the reigning European champions in its ranks after Paris Saint-Germain’s historic 5-0 shellacking of Inter in the final of the Champions League. While continental success will again be high on the agenda, Luis Enrique isn’t the kind of coach who will allow his players to slacken off domestically. Ousmane Dembele & Co came within four games of completing the first unbeaten season in Ligue 1 history last time out, on the way to an incredible Treble. They’ll find new rivals just across the street – literally – after Paris FC secured promotion following their takeover by the ultra-rich Arnault family. With Paris’ other club based mere yards from the Parc des Princes at Stade Jean-Bouin, it means French…

Things were moving somewhat slowly in Nottingham, as 1974 dissolved into 1975. Not just outside, where pit smoke still spiked the air, but inside the Palais nightclub. A 1920s revolving dancefloor moved the various perms, flares and star-jumpers past your table at a rather stately pace as the disc jockey played the maudlin, chugging Billy, Don’t BeA Hero by local group Paper Lace. At the bar, a group of lads passeda petition around. It was handed toa 19-year-old carpet-fitter from Long Eaton, who read ‘We, the undersigned, ask Nottingham Forest Football Club to appoint Brian Clough as manager’, and looked down through the hundreds of signatures, before adding his own. The petition was soon presented at the City Ground. Things were about to start moving a lot faster. Several decades…

XI BEST: Mark Goodlad, Adam Yates, Matty Carragher, Dean Glover, Allen Tankard, Gareth Ainsworth, Ian Taylor, Tom Pope, Steve Guppy, Ben Garrity, Martin Foyle. WORST: Dimitar Evtimov, Lawrie Wilson, Chris Slater, Calvin Mac-Intosch, Scott Tanser, Christopher Mbamba, Exodus Geohaghon, Paulo Tavares, JJ Hooper, Rigino Cicilia, Tobias Mikaelsson. PLAYER B: Gareth Ainsworth is still our record signing at £500,000 and was everything a young kid going to watch football loved: pace, power, silky skills and an eye for goal. I have memories of watching him score a solo goal against Bristol City that I still think is the best ever. W: Chris Slater. A lovely bloke, but was plucked from the Chasetown team that beat us in the FA Cup and pitched into a League Two relegation battle that he clearly…

Rested, refreshed and ready to go again? Strap in for the unpredictable 10-month rollercoaster that is domestic football. Whatever happened in May, the slate is wiped clean in August. Dreams exist for every supporter at the start of the season; over time, twists and turns mean they will slowly fade for fans of many clubs, but for now, those dreams are real. In this, the Ultimate Season Preview, we rate and review 140 teams and their chances ahead of the big kick-off. Whoever you support, enjoy the season. GET INVOLVED TWEET US USING THE HASHTAG #FFTPREVIEW WANT MORE? FIND US HERE… FourFourTwo.com @FourFourTwo @FourFourTwoUK FourFourTwo FourFourTwo…

THE PLAN Brighton secured their second-best top-flight finish last season (8th), but missing out on Europe was still a disappointment. The experience should do head coach Fabian Hurzeler and his youthful squad some good, though long-standing issues need attention. The Seagulls struggle against bottom-half sides: they didn’t beat any relegated outfit at home in 2024-25. No team won more points (23) after going behind, either, and avoiding such situations in the first place would be preferable. An influx of central defenders – Olivier Boscagli and Diego Coppola from PSV and Hellas Verona respectively – could suggest a switch to the back three that Hurzeler favoured at St Pauli. THE COACH Fabian Hurzeler, 32, showed his age (or lack of top-flight experience) a little last season, most notably in the 7-0…

THE PLAN Once the euphoria of their dramatic play-off final victory over Sheffield United had subsided, the dilemma for Sunderland has been whether, and how much, to alter their youth-centred recruitment policy. With it, they’ve nurtured some of English football’s hottest prospects and delivered a surprise promotion. But this step up is the most demanding in world football and nobody in the group, bar Enzo Le Fee, has experience in an elite division. Fresh know-how is a must, and technical director Kristjaan Speakman has referenced a need to pivot. They will have learned from 2016-17, though, when David Moyes signed five of his old Everton squad and took Sunderland down. THE COACH Sunderland took four months to find their replacement for Mick Beale, and it was worth every second. Having…

