Premier League Retained Lists: Champions, Challengers, and Ambitions for 2025/26
The Premier League’s retained lists rarely make headlines. No trophies, no touchline theatrics, no last‑minute drama. Yet this is where next season is quietly built – on spreadsheets, signatures and a handful of very clear statements of intent.
For 2025/26, those statements are loud.
Champions, challengers and the arms race at the top
At the sharp end of the division, the message is simple: keep your stars, add more firepower, and don’t blink.
Manchester City have done exactly that. Erling Haaland, Phil Foden, Ruben Dias, Josko Gvardiol and Jack Grealish all remain in place, but City’s retained list underlines how aggressively they are refreshing around that core. Gianluigi Donnarumma is on the books, giving them one of the game’s elite goalkeepers. Claudio Echeverri and Sávio stay as part of a younger attacking wave, while Jeremie Doku, Matheus Nunes and Sverre Nypan are all locked in. City are not easing off; they are reloading.
Across town, Manchester United’s list reads like a squad in transition but no longer in freefall. Kobbie Mainoo, Lisandro Martinez and Bruno Fernandes remain central. Marcus Rashford is still there, as are Harry Maguire and Mason Mount, but the retained group is defined more by the new spine: Matthijs de Ligt, Benjamin Sesko, Leny Yoro and Manuel Ugarte all committed. Andre Onana continues in goal, with Altay Bayindir and Radek Vitek backing him up. United are clearly building for a more physically dominant, front‑foot side.
Arsenal’s sheet underlines continuity and ambition. Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard, William Saliba and Declan Rice are all retained, but the supporting cast is now deeper and more varied. Viktor Gyökeres is in to give them a true focal point, Kai Havertz and Leandro Trossard stay as flexible forwards, and Mikel Merino plus Martín Zubimendi add technical security in midfield. Eberechi Eze and Noni Madueke remain as creative wildcards. Arsenal are keeping the band together and adding new instruments.
Liverpool’s retained group screams intent. Virgil van Dijk, Alisson and Trent Alexander-Arnold’s long‑term future is framed by a new wave around them. Dominik Szoboszlai, Alexis Mac Allister and Ryan Gravenberch remain, but the names that jump off the page are Federico Chiesa, Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak. Liverpool are not just maintaining Champions League standards; they are aiming to overwhelm opponents with layers of attacking quality. Giorgi Mamardashvili joins Alisson in a powerful goalkeeping department.
Chelsea, typically, have gone big on volume and potential. Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo stay as the midfield axis, while Cole Palmer, Mykhailo Mudryk and Nicolas Jackson remain in attack. The retained list shows a heavy investment in youth and upside: Estevao Willian, Kendry Paez, Marc Guiu, Aaron Anselmino and a raft of academy talents are all kept on. Benoit Badiashile, Wesley Fofana and Marc Cucurella stay to stabilise the back line, with Reece James again central to their plans. It’s a huge squad, and the challenge now is turning numbers into a coherent XI.
Tottenham’s list has a different feel: targeted, purposeful. James Maddison, Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven and Pedro Porro form a strong spine, while Rodrigo Bentancur and Pape Matar Sarr stay in midfield. Mohammed Kudus and Dejan Kulusevski offer power and invention from wide areas, with Richarlison and Mathys Tel among the central options. Destiny Udogie remains a key modern full‑back. Spurs look built for high tempo and aggression.
Newcastle United have doubled down on the core that dragged them back into the elite. Bruno Guimaraes, Sven Botman, Sandro Tonali and Nick Pope are all retained, and the list shows a squad that has added depth without losing identity. Anthony Elanga, Yoane Wissa and Nick Woltemade stay as attacking options, while Lewis Miley and Lewis Hall remain central to the club’s commitment to youth.
The rest of the big picture
Beyond the Champions League chase, several clubs have made their intentions clear.
Aston Villa have kept together a squad that looks built for European nights. Ollie Watkins, John McGinn, Emiliano Martinez and Pau Torres are all retained. Youri Tielemans stays as a technician in midfield, with Leon Bailey, Emiliano Buendia and Donyell Malen offering serious threat in the final third. Villa’s list is that of a club expecting to compete, not just participate.
West Ham United’s retained group hints at a new era of physicality and direct threat. Jarrod Bowen stays as the talisman, with Tomas Soucek and Edson Alvarez anchoring midfield. Niclas Fullkrug and Crysencio Summerville are kept on to give the Hammers a mix of aerial power and dribbling menace, while Konstantinos Mavropanos and Maximilian Kilman remain as the defensive bedrock. James Ward-Prowse, unsurprisingly, is retained to continue deciding games from dead balls.
Crystal Palace have preserved the core of an increasingly ambitious side. Jefferson Lerma, Cheick Doucoure and Adam Wharton all remain in midfield. Ebere Eze is not on this particular list, but Matheus Franca, Jesurun Rak-Sakyi and Yeremy Pino stay as creative forces around the box. Brennan Johnson is retained as a versatile forward. Maxence Lacroix and Chadi Riad give Palace serious pace and aggression in central defence.
