It’s been another exciting Premier League season with plenty of highlights, including champions Arsenal and surprise European qualifiers Bournemouth and Sunderland, to name just three.
Individually, it was a forgettable campaign for the likes of Bruno Fernandes, Declan Rice and Gabriel but it didn’t go well for everyone.
Here, we look at our worst Premier League XI for the 2025/26 season:
He has a goalkeeper
Guglielmo Vicario (Tottenham)
Key stats: Had a Premier League-worst -5.5 goals blocked compared to xGOT conceded. According to ordinary people, he scored 50 goals when he should have scored only 44.5.
One of the main ingredients in the recipe for disaster for Tottenham, who had to wait until the last day to maintain their top-flight status. He underwent hernia surgery in March and failed to return to the team ahead of the revived Antonin Kinsky. His 62.4% save percentage was also among the worst in the division.
THE DEFENDERS
Jeremy Frimpong (Liverpool)
Key stats: Made just 11 tackles all season, won less than half of his ground contests and didn’t manage a single block
He arrived last summer for £30million and was tasked with filling the boots of the departed Trent Alexander-Arnold. He came with a reputation as a flying defender who would fill the void left by the England player. Finished the season with no goals and one assist.
Cristian Romero (Tottenham)
Key stats: One of two players to be shown two red cards this season
He was chosen as much for his bad influence as for his actions. The Spurs captain showed the problems he had throughout the season, repeatedly criticizing the team when they failed to achieve their goals on the field. It was for skipping the last day’s game against Everton before public outcry that led to a late change of heart. He played only 23 league games due to injury and suspension, and scored 88 goals for his team. In comparison, Bournemouth’s Marcos Senesi was the leading center in this category with 154.
Max Kilman (West Ham)
Key stats: Won just 44% of ground duels
He was dropped after a mistake-filled start to the season and, given the chance against Leeds in the FA Cup, made another mistake which saw the Hammers crash out at the quarter-final stage. A £40m signing from Wolves, Kilman has five years left on a lucrative seven-year contract he signed in 2024. If the signing is indicative of the club’s mismanagement…
Dan Burn (Newcastle)
Key stats: Had a successful pass play rate of 79.3%
One of the enigmas of England’s World Cup squad, Burn was a key member of a Newcastle defense that posted 55 goals in 38 league games and only conceded five. You’re not good at defending, you should be good at football? Er, no. Burn was only able to complete 79.3% of his passes in the open game, very low in the rankings. That number dropped to 52.1% in the bottom third.
THE MIDFIELDERS
Tijjani Reijnders (Manchester City)
Key stat: He had just one Premier League goal in 2026
A £46million signing from AC Milan last summer, Reijnders started the season well with a goal and an assist at Wolves on the opening day but then became a regular bench warmer. It is already believed that he is considering his options.
Manuel Ugarte (Manchester United)
Key stat: Zero goals and zero assists this Premier League season
You could argue that the stats are misleading as the Uruguayan is a very defensive midfielder, and the fact that of Ugarte’s 22 league appearances, 14 have come from the bench. But he has been used more in support of Casemiro, who has nine goals and two assists. United may want to consider entering the transfer market to replace the departing Brazilian.
Carlos Baleba (Brighton)
Key stats: Has just two possessions in 31 appearances and zero crosses
Baleba was heavily linked with Manchester United last summer and could be on the move ahead of next season. Brighton are unlikely to spend much time trying to persuade him to stay given his attacking output. Even as a defensive midfielder, two goals a season is hard to fathom.
FORWARD
Liam Delap (Chelsea)
Key stat: He scored one goal in the Premier League and underperforms his xG at 3.47
It’s inevitable that if your transfer model is to sign players with promise, others will swim. And for every Willian Estevao there is bound to be a Liam Delap. Looked very short on quality and had very poor goals v xG in the top flight of established strikers apart from Evanilson, who gives Bournemouth a lot in terms of style of play.
Yoane Wissa (Newcastle)
Key stats: Failed to score in the Premier League in 2026 and managed just one goal all season
The perfect explanation for panic buying. After selling Alexander Isak to Liverpool last summer, Newcastle needed to strengthen the attack again quickly. That led to them spending £55m on Wissa, despite only 12 months remaining on his contract at Brentford. He injured his knee on international duty in September and did not look fit or interested in his return.
Alexander Isak (Liverpool)
Key stats: Managed just six shots on target all season
Signed for a British record £125m last year, Isak’s season has essentially been wiped out. Having finally found himself, he was just beginning to regain his Newcastle form when he sustained a broken leg in a goal-scoring game at Tottenham. It was in and out during the rest of the season.
