Premier League 2025/26: Retained Squads and Strategies
Premier League squads for the 2025/26 season are beginning to harden into shape, and the retained lists tell their own story. Contracts renewed, youngsters protected, marquee names locked in. Between the lines of a dry register of names sits the outline of a league gearing up for another brutal campaign.
This is not the summer of revolution. It is the summer of reinforcement.
Arsenal double down on their core
At Arsenal, the message is unmistakable: the project continues with its stars at the centre. Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard, William Saliba and Declan Rice all sit firmly on the retained list, the spine of a side built to compete at the very top. Around them, the club have ring‑fenced both proven quality and emerging talent.
Newer headline names such as Viktor Gyökeres and Eberechi Eze remain in situ, while Kai Havertz, Gabriel, Jurrien Timber and Leandro Trossard all stay under contract. Ethan Nwaneri and Myles Lewis‑Skelly, symbols of the academy’s next wave, are also retained, underlining Arsenal’s intent to blend youth with heavyweight signings.
The offers to Alexei Rojas Fedorushchenko and scholar standouts like Aleksander Marciniak and Oluwatoyosi Ogunnaike hint at the next phase: secure the future, then sharpen the present.
Manchester City lock in a monster squad
If Arsenal’s list shows continuity, Manchester City’s reads like an armory.
Erling Haaland, Phil Foden, Ruben Dias, Josko Gvardiol and Jack Grealish all remain, as expected. But the depth is what really jumps off the page. Gianluigi Donnarumma, Jeremy Doku, Matheus Nunes, Savio, Rayan Ait‑Nouri, Manuel Akanji, Nathan Ake and Kalvin Phillips are all retained, with a fresh wave of youth and recent recruits surrounding them.
The club keep hold of high‑ceiling prospects such as Claudio Echeverri, Divin Mubama, Joel Ndala and Divine Mukasa. Offers to players like Charlie Gray at youth level show City’s determination to keep the production line flowing beneath the star‑studded first team.
This is not a squad being rebuilt. It is one being fortified.
Manchester United secure their new era
Across the city, Manchester United’s retained list confirms the shape of their rebuild.
Kobbie Mainoo, Marcus Rashford and Lisandro Martinez are all locked in, while new‑era pillars such as Matthijs de Ligt, Benjamin Sesko and Manuel Ugarte are also under contract. Andre Onana remains in goal, Harry Maguire stays in defence, and Mason Mount continues as part of the midfield group.
The club also keep faith with a cluster of young talents: Shea Lacey, Amir Ibragimov, Gabriele Biancheri and Ethan Wheatley are all retained, with offer contracts extended to academy names like Albert Mills and Dante Plunkett. The balance between big‑ticket signings and academy graduates is clear. United are not just holding onto names; they are protecting a blueprint.
Liverpool blend star power and succession
Liverpool’s list carries a familiar mix of established stars and carefully chosen successors.
Virgil van Dijk, Alisson, Trent Alexander‑Arnold’s defensive cohort of Joe Gomez and Calvin Ramsay, plus midfielders Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai and Wataru Endo all remain. Up front, Cody Gakpo stays, joined by headline attacking additions such as Federico Chiesa and Alexander Isak.
Behind them, the club hold tight to the next generation: Stefan Bajcetic, Ben Doak’s contemporary Kaide Gordon, Lewis Koumas and Trey Nyoni are all retained, while offers go out to the likes of Keyrol Figueroa and Wellity Lucky Omoruyi. Liverpool’s succession plan continues in the background, even as the first team leans into star quality.
Chelsea keep their vast pool intact
Chelsea’s retained list is predictably sprawling, but it underlines one thing: the club’s commitment to stockpiling talent has not eased.
Enzo Fernandez, Moises Caicedo, Reece James, Levi Colwill, Mykhailo Mudryk and Cole Palmer are all secured, alongside Nicolas Jackson, Benoit Badiashile, Marc Cucurella and Trevoh Chalobah. Big attacking additions such as Alejandro Garnacho and Andrey Santos remain, while teenage stars like Estevao Willian and Kendry Paez are kept close.
Offer status for Ronnie Stutter and a deep group of scholars – including Jeremiah Berkeley‑Agyepong and Onassis Waite – shows Chelsea still operating with a wide net, betting that volume and elite scouting will eventually produce a core that sticks.