THE PLAN Avoid needing snookers to get out of trouble as fans head for the loft to gather their festive decorations. Wolves have spent two of the last three Christmas Days in the relegation zone, before Julen Lopetegui and then Vitor Pereira delivered desperate rescue acts. But 2025-26’s early-season fixture list is less brutal than last year’s, when Wolves faced all of the eventual top seven in their opening eight games and took a single point, so they can hope for a better launchpad. And while losing Matheus Cunha, Rayan Ait-Nouri and Pablo Sarabia has without doubt been sub-optimal, it’s not the end of the world if – if – there is enough investment. THE COACH Vitor Pereira not only made an impact on the pitch, arriving a week before…

LAST SEASON CHAMPIONSHIP 5th FA CUP Fourth Round LEAGUE CUP Third Round TOP SCORER Haji Wright (12) FAN FILE LAURENCE KILPATRICK @Thelonelyseason Last season was standard: a slow start and an incredible mid-season run. All that was missing was our now-annual trip to Wembley and Mark Robins overseeing it all. The big talking point is the uneasy status of Doug King, who fired potentially Coventry City’s GOAT manager, panicked for a few weeks, replaced him with the most famous player he could think of, then responded to uproar with a bizarrely unprofessional fan press conference. Luckily for Doug and Frank Lampard [above], the new man pulled a record-breaking winning run out of the bag and has brought togetherness to the squad. This season will be different because Lampard can wield…

LAST SEASON CHAMPIONSHIP 3rd FA CUP Third Round LEAGUE CUP Second Round TOP SCORER Tyrese Campbell (11) FAN FILE DAVID TAYLOR @ThePinchNews Last season was a season of percentages. We kept pace at the top despite a monumental rebuild and the longest injury list I’ve ever seen, until a disastrous week near the end of the season, and the play-off final followed a similar pattern: dominating early on but faltering at the last. In pre-season, though, we would’ve snapped your hand off for 3rd place if offered. This season will be different because our new cohort of players have had a full season to gel. I won’t be happy unless we finish in the top four. Our key player will be goalkeeper Michael Cooper. He’s been a real revelation for…

LAST SEASON LEAGUE ONE 12th FA CUP Second Round LEAGUE CUP Third Round TOP SCORER (ALL COMPS) Davis Keillor-Dunn (19) FAN FILE CARLO VAN DE WATERING @RedsReport_ Last season was clearly not good enough for the Barnsley board as Darrell Clarke was replaced by former player, captain and general legend Conor Hourihane in March, once it became clear we wouldn’t play any part in the play-offs. Our key player will be Davis Keillor-Dunn, our only consistent performer. He’s sure to attract attention from other League One – or even Championship – teams. Look out for midfielders Jonathan Bland and Vimal Yoganathan, and goalkeeper Kieren Flavell [below]. They all have the attributes to become regular first-team players. Yoganathan helped Oldham to win the National League play-offs during his loan there last…

LAST SEASON LEAGUE ONE 17th FA CUP Third Round LEAGUE CUP First Round TOP SCORER Will Evans (14) FAN FILE SAM BINCH @SamBinch Last season was marked by a superb start before we tailed off alarmingly. The aim, though, was to stay in League One, and we did. This season will be different because Field Mill will have four functioning sides for the first time in 20-plus years. The refurbished Bishop Street Stand should be open for the start of the season. I’m most looking forward to visiting Doncaster. It’s a good day out, not too far, and I know a free place to park and a decent pub. Our key player will be our new No.1 from Millwall, Liam Roberts – a quality replacement for Christy Pym’s erratic shot-stopping.…

After 2023-24 was dominated by financial powerhouses, League Two had a more level playing field last season – and it showed. Bradford’s 78 points was the joint-lowest total of any EFL team to win automatic promotion since 1997-98 – not that 23,000 fans at Valley Parade cared, as Antoni Sarcevic’s deflected 96th-minute winner sent them up in May. So, what are we in for this year? Another promotion race of jeopardy, drama and teams tripping over one another near the finish line, or a return to the wealthiest pulling away? It depends on the scale of improvement from MK Dons and Gillingham after both fell miles off the pace. The big spenders – MK in particular – have multiple promotion-winning managers in Paul Warne and Gareth Ainsworth, who each boast…

