English Champions League qualifiers seek to strengthen ahead of new campaign

The dust has hardly settled on the 2024/25 Premier League season and yet attention has already turned to what might happen in the next exciting campaign. While Manchester City and Chelsea turn their attentions to the FIFA Club World Cup in the United States, other major contenders in the English top flight are putting plans in place for the new campaign, and a host of major signings have already been secured.

And for the first time ever, one country will have no fewer than six Champions League representatives, as Europa League winners Tottenham joined the five Premier League qualifying clubs. With the extended Champions League already putting pressure on squad depth, these teams will surely look for reinforcements ahead of the new campaign. The sports betting sites have been busy offering up odds on potential moves, and free bet websites are currently offering specials on what might just happen next. Here we take a look at what those six contenders have done so far. 

Liverpool

Champions Liverpool have not rested on their success. While Arne Slot’s maiden campaign in the hotseat at Anfield could hardly have been better, the Reds are keen to strike home their advantage and have made some exciting moves in the transfer market. Most exciting of all is the arrival of one of Europe’s hottest properties, Florian Wirtz. The young former Bayer Leverkusen attacker has been watched by every big club in Europe, and the Reds have spent big to bring in the German, breaking their transfer record in the process. Wirtz’s arrival has supplemented moves for former teammate Jeremie Frimpong, while another fullback in the shape of ex-Bournemouth player Milos Kerkez will also add to competition in a position where the club have lost Trent Alexander-Arnold to Real Madrid. Backup goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher has moved on to Brentford, so expect the Reds to look for cover there too. 

Arsenal

Arsenal finished second last time round and have been pipped to major trophies on a regular basis over the past couple of seasons. Mikel Arteta will be desperate to add the final pieces of the puzzle to get his Gunners over the line, but it’s been all quiet at the Emirates up till now. Focus has been on departures, with Kieran Tierney returning to Celtic and Jorginho heading to Brazil on a free. Arsenal fans will be desperate to see a big-name striker added when the transfer window reopens.

Manchester City

A disappointing, trophyless season has seen Pep Guardiola seek to overhaul his squad somewhat. City added a few major signings in January of course, but the new faces continue to arrive as highly-rated Rayan Cherki has arrived in a major deal from Lyon, while another Rayan – Ait-Nouri this time – has been poached from Premier League rivals Wolves. City’s biggest outlay of the summer has been Tijani Reijnders from Milan, so it remains to be seen where all of these arrivals fit in the bigger picture. The club have lost a legend, however, in the shape of Kevin de Bruyne, who departs the Etihad as an all-time great. Those will be huge boots to fill.

Chelsea

As usual, the Londoners have been busy, with a number of summer arrivals already signed up well in advance of the window actually opening. But as well as the entrance of Estevao, Dario Essugo and Kendry Paez – all players that fit the Chelsea model of young and upcoming – the club have also splashed the cash on Mamadou Sarr from Strasbourg and Liam Delap from domestic rivals Ipswich. The Delap arrival has been the most notable so far, but with Chelsea continuing to hoover up young international talent at an unprecedented rate, it will be interesting to see which, if any, of these signings make a significant impact on the first team. A couple of minor departures and plenty of returning loanees means that the Chelsea squad is looking as bloated as ever.

Newcastle United

Eddie Howe’s League Cup winners enjoyed a fruitful domestic campaign which also saw the club secure Champions League football for next season. With that in mind, Howe will surely look to bolster his squad, yet the only arrival so far has been that of Antonito Cordero from Malaga on a free transfer. Hardly one to set the pulses racing. Lloyd Kelly has made his loan move to Juventus permanent, so the squad remains the same size currently for the Magpies, who will surely need reinforcements after a season in which they only had domestic football to concentrate on.

Tottenham Hotspur

English football’s sixth and final Champions League entrant for the 2025/26 season is Tottenham Hotspur, the club who no doubt enjoyed the most tumultuous season of all those listed here. An absolutely disastrous domestic campaign which saw Spurs finish 17th – just above the three relegated teams – was salvaged in some style by the team’s success in the Europe League, a victory that secured what many may claim to be an undeserved place in next season’s Champions League. But with 22 defeats in the Premier League and a new manager in place, Spurs no doubt need freshening. Little has occurred so far, with Kevin Danso’s move having been made permanent after the Austrian international originally arrived on loan in January. Spurs have also captured young prospect Luka Vuskovic from Croatian side Hajduk Split, although the deal for the centre-back was actually concluded two years ago. On the other side, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg has made his move to Marseilles permanent, while there have been a few players released. Spurs will no doubt look for fresh blood as they try to manage an improved Premier league season with the pressures of a Champions league campaign.