Major Clubs

PSG

Ligue 1 🇫🇷

Won the Champions League against Arsenal and the Ligue 1 title, built on a relentless, street-football front three. Dembélé's stage this season.

Bayern Munich

Bundesliga 🇩🇪

Kane's 61-goal season swept the Bundesliga and Pokal double; the Champions League remains the target. Now adds Saibari, the World Cup's breakout star.

Real Madrid

La Liga 🇪🇸

The deepest squad in the sport — Mbappé, Bellingham and Brahim already in white, Konaté and Cucurella arriving. Trophyless last season, out to prove it was a blip.

Man City

EPL 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

The Golden Ball winner, the goal machine, and January's Guéhi coup — individual brilliance the rest of the league can't match, built around it.

Arsenal

EPL 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

First Premier League title since 2004, plus a Champions League final in the same season, built on the meanest defense in Europe. Home of Rice and Saka.

Liverpool

EPL 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

Champions two seasons back, now opening a fresh cycle under new manager Iraola, following Salah's departure as a free agent after nine years at the club.

Barcelona

La Liga 🇪🇸

Back-to-back La Liga titles under Flick, who just extended through 2028, but Europe remains elusive after a Champions League quarterfinal exit to Atlético. Lewandowski leaves as a free agent, replaced by Anthony Gordon's €80m arrival from Newcastle.

Atlético Madrid

La Liga 🇪🇸

Reached the Champions League semi-finals and Copa del Rey final before finishing fourth in La Liga last season, then lost Griezmann's decade at the club to Orlando City. Now fending off Barcelona's pursuit of Julián Álvarez against his reported €500m release clause.

Real Betis

La Liga 🇪🇸

A fifth-place La Liga finish sent Betis into the Champions League for the first time in 21 years, vindicating Pellegrini's long project. Antony's inspired loan spell was made permanent, while talisman Isco fights back from a fractured leg that wrecked last season.

Athletic Bilbao

La Liga 🇪🇸

Their first Champions League run since 2014-15 ended in the league phase, and a rough 12th in La Liga closes out Valverde's four years back in charge. Terzić, fresh from Dortmund's 2024 final, takes over as Nico Williams stays through 2035 after spurning Barcelona.

Man United

EPL 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

Michael Carrick's turnaround after replacing the sacked Ruben Amorim in January — an 11-wins-in-16 run — secured third place and a Champions League return after two seasons away. Hojlund departs for Napoli as Tielemans and Santos arrive to rebuild the midfield.

Aston Villa

EPL 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

Emery ended Villa's 30-year trophy drought by beating Freiburg in the Europa League final, then sealed fourth place and a Champions League return on the last day at Man City. This summer's club-record buy: Freiburg's own Johan Manzambi, for £59.5m.

Chelsea

EPL 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

Won the FIFA Club WC — beating PSG in the July 2025 final — then burned through three managers on the way to a 10th-place collapse that shut them out of Europe. Xabi Alonso now rebuilds around club-record signing Morgan Rogers, as Cucurella departs for Real Madrid.

Tottenham Hotspur

EPL 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

Won the Europa League in 2025 only to finish 17th again in a turbulent 2025-26 that cost Thomas Frank his job, before De Zerbi's arrival secured survival on the final day. Now rebuilding around club-record signing Tonali, plus Robertson and Senesi.

Borussia Dortmund

Bundesliga 🇩🇪

Finished Bundesliga runner-up to Bayern in Niko Kovač's first full season, a turnaround from the Şahin era's rocky finish. Guirassy's €40m release clause went untriggered despite interest from Europe's giants, while Adeyemi departed for Barcelona this summer.

RB Leipzig

Bundesliga 🇩🇪

Third-place finish sent Leipzig back into the Champions League last season, but they moved on from coach Ole Werner regardless — Martín Demichelis now in the dugout. This summer's drama: rejecting Liverpool's reported €100m+ bids for breakout winger Yan Diomande, while a lower PSG offer fell away.