LAST SEASON LEAGUE TWO 10th FA CUP First Round LEAGUE CUP Second Round TOP SCORER Lyle Taylor (13) FAN FILE JAMIE WOOLER @WoolerJamie Last season was encouraging. It was our highest finish in five years and the underlying numbers were pretty decent. We’ve built a solid foundation for this season. This season will be different because we’ll improve our output in attack, I hope. Apart from that, I’d take more of the same! I won’t be happy unless we find a replacement for our Nottingham Forest loanee, Jamie McDonnell, arguably the best ball-winning midfielder in League Two last year. Our key player will be Jack Payne [above, left] – his technical ability is well above the level and he was in League Two’s Team of the Season. Look out for…

LAST SEASON LEAGUE ONE 24th FA CUP First Round LEAGUE CUP Second Round TOP SCORER John Marquis (12) FAN FILE ANDY GREENWAY Last season was awful to watch as we slipped out of League One after 10 years – especially given how close we came to reaching the Championship in 2017-18. The big talking point is the sale of the club, which is still up in the air. It caused so much uncertainty last season and is clearly starting to hold us back. But fans respect that owner Roland Wycherley will leave the club only in the hands of someone trustworthy. The thing my club really gets right is engagement with the local community, and the family feel around the club and the town. The one change I’d make would…

ARSENAL Renee Slegers revived the Gunners’ fortunes by replacing Jonas Eidevall as boss last season. After a poor start, they finished 2nd in the WSL, then won the Champions League against all odds, which will give them huge confidence to chase a first title since 2019. Chloe Kelly has joined permanently after a loan spell – Mariona Caldentey is the WSL’s player of the year, while Alessia Russo was the league’s joint-top scorer. KEY PLAYER Mariona Caldentey VERDICT 2nd ASTON VILLA The Midlands club won seven league games in 2024-25 – two of their first 17 fixtures, then all of their last five, to rocket up from 11th to 6th. They’ll want to carry on that momentum, but it may take a few seasons under new manager Natalia Arroyo, appointed…

LAST SEASON PREMIERSHIP 5th SCOTTISH CUP Winners LEAGUE CUP Semi-final TOP SCORER (ALL COMPS) Kevin Nisbet (14) FAN FILE GLEN SCHREUDER @RTG_Podcast Last season was a rollercoaster ride: great start, terrible middle, amazing finish. We ended our 35-year wait to lift the Scottish Cup, our first trophy since 2014. The big talking point is having European group-stage football guaranteed for the second time in three seasons, though ideally we’d win our Europa League play-off so we aren’t in the Conference League again. Strong recruitment is key – attackers Nicolas Milanovic and Kusini Yengi are two early signings, from Western Sydney Wanderers and Portsmouth respectively. I won’t be happy unless we win a trophy, but that feels greedy now. Our key player will be winger Topi Keskinen [below]. If the 22-year-old…

After joining the club as a schoolboy, John Terry rose to become one of Chelsea’s most iconic players and captains. Gianluca Vialli gave him his debut in 1998 but his breakthrough came in 2000-01, when he starred in defence with Marcel Desailly and was named the club’s player of the season. In 2004, Jose Mourinho arrived and Terry grew into one of the finest defenders of his generation. Alongside his trusted lieutenant, Frank Lampard, Terry led the Blues through a golden era, winning five Premier League titles in his career, plus five FA Cups, three League Cups, the Champions League and the Europa League. He also captained England’s ‘Golden Generation’, but couldn’t guide a world-class group of players into even the last four of a major tournament. Away from the…

A mid the unforgiving world of academy football, where dreams are made but more often broken, Marcia Lewis stands out as a rare constant: a voice of wisdom, calm and unflinching realism. She’s the founder of No1Fan.club, a platform dedicated to supporting parents who are navigating the often opaque and high-pressure world of youth football. But if you ask her, she’s still just a mum trying to help others through a journey she’s living herself. That journey happens to include her son, Myles Lewis-Skelly, the Arsenal and England star tipped for a glittering future after a breakthrough season in 2024-25. “Of course I’m proud,” she smiles as she talks to FourFourTwo. “But this isn’t just about Myles. This is about all the parents out there who feel alone, confused or…

Steve McManaman, Michael Owen, and this year Trent Alexander-Arnold. The road from Liverpool’s academy, to first-team stardom, to the Bernabeu is well-trodden – now the 26-year-old will follow those forebears by bringing his right-back revolution to Real Madrid. Like Macca, who wound down his contract in 1999, Alexander-Arnold already speaks decent Spanish, if his unveiling is anything to go by. Florentino Perez & Co have spent a lot of the past 18 months fluttering their eyelashes at ‘Trent’, as he’ll simply be known in La Liga, yet the Scouser’s decision to leave his boyhood club on a free transfer left many fans outraged. “Some just couldn’t understand it,” says former Reds academy graduate Stephen Warnock. “To them, Liverpool is the greatest club in the world, bar none. But Trent won…

