Premier League 2025/26 Retained Lists: A Look at Squad Ambitions
The Premier League’s latest squad lists rarely make headlines, but this year’s retained sheets read like a manifesto for where the division is heading in 2025/26. Powerhouses are doubling down on their stars, ambitious chasers are arming up, and even the newly promoted sides are trying to lock in a core before the market chaos begins.
This isn’t just housekeeping. It’s the first clear sketch of next season’s title race, relegation fight and everything in between.
Arsenal and City: Core locked, ambition declared
At Arsenal, the message is blunt: the project continues at full speed. Martin Odegaard, Declan Rice, Bukayo Saka, William Saliba and Gabriel all sit firmly on the retained list, as expected, but the supporting cast tells the story. Viktor Gyökeres remains the focal point up front, with Kai Havertz and Leandro Trossard still in place to give Mikel Arteta flexibility between a false nine, a target man and wide forwards cutting in.
The midfield blend is intact. Mikel Merino, Martin Zubimendi and Fabio Vieira stay on, giving Arsenal a mix of control, progression and creativity. Eberechi Eze’s name jumps off the page: a retained player who underlines Arsenal’s shift towards more 1v1 flair and unpredictability in the final third. Ethan Nwaneri is also kept on, a clear sign that the club will not loosen its grip on one of Europe’s brightest teenagers.
Manchester City’s list is exactly what you’d expect from serial contenders who refuse to blink. Erling Haaland, Phil Foden, Ruben Dias, Josko Gvardiol and Jack Grealish are all confirmed, but there’s fresh edge around them. Jeremy Doku, Sávio and Claudio Echeverri remain in the squad, ensuring Pep Guardiola – or his successor – will not lack dribblers and line-breakers.
Behind them, the spine is rock solid. Manuel Akanji, Nathan Ake and Rico Lewis are all retained, while Matheus Nunes and Mateo Kovacic keep City well stocked in midfield rotation. The presence of Gianluigi Donnarumma on the contracts list underlines just how aggressively City are building for the long term in goal, even with James Trafford and a cluster of young keepers also on the books.
The champions have kept their armour. Arsenal have kept their belief. Neither camp is giving an inch.
Liverpool reload, United reshape
Liverpool’s retained list confirms a squad in the middle of a controlled evolution rather than a tear-down. Virgil van Dijk, Alisson, Trent Alexander-Arnold’s understudy Conor Bradley, Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai and Cody Gakpo are all in place, but the names around them hint at a shift in style and profile.
Federico Chiesa and Florian Wirtz stay on the books, giving Liