Where Joe Cole Thought Every Premier League Club Would Finish in 2025/26

Predicting how the Premier League table will look come the end of the season is often impossible to get correct, and that looks likely to be the case for Joe Cole. The Chelsea legend took on the task before the very first whistle was blown, using factors such as transfer business, the previous campaign, and managerial changes.

The consensus after Liverpool broke the British transfer record twice was that Arne Slot’s Reds would be in the mix to go back-to-back. But that hasn’t been the case as his defending champions have endured a frustrating campaign thus far.

Cole gave an interesting prediction back in August 2025 that might have Manchester United fans sniggering. We take a look at how the table looks now compared to how the three-time Premier League champion envisioned the season ending.

Relegation Battle – 20-16

Starting off with the relegation scrap, Cole interestingly felt this season’s surprise package, Sunderland, would finish rock bottom come May 2026. The Black Cats have been purring since returning to the top flight, toying with the possibility of European qualification under Regis Le Bris, and have some stellar transfer business to thank.

Granit Xhaka has been a leader at the Stadium of Light, arguably the signing of the season, but he’s not the only impressive one. Nordi Mukiele and Omar Alderete have been excellent at the back, while Robin Roefs has proven to be an astute goalkeeping acquisition.

Cole also incorrectly predicted Leeds United to suffer relegation, although his comments came at a time when there were some question marks over Daniel Farke’s future. The Peacocks are eight points above the drop zone in mid-January. Farke has overseen an incredible turnaround, with a win over Chelsea and draws against Liverpool and Manchester United.

There was a feeling among that this might be the year the trend of newly-promoted clubs being immediately sent packing might end. But nobody envisioned Wolverhampton Wanderers becoming statistically one of the worst teams in top-flight history.

Wolves have won just two games heading into February and have little to no chance of survival. They are rooted to the bottom of the table, but Cole at least predicted them to get relegated in 18th place.

Of the three promoted sides that arrived back in the big time, it was Burnley who Cole reckoned would manage to stay up. He tipped the Clarets to secure 17th place, perhaps taking their defensive record in the EFL Championship into consideration.

Scott Parker’s men are putting up a fight, as seen by their draw away at Anfield, but it seems a mountain to climb. The Lancashire outfit is second bottom as things stand and doesn’t look likely to be making any drastic additions in the January transfer window.

The worst of Cole’s calls was his prediction that Brentford would be dragged into a relegation battle. If you put this to most of the west London clubs’ fans, they’d likely have agreed, given the departures of long-term manager Thomas Frank and top scorers Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa.

The Bees’ appointment of set-piece coach Keith Andrews as Frank’s replacement certainly didn’t feel like an inspiring choice. But five months into the season, and the Irishman has propelled his troops into European contention, sitting seventh and above Eddie Howe’s Newcastle United.

Mid-Table Security – 15-11

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Cole’s mid-table picks made for interesting reading as he suggested Crystal Palace suffer a nosedive following their FA Cup win. He might have foreseen the problems to occur at Selhurst Park with Oliver Glasner confirming he’s off at the end of the season.

The Eagles aren’t quite as low as the 15th place that Cole predicted, but he wasn’t far off, as Glasner’s men are 13th at the start of the year. There’s no certainty the Austrian will be in charge come May, given recent comments, and he’s frustratingly watched Marc Guehi follow Eberechi Eze out the exit door.

West Ham United started the season with Graham Potter in charge, and Cole appeared to back the Hammers to remain in their previous 14th place in the 2024-25 season. That hasn’t been the case as his former club is stuck in the relegation scrap, five points from safety after 22 games.

Cole’s verdict came before Nuno Espirito Santo took over from Potter in September, but the Portuguese coach has yet to turn the tide at the London Stadium. It might have been intriguing to hear how the club’s former midfielder would have predicted their season had the managerial change taken place in the summer.

There’s a theme regarding Cole’s expectations for this campaign because he also tipped Everton to stay as they were last season. A 13th-place prediction was given back in August, and David Moyes’ men, the Toffees, have been stuck mid-table with topsy-turvy form.