Ange Postecoglou could have done a mic drop at San Mames in May. “I always win things in my second year,” the straight-talking Aussie had said eight months earlier to wash away the pain of Spurs’ 1-0 defeat by Arsenal, their second in four Premier League outings. Now, here he stood, as good as his word, and thrusting the Europa League trophy high above his head into the Bilbao night sky. What an ending. Instead, at a febrile victory parade 48 hours later in North London, Big Ange declared that, “in all the best TV series, season three is better than season two”. Daniel Levy soon cancelled the show. That decision split a spiky fanbase. To some, Postecoglou ending Spurs’ 17-year trophy drought outweighed a lowest top-flight finish since relegation…

For years, Spurs were the team who showed promise but didn’t win a trophy; now Europa League glory helps to shift that pressure across North London. Arsenal have finished 2nd in the Premier League for three years in a row, earning Mikel Arteta widespread praise, but it’s now been five years since their last trophy: the FA Cup in August 2020. Since then, fellow Londoners Chelsea have become European champions and West Ham have won the Conference League, before last season really rubbed it in as Crystal Palace bagged the FA Cup and Chelsea and Spurs lifted European trophies. Arsenal’s biggest rivals were oddly unbothered by St Totteringham’s Day – the day on which the Gunners mathematically finish above Tottenham in the league – being as early as April 3.…

WHAT’S CHANGED? Real Madrid are opening a new era with Xabi Alonso. The 43-year-old Basque played for the club between 2009 and 2014, and he knows it inside out. As a major former star of the club, he’ll be respected just like Zinedine Zidane before him. Unlike Zizou, who was originally appointed in 2016 without any previous experience, Alonso arrives after a very successful spell at Bayer Leverkusen. He was considered the best possible option to replace Carlo Ancelotti – it’s a change that could potentially define La Liga for a long time. Will he be capable of finishing top in his debut season like Hansi Flick did last term, though? Barcelona are the new team to beat after a magnificent campaign of pure attacking football, and will aim to…

The new season is upon us and that can mean only one thing: new kits. This really is a blessed time of year for the football shirt collectors – and boy, does the 2025-26 campaign look more exciting than ever. Whether it be Liverpool returning to Adidas, your favourite big-name signing turning out in their new club colours or a unique connection to a shirt that is bafflingly inexplicable to everybody apart from you… this season will be one of the all-timers for collecting kits. But the football memorabilia market is a global, multi-million pound beast these days, and it can be hard to know where to start. That’s why FourFourTwo have teamed up with MatchWornShirt – the leading platform for match-worn and signed football shirts – to bring you…

You recently arranged for Sunderland to be the opponents for your Hearts testimonial – how do you look back on your time at the Stadium of Light? To stay in the Premier League the entire time I was there was an achievement, but it didn’t feel like it at the time. We wanted to push on, and it was the same personally. I wanted to give more, but I picked up a couple of bad injuries. I’m pleased to see Sunderland get back up. They have everything there to be a very big player in that league. What was Roy Keane like to work under as a manager? I owe him a lot. He had enough faith to take me to Sunderland for what, at the time, was the British…

Daniel Storey’s remarkable efforts across the 2024-25 campaign made him a fully-fledged member of the 92 Club in what must surely be record time. The self-proclaimed “stadium nerd” and football writer undertook the iconic challenge for The i Paper, covering 17,686 miles and finishing at the City Ground, home to his beloved Nottingham Forest, for the final-day Premier League defeat to Chelsea. “It felt like a real homecoming,” he tells FFT. “Forest gave me a special reception, with a shirt that had 92 on the back and an invitation pitchside to receive it in front of the fans. The result aside, it was an amazing day at the end of an unforgettable 10 months.” Storey subsequently released a list ranking all 92 grounds, with Grimsby’s Blundell Park a surprise winner.…

The Slovakian defender on suffering Premier League heartache, Gerrard’s infamous slip and why he dropped the skinhead look post-Liverpool… You joined Liverpool in January 2008 and spent eight-and-a-half years there. How do you look back on it? It’s a combination of honour, privilege and fulfilled dreams. Playing football from early childhood, I always wanted to play at the top level. So coming to England and experiencing the Premier League in person was a dream come true. To be part of such a huge club makes it all extra special. Even the idea of being a team-mate of the likes of Steven Gerrard, Fernando Torres, Jamie Carragher or Javier Mascherano seems amazing to me now. But at the same time, it was also a great responsibility because Liverpool have fans all…

Want to make a name for yourself as a non-league football club? Your best bet could be to stand out by designing a striking kit. Take Clapton Community FC, for example. In 2018 the club won thousands of Spanish fans with a supporter-designed kit inspired by the flag of the Second Spanish Republic. The red, yellow and purple design, which was made as a tribute to the International Brigades who fought in the Spanish Civil War, was packed with details, including the phrase “no pasaran” (“they shall not pass”) on the neck. Making the feat all the more impressive was the fact that the team had existed for less than a year at the time of the shirt’s release. Further north, 1874 Northwich drew critical acclaim for their 2019-20 away…

“Be not afeard; the isle is full of noises.” The Tempest wasn’t written about the Premier League but, given the play’s central themes of power, revenge, upheaval and a dash of magic, William Shakespeare did foreshadow it by 400-odd years. Chief among last season’s flotsam are Manchester City, denied major silverware for the first time since 2017 and now somewhere other than 1st in our predicted table for the first time in 10 years (when we tipped Chelsea and, uh, Leicester won it). In six of those subsequent nine campaigns, City did indeed win the title and, like Prospero himself, sorcerer-in-chief Pep Guardiola will do everything in his power to recapture his crown from his usurpers. That’s no easy task, given the ease with which Liverpool dominated the 2024-25 island.…

THE PLAN It feels surreal for fans to consider it, but the plan is to build on a first major trophy win in 56 years by launching a legitimate challenge for the Premier League title and qualifying for the knockout stages of the Champions League. To make that plan into a reality, Newcastle commenced the summer needing quality additions on the right wing and in central defence, a reliable back-up striker to Alexander Isak (while also holding on to him) and a talented young goalkeeper who could succeed Nick Pope. In short, the Magpies have needed to sign several players capable of going straight into the first team, and that is something they have failed to do in the last three windows. THE COACH Eddie Howe can just pick a…

The 2024-25 Championship was a split league. The second tier produced an unprecedented two 100-point campaigns, with Leeds and Burnley pulling clear of play-off finalists Sheffield United and Sunderland. A play-off spot, however, required the joint-lowest points total – Bristol City’s 68 – since 1989’s expansion to 46 games. The Robins were 13 points closer to relegation than they were to the top two. Might the division even out? Let’s hope so. Six of the last 12 automatically promoted teams were in the first year of parachute payments, and a further four in their second year. The two exceptions had either a manager worshipped by Pep Guardiola, or one subsequently sought out to rival him: Marcelo Bielsa at Leeds and Kieran McKenna at Ipswich respectively. The latter seems likely to…

LAST SEASON PREMIER LEAGUE 18th FA CUP Fourth Round LEAGUE CUP Fourth Round TOP SCORER Jamie Vardy (10) FAN FILE DAVID BEVAN Last season was a catastrophe from start to finish – and deserved, for the way the club has been mismanaged in recent years. This season will be different because we absolutely won’t lose nine league home games in a row without scoring! Or will we…? Our key player will be Abdul Fatawu, who destroyed the Championship in his first season but missed most of the last campaign through injury. Look out for winger Jeremy Monga [below], who made his Premier League debut as a 15-year-old in April. He could go right to the top. Fans think our owner is continuing to put his faith in people who have…

LAST SEASON CHAMPIONSHIP 11th FA CUP Third Round LEAGUE CUP Second Round TOP SCORER Liam Cullen (12) FAN FILE STEVEN CARROLL @StevenSOS1987 Last season was decent in the end, after a miserable start to 2025 [one point from six games, including a derby defeat]. The big talking point is how Alan Sheehan will do now that he has been given the manager’s job on a permanent basis. This season will be different because we’ve done some early transfer business for once. Our key player will be Ben Cabango, as Harry Darling has left for Norwich – though we have also signed Cameron Burgess and Ricardo Santos, both centre-backs. Look out for Bobby Wales [below], a new arrival from Kilmarnock who sounds like he has potential. The active player I’d love…