Fulham’s document reads like a club determined to avoid another reset. Bernd Leno stays in goal. Antonee Robinson and Timothy Castagne remain as trusted full-backs. In midfield, Sander Berge and Sasa Lukic are kept, while Andreas Pereira’s name is absent but Emile Smith Rowe and Oscar Bobb are retained to provide guile between the lines. Calvin Bassey anchors the back line, Rodrigo Muniz and Harry Wilson stay in attack.
Everton’s priority has been stability. Jordan Pickford remains in goal, with Jarrad Branthwaite and James Tarkowski both retained at centre-back. Dwight McNeil, Iliman Ndiaye and James Garner stay on, giving Sean Dyche a familiar core to work with. There is youth as well: Tim Iroegbunam, Odin Samuels-Smith and a clutch of academy players are kept on, hinting at gradual evolution rather than wholesale change.
Leeds United’s list – back in the Premier League – is notable for its balance. Ethan Ampadu, Pascal Struijk and Ilia Gruev stay as defensive pillars. Jack Harrison and Dan James remain out wide, while Joel Piroe and Dominic Calvert-Lewin are retained as central strikers. Young talents like Wilfried Gnonto and Mateo Joseph also stay. It’s a squad that looks built to run, press and counter.
Nottingham Forest have again gone for depth. Morgan Gibbs-White, Callum Hudson-Odoi and Taiwo Awoniyi are all retained, as is Ibrahim Sangare in midfield. A new wave of defensive talent – Murillo, Nikola Milenkovic, Luca Netz – stays on. The list is long and varied, reflecting Forest’s scattergun recruitment of recent seasons, but there is clear quality throughout.
Wolverhampton Wanderers have held onto the key names that define their style. Jose Sa, Hugo Bueno, Ki-Jana Hoever and Sasa Kalajdzic are retained, with Jean-Ricner Bellegarde and Hee-Chan Hwang offering direct threat higher up the pitch. Yerson Mosquera, Rodrigo Gomes and a clutch of young forwards like Leon Chiwome stay on. Wolves’ squad looks energetic, raw and heavily reliant on development.
Brentford’s retained group continues to punch above its weight. Rico Henry, Ethan Pinnock and Nathan Collins remain as the defensive core. In midfield, Mathias Jensen, Vitaly Janelt and Mikkel Damsgaard are all kept. Keane Lewis-Potter, Kevin Schade and Dango Ouattara stay as wide threats, while Caoimhin Kelleher and Hakon Valdimarsson give the Bees serious competition in goal.
Brighton & Hove Albion, predictably, have built a squad rich in technical talent and resale value. Evan Ferguson, Kaoru Mitoma and Joao Pedro’s name is not listed here, but Facundo Buonanotte, Jeremy Sarmiento, Yankuba Minteh and Georginio Rutter are all retained. Lewis Dunk remains the defensive anchor, with Bart Verbruggen and Jason Steele staying between the posts. Mats Wieffer and Carlos Baleba headline a deep midfield.
Burnley, looking to re-establish themselves, have chosen continuity with a young, hungry core. Luca Koleosho, Zeki Amdouni, Loum Tchaouna and Mike Tresor are all retained in attack. Josh Cullen and Hannibal Mejbri stay in midfield, while Louis Beyer and Hjalmar Ekdal remain in defence. There is experience, too: Ashley Barnes has been offered fresh terms, and Axel Tuanzebe is on an offer as well.
AFC Bournemouth’s list points to a squad with serious attacking options. Dominic Solanke, Luis Sinisterra, Justin Kluivert and Enes Unal are all retained. Lewis Cook and Ryan Christie remain in midfield, with Marcos Senesi offered a new deal in defence. Young talents like Ben Doak, Rayan Vitor and Eli Kroupi are kept on, suggesting Bournemouth will again lean into a front‑foot, high‑energy style.
New faces, new shapes, same unforgiving league
Sunderland’s presence among the retained lists underlines the shifting landscape. Granit Xhaka is on their books, bringing vast experience into a midfield that also includes Enzo Le Fée and Abdoullah Ba. Brian Brobbey, Simon Adingra and Jack Clarke’s replacement cohort – Wilson Isidor and others – give the Black Cats serious attacking threat. Nordi Mukiele and Reinildo Mandava stay as rugged defensive options. It is an adventurous, ambitious squad for a newly promoted side.
Leeds, Sunderland and others will find a league where almost nobody is standing still. Even clubs outside the traditional elite have retained lists packed with international quality. West Ham have added Niclas Fullkrug. Newcastle keep Bruno Guimaraes. Palace have Yeremy Pino. Fulham hold onto Emile Smith Rowe and Oscar Bobb. Brighton and Brentford, as ever, are a step ahead in talent identification.
The scholars and academy names scattered through every list tell their own story. Arsenal keep Ethan Nwaneri in the system. City retain a conveyor belt of teenage prospects. Liverpool, Chelsea, United and others all double down on youth. The next breakthrough star is already under contract; the only question is who reaches the first team first.
The transfer window will bring sales, loans and more arrivals, but the retained lists are the foundations. From City’s relentless depth to Sunderland’s bold rebuild, from Arsenal’s continuity to Liverpool’s attacking overload, the shape of 2025/26 is already visible.
In a league this ruthless, who has kept enough – and who will soon wish they hadn’t let someone go?