One of the toughest teams to call has to be Bournemouth, because there have been so many moving parts at the Vitality. Losing Dean Huijsen, Milos Kerkez and Illia Zabarnyi meant it was anyone’s guess how Andoni Iraola’s Cherries would perform this term.

Cole had the South Coast side down as finishing 12th, but the former England midfielder might have jumped the gun. After a bright start, Iraola’s side has been sliding down the table, and it might not be long until they are involved in the relegation conversation.

Some might have taken issue with Cole’s Nottingham Forest prediction as he backed the Tricky Trees to fall out of European contention and finish 10th. Sean Dyche would bite his arm off for that position now, given his Reds are 17th, just five points above the drop zone.

Cole’s Premier League Prediction – 10-6

In 10th place, Cole had Fulham, and he was nearly right on the money as Marco Silva’s Cottagers currently sit one place below his prediction. The Londoners have come in and out of form this season, but are only three points off sixth, which speaks volumes of the Premier League’s unpredictability this season.

Ruben Amorim was backed with four new signings in the summer, but Cole didn’t expect Manchester United to challenge for Europe, let alone the Champions League. It’s been a difficult period, and Amorim has been sacked, but the Red Devils are still eyeing a return to Europe’s club competition.

The appointment of Michael Carrick as caretaker manager got off to the perfect start with one of the team’s best performances against Manchester City since Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement. A 2-0 Manchester derby win in mid-January has Carrick’s side sitting fifth, a point off the top four.

Cole backed Brighton & Hove Albion to fly high come May 2026, and he may have overestimated Fabian Hurzeler’s Seagulls. While they have impressed on several occasions, their consistency is why they currently occupy 12th place.

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There aren’t many who, in hindsight, would have predicted Aston Villa to be dark horses in the title race, but Unai Emery continues to perform miracles at Villa Park. Cole thought the Villans would fail to crack the top four, let alone be chasing Arsenal, but it should be noted his seventh-placed bet was placed when Emery was at odds with former sporting director Monchi.

The worst call Cole made was predicting that Thomas Frank would be a success at Tottenham Hotspur, given that the Lilywhites have been a disaster this season. He felt the former Brentford boss could steer Spurs to sixth place, but the Dane’s job is at major risk heading into February, and his side is floundering in 14th place.

Cole’s Premier League Prediction – 5-1

Losing Alexander Isak was always going to take its toll, and if the Swedish striker had left for Liverpool before Cole’s predictions were given, he might have opted out of his fifth-place Newcastle United ranking. The Magpies made a nightmare start to the season but have started rising back up the table at the turn of the year, sitting eighth at present.

Arsenal‘s years of challenging for the title were expected to end, judging by Cole’s expectation that the Gunners slip to fourth. This prediction came amid their summer transfer business, which has paid dividends for Mikel Arteta.

This looks to be the year the North Londoners finally win the Premier League for the first time since 2004. The likes of Declan Rice and Gabriel Magalhaes have come to the fore and all signs point to the title heading to the Emirates by May.

Cole’s affection for Chelsea, having spent years playing at Stamford Bridge, might be why he tipped the Blues to potentially be outsiders for the title. He may also have factored their FIFA Club World Cup win into his third-place prediction.

Enzo Maresca was the man who guided the West Londoners to that trophy, but clear problems behind the scenes between the Italian and the board took hold this season. This coincided with a poor run of results and ended in Maresca’s sacking, and he’s been replaced by Liam Rosenior, whose side sit sixth, nine points off Cole’s third spot.

If the campaign concluded today, then Cole was spot on in naming Manchester City as the team that finishes runner-up. Pep Guardiola’s Cityzens remain Arsenal’s closest challengers despite several setbacks, including the Manchester derby defeat.

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It’s much improved from last season when City settled on a third-place finish and didn’t come anywhere close to mounting a title challenge. Pep Guardiola watched Arne Slot win the title in his debut campaign, a feat that feels even more remarkable given their struggles this term.

Liverpool were the club backed by Cole to be crowned champions, and the Reds were the favourites once the first whistle was blown. But it’s been a worrying fall from grace for the Merseysiders, who are out of the title picture and now competing for a top-four finish.