Premier League title race: How Mohamed Salah, Bukayo Saka, Phil Foden and Cole Palmer could decide 2025/26

Liverpool haven’t gone back-to-back as champions since the 1980s. Arsenal are chasing their first Premier League crown in 21 years. Manchester City have won six of the last eight. Chelsea are champions of the world.All four believe they can win it this season – and they’ve all spent big to make it happen. But it could be their right wingers who hold the key.Three of the last four PFA Player of the Year winners have been right wingers. Last season’s top four all had a talisman tearing it up on that flank. This season, the right wing might just be the most valuable patch of grass in English football.Sky Sports to show 215 live PL games from this seasonGot Sky? Watch Premier League games LIVE on your phone📱Not got Sky? Get Sky Sports or stream with no contract on NOW 📺Salah’s toughest test yetMohamed Salah has just posted the highest goal involvement tally of his Liverpool career – 47 goals and assists combined. But repeating it? That’s a different story.DatawrapperThis content is provided by Datawrapper, which may be using cookies and other technologies.To show you this content, we need your permission to use cookies.You can use the buttons below to amend your preferences to enable Datawrapper cookies or to allow those cookies just once.You can change your settings at any time via the Privacy Options.Unfortunately we have been unable to verify if you have consented to Datawrapper cookies.To view this content you can use the button below to allow Datawrapper cookies for this session only.AFCON will rule him out of at least five league games, and history suggests the real challenge comes after the tournament. In his last two AFCON seasons, Salah’s post-return form dipped, and Liverpool’s title push faded – they were top when he left in 2024, nine points behind by the finish. Arne Slot’s headache isn’t just filling Salah’s boots in January – it’s reigniting him instantly when he’s back.DatawrapperThis content is provided by Datawrapper, which may be using cookies and other technologies.To show you this content, we need your permission to use cookies.You can use the buttons below to amend your preferences to enable Datawrapper cookies or to allow those cookies just once.You can change your settings at any time via the Privacy Options.Unfortunately we have been unable to verify if you have consented to Datawrapper cookies.To view this content you can use the button below to allow Datawrapper cookies for this session only.Saka’s time to shineBukayo Saka has been Arsenal’s heartbeat on the right flank – but last season, that heartbeat stuttered. A hamstring injury cut his minutes, hardly surprising given the sheer load he’s carried. From August 2021 to December 2024, no player made more Premier League appearances.Also See:Live Premier League table Stream Sky Sports on NOWWatch FREE PL highlights on the appDownload the Sky Sports AppImage:Bukayo Saka made a league-topping 127 appearances between August 2021 and December 2024 Before that injury, Saka was having his most productive season for goal involvements per 90 minutes. With Noni Madueke arriving to share the load, Arsenal hope they can keep him sharp. DatawrapperThis content is provided by Datawrapper, which may be using cookies and other technologies.To show you this content, we need your permission to use cookies.You can use the buttons below to amend your preferences to enable Datawrapper cookies or to allow those cookies just once.You can change your settings at any time via the Privacy Options.Unfortunately we have been unable to verify if you have consented to Datawrapper cookies.To view this content you can use the button below to allow Datawrapper cookies for this session only.He’s never topped 25 goal involvements in a league season. Salah has hit 27 or more every year at Liverpool. But at just 23, Saka still has time – and the ceiling to match the Egyptian’s numbers.What’s new on Sky Sports Premier League this season?Viktor Gyokeres, Benjamin Sesko, Hugo Ekitike – The forwards likely to shape this season’s Premier League title raceFoden’s defining rolePhil Foden was the PFA Player of the Year in 2023/24, but last term saw him drift. Used across multiple roles, he lost the rhythm that made him unplayable. Image:Phil Foden racked up far fewer minutes last seasonWith Kevin De Bruyne gone, City need Foden to own the creative hub. That could mean more starts in his favourite positions – but also the pressure to produce every week. New signing Rayan Cherki will push for minutes, meaning Foden has to hit the ground sprinting.Palmer’s consistency challengeCole Palmer lit up 2023/24 with a league-high 33 goal involvements and topped the league during his first 10 games last term.His volume stayed high, but his shot placement narrowed as last season wore on, becoming more central and predictable. If Palmer adds variety and keeps that early-season sharpness, there’s no telling what records he could break. Image:Cole Palmer’s shooting accuracy declined over the course of the season last termFour clubs. Four right-flank stars. Four potential title-deciders. The Premier League crown might just be won or lost out wide.Sky Sports to show 215 live Premier League games from next season Image:215 live premier league matches up from 128 this season on Sky SportsStarting this season, Sky Sports’ Premier League coverage will increase from 128 matches to at least 215 games exclusively live.And 80 per cent of all televised Premier League games this season will be shown live on Sky Sports.