Tottenham build around a hungry core
Tottenham’s list carries a different energy: a squad being sharpened rather than overhauled.
James Maddison, Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven and Pedro Porro stay as structural pillars. Rodrigo Bentancur, Pape Matar Sarr, Dejan Kulusevski and Richarlison remain in the engine room and front line. Around them, the club have invested heavily in youth and dynamism.
Mohammed Kudus, Mathys Tel, Xavi Simons and Lucas Bergvall are all retained, signalling a clear stylistic direction: aggressive, technical, high‑tempo. Dane Scarlett, Dominic Solanke‑Mitchell and a raft of young defenders and midfielders give the squad depth and options. The future is being built to run, not just to compete.
Newcastle and West Ham refuse to blink
Newcastle United’s retained list is a statement of intent from a club determined not to slip backwards.
Bruno Guimaraes, Sven Botman and Sandro Tonali all remain, with attacking options Harvey Barnes, Anthony Elanga, Yoane Wissa and Nick Woltemade also kept. Lewis Hall, Tino Livramento and Lewis Miley stay in the fold, the latter representing the club’s faith in its own academy.
Offer contracts to several scholars, including Guy Bloomer and Henry Johnson, show Newcastle’s desire to protect their pipeline while keeping a competitive senior core intact.
West Ham United, meanwhile, hold onto Jarrod Bowen, Edson Alvarez, Tomas Soucek, James Ward‑Prowse and new attacking focal points like Niclas Fullkrug and Crysencio Summerville. Defensive leaders such as Konstantinos Mavropanos, Max Kilman and Kyle Walker‑Peters are retained, giving the Hammers a solid base to work from.
The decision to keep a broad group of youngsters – from Lewis Orford to Freddie Potts – suggests West Ham want depth and internal solutions, not just transfer‑window fixes.
Villa, Brighton and Brentford quietly strengthen
Aston Villa’s list reads like that of a club fully comfortable in the upper reaches of the table.
Ollie Watkins, John McGinn, Youri Tielemans and Pau Torres are all retained. Emiliano Martinez remains in goal, Tyrone Mings and Ezri Konsa stay in defence, and attacking depth is preserved with Leon Bailey, Donyell Malen and Emiliano Buendia all under contract. Victor Lindelof’s presence adds further experience at the back.
Villa also keep hold of high‑potential names such as Lamare Bogarde, Samuel Iling‑Junior and a string of scholars including Jahmi Kellyman, reinforcing the idea of a squad built to handle European demands as well as domestic pressure.
Brighton & Hove Albion, true to type, look like a recruitment department’s dream board. Evan Ferguson, Kaoru Mitoma, Pascal Gross and Lewis Dunk remain the headline names, but the real intrigue lies in the depth: Carlos Baleba, Yankuba Minteh, Georginio Rutter, Jeremy Sarmiento, Igor Julio and Mats Wieffer are all retained, with a host of versatile, technically gifted players around them.
The club also move to secure scholars like Sebastian Ademola and Isaiah Alakiu with offers, keeping their conveyor belt humming.
Brentford, meanwhile, retain the core that has made them so awkward to face. Ethan Pinnock, Rico Henry, Mathias Jensen, Vitaly Janelt and Keane Lewis‑Potter all stay. Newer arrivals such as Caoimhin Kelleher, Dango Ouattara and Kevin Schade are also kept, giving Thomas Frank’s side pace and power in transition. The offers to Valentino Adedokun, Ethan Laidlaw and Conor McManus at youth level show Brentford still backing their development model.
Rebuilders and survivors: Leeds, Fulham, Everton, Forest, Wolves
Leeds United’s retained list is that of a club intent on stabilising at Premier League level.
Dominic Calvert‑Lewin, Brenden Aaronson, Ethan Ampadu and Jack Harrison are all kept, while defensive security comes from Pascal Struijk, Jaka Bijol, Joe Rodon and Maximilian Wober. Joel Piroe and Degnand Gnonto remain as attacking threats. Offers to Karl Darlow, Alex Cairns and Darryl Ombang suggest continuity in goalkeeping depth as well.
Fulham lean on experience and structure. Joachim Andersen, Bernd Leno, Antonee Robinson and Timothy Castagne all stay, with midfield anchored by Sander Berge, Sasa Lukic and Harrison Reed. Rodrigo Muniz and Harry Wilson are retained in attack, while Emile Smith Rowe’s presence offers creativity between the lines. A cluster of offers to younger players – including Michael Allen, Samuel Amissah and Eddy Nwoko – signal Fulham’s desire to build beyond the current cycle.