LAST SEASON LEAGUE ONE 20th FA CUP Second Round LEAGUE CUP First Round TOP SCORER Rumarn Burrell (11) FAN FILE JACK STOUT @BrewersTV Last season was chaotic. Having looked dead and buried at the start of 2025, we pulled off an unbelievable turnaround to secure safety with a game to spare. The big talking point is the loss of key players. Ryan Sweeney has left to join Mansfield, Jon Dadi Bodvarsson went back to Iceland and goalkeeper Max Crocombe is now at Millwall. Thankfully, South African midfielder Kegs Chauke has signed a new two-year deal. I won’t be happy unless we start well. We need to break our habit of being horrific in the early months. Our key player will be ex-Chelsea youngster Charlie Webster [below]. The 21-year-old consistently ran…

LAST SEASON LEAGUE TWO 2nd FA CUP First Round LEAGUE CUP First Round TOP SCORER Lorent Tolaj (15) FAN FILE PHIL BOWERS @PhilJBowers Last season was ultimately successful. Promotion was always the aim – the bigger issue was rebuilding the relationship with a fanbase battered by a miserable relegation. Darren Moore and his team look to have done that, too. I won’t be happy unless Doncaster reduce the price of their Chippy Tea Butty. The key player will be Ben Garrity. Our record with and without him is (forgive the pun) black and white. Our most underrated player is Ryan Croasdale, even if he was named the club’s Player of the Year for 2024-25. He’s everything you want from a midfield player, getting on with his job quietly and efficiently,…

LAST SEASON LEAGUE TWO 21st FA CUP Third Round LEAGUE CUP First Round TOP SCORER (ALL COMPS) Walton, Whalley, Woods (9) FAN FILE ADAM SCARBOROUGH Last season was frustrating at times, but it ended with survival. The big talking point is the sudden closure of our academy. This season will be different because John Doolan [above] has a full season under his belt… but there has been lots of cost-cutting. The pantomime villain will be our owner, Andy Holt, whenever he next puts out a controversial post on social media. He’s on the warpath with the neighbours and the council over an argument about noise. This resulted in the club not being able to play music on matchdays. Our key player will be Shaun Whalley [below], who has signed a…

LAST SEASON LEAGUE TWO 17th FA CUP First Round LEAGUE CUP First Round TOP SCORER Jayden Clarke (7) FAN FILE DANNY SMITH Last season was annoying. We actually played well except for one mid-season blip. Unfortunately, that blip lasted from October to March. We went from being top of the table to fearing relegation. Fans think our gaffer is doing a good job so far, as our fifth manager in less than two years. Gareth Ainsworth [above] is still unbeaten after nine games in charge [three wins, six draws]. Fans think our owner is trying really hard. Given how things have gone on the pitch, Brad Galinson would be forgiven for looking for a way out, but he continues to invest in the team so much that it’s almost suspicious.…

ALDERSHOT TOWN An FA Trophy win backed by nearly 20,000 fans at Wembley was a reminder of what a big club the Shots can be. Tommy Widdrington knows they need to be less leaky if they’re to improve on 16th, though. Losing skipper Aaron Jones to Sutton and Jack Barham to Chelmsford is a blow, but Tristan Abrahams brings promotion nous and Ryan Hill adds attacking intent. 12th ALTRINCHAM Alty, disappointed to miss out on the play-offs, have since suffered three high-profile exits: Alex Newby (to York), Justin Amaluzor (Grimsby) and, most painfully, 23-goal Regan Linney to Carlisle. James Gale and striker Jimmy Knowles come in from EFL clubs, yet the shrewdest signing may be busy Boston midfielder Keaton Ward. 6th BOREHAM WOOD Luke Garrard (below) will be looking to…

LAST SEASON CHAMPIONSHIP Winners SCOTTISH CUP Fourth Round LEAGUE CUP Quarter-final TOP SCORER Calvin Miller (12) FAN FILE ROSS WAYNE @Falkirkdaft Last season was fantastic, as we won the second of back-to-back league titles. After 15 years away, we’re back in the top flight. The big talking point is how we’ll step up, although we’ve retained most of our squad and continue to recruit strongly. Scott Arfield has committed for another year, we’ve signed goalkeeper Scott Bain from Celtic and Championship Golden Boot winner Brian Graham from Partick Thistle, and apparently there’s more to come. Our key player will be Brad Spencer [below]. He binds our team together – both in midfield and with his professionalism – and didn’t miss a minute last season. Our most underrated player is Ethan…