Inter Milan

Serie A 🇮🇹

Chivu's first season delivered the Scudetto and Coppa Italia double, revenge for 2024-25's last-day title miss and 5-0 Champions League final defeat to PSG — though Europe ended early again, upset by Bodø/Glimt in the playoff round.

Juventus

Serie A 🇮🇹

Sixth-place finish last season missed the Champions League by two points, with Spalletti's mid-year arrival not enough to turn things around. Now backed for a top-four push, having extended Yildiz to 2030 over Arsenal's interest and added Openda from Leipzig.

Napoli

Serie A 🇮🇹

Won the Scudetto and Supercoppa under Conte, then finished runner-up to Inter last season; his exit after two years brings in Massimiliano Allegri, tasked with keeping the title challenge alive.

Olympique Lyonnais

Ligue 1 🇫🇷

Saved from an administrative relegation to Ligue 2 over a €500m debt crisis last summer, Lyon rallied under Fonseca to finish 4th and reach the Europa League last 16. Modest transfer business this summer reflects the financial reality.

Olympique de Marseille

Ligue 1 🇫🇷

OM sold top scorer Mason Greenwood to Fenerbahçe for around 40m this summer, capping a chaotic year that cost both De Zerbi and Beye the manager's job. Bruno Génésio, the third man in the dugout since February, now rebuilds under DNCG financial restrictions.

Sporting CP

Primeira Liga 🇵🇹

Defending Primeira Liga champions finished runners-up to Porto and suffered a historic Taça de Portugal final loss to second-tier Torreense, despite reaching the Champions League quarter-finals. Captain Hjulmand left for Atlético Madrid this summer, replaced by new arrivals Zalazar and Altimira.

Porto

Primeira Liga 🇵🇹

Ended a four-year title drought by winning the Primeira Liga under first-year manager Francesco Farioli, who rebuffed Chelsea's interest and earned a new deal to 2028. Now adds Hwang In-beom, fresh off his World Cup breakout with South Korea.

PSV

Eredivisie 🇳🇱

Bosz's side completed a third straight Eredivisie title and re-signed him through 2028, despite another flat Champions League league-phase exit. The bigger story this summer: Saibari, fresh off a breakout World Cup, sold to Bayern for a club-record €50m, with Mijnans in from AZ.

Ajax

Eredivisie 🇳🇱

A chaotic season under three different coaches ended in 5th place and a battered Champions League campaign (two wins in eight). New manager Míchel, who once took Girona into the Champions League, arrives to rebuild after selling Hato to Chelsea and Taylor to Lazio.

Club Brugge

Belgian Pro League 🇧🇪

Champions of Belgium for the fifth time in seven years, with Ivan Leko winning the title after replacing Hayen mid-season. Now cashes in on playmaker Tzolis, sold to Arsenal for a Belgian-record €40m after his 17 goals and 23 assists last season.

Union SG

Belgian Pro League 🇧🇪

Topped the regular season table but lost the title to Club Brugge in the play-offs, taking the Belgian Cup instead. David Hubert has led since October, replacing Pocognoli (off to Monaco), and must now get past Bodø/Glimt in qualifying to reach the Champions League again.

Celtic

Scottish Prem 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

Won a fifth straight Premiership title and the Scottish Cup despite Rodgers' October exit and a brief Nancy spell, before Martin O'Neill took over for good. Top scorer Nygren remains at Celtic Park, though Engels continues to be linked with a move away.

Galatasaray

Süper Lig 🇹🇷

A fourth straight Süper Lig title, capped by eliminating Juventus before Liverpool ended their Champions League run in the last 16. Osimhen stayed despite reported interest from Atlético Madrid, while Ugochukwu joins on loan from Burnley.

Olympiacos

Super League 🇬🇷

Finished second in the Super League behind AEK and lost to Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League knockout play-offs, but claimed the Greek Super Cup. This summer added Jota Silva from Nottingham Forest as Costinha departed for Brighton in a €12.7m deal.