Everton’s list, by contrast, looks like a survival plan with ambition attached.
Jordan Pickford, Jarrad Branthwaite, Vitalii Mykolenko and James Tarkowski remain as the defensive framework. Dwight McNeil, Iliman Ndiaye, Kiernan Dewsbury‑Hall and James Garner stay in midfield, while the club hold onto a raft of young and fringe players to maintain depth. Offer contracts to academy figures such as Ademide Akarakiri and Melvin Matos show Everton trying to secure value in every corner of the squad.
Nottingham Forest keep their now‑familiar churn of talent largely intact. Morgan Gibbs‑White, Callum Hudson‑Odoi, Taiwo Awoniyi and Murillo are all retained, as are Ibrahim Sangare, Nicolas Dominguez and Arnaud Kalimuendo. The list is long, but the pattern is clear: Forest want options, lots of them, across every line. Offers to Jamie Newton and scholars like Basima Balagizi and Buba Sanneh underline a club still operating at volume.
Wolverhampton Wanderers, meanwhile, hold onto key figures such as Jose Sa, Hwang Hee‑Chan, Jean‑Ricner Bellegarde and Sasa Kalajdzic. Ki‑Jana Hoever, Toti Gomes, Hugo Bueno and Yerson Mosquera remain in defence, while a deep group of forwards and attacking midfielders – from Enso Gonzalez to Boubacar Traore – give Wolves flexibility. The decision to retain a broad pool of youngsters, including Temple Ojinnaka and Wesley Okoduwa, hints at a club braced for a long season.
Bournemouth, Palace, Burnley and Sunderland stay competitive
AFC Bournemouth’s retained list shows a side determined to stay aggressive.
Dominic Solanke, Luis Sinisterra, Marcus Tavernier and Justin Kluivert all remain, with Marcos Senesi offered new terms. Djordje Petrovic, Fraser Forster (with an offer) and a clutch of young defenders and midfielders give the Cherries enough depth to keep playing on the front foot. The presence of scholars like Jeffery Aibangbee and George Chubinidze with offers points to a club willing to promote from within.
Crystal Palace keep the core that has stabilised them in the division. Dean Henderson, Joachim Andersen’s successor Maxence Lacroix, Tyrick Mitchell, Jefferson Lerma and Cheick Doucoure remain, while the attacking burden continues to fall on Jean‑Philippe Mateta, Brennan Johnson, Yeremy Pino and Jesurun Rak‑Sakyi. Daichi Kamada has an offer on the table, reflecting Palace’s desire to retain guile in midfield.
Burnley’s list is that of a club refusing to accept a yo‑yo identity. Lyle Foster, Zeki Amdouni, Luca Koleosho, Hannibal Mejbri and Jacob Bruun Larsen are all retained. At the back, Louis Beyer, Hjalmar Ekdal and Maxime Estève stay, while experience is preserved with Ashley Barnes and Axel Tuanzebe both carrying offers. The club also extend several contracts, including Hamzat Balogun and Ellis Clark, a clear sign of faith in their existing group.
Sunderland, newly re‑established in the top flight, keep their core together.
Dan Ballard, Trai Hume, Enzo Le Fée, Granit Xhaka, Nordi Mukiele and Reinildo Mandava are all retained, giving the Black Cats real steel. In attack, Brian Brobbey, Simon Adingra, Eliezer Mayenda and Nazarii Rusyn stay in the mix. Offers to youngsters such as Jenson Seelt’s contemporary Jenson Jones and a wide batch of scholars show Sunderland planning for more than just short‑term survival.
The shape of the season ahead
Across the division, one pattern cuts through the detail: clubs are protecting their cores and tightening around them rather than tearing everything up.
Arsenal, City, Liverpool and United all look settled. Chelsea and Tottenham are betting big on talent and potential. Newcastle, Villa, Brighton and West Ham are arming themselves for another swing at Europe. The rest are fighting to make sure they are not the ones looking up from the bottom three.
The transfer window will add noise and drama. But the retained lists have already laid down the foundations. The real question now is simple: whose carefully guarded core will stand up when the first whistle blows in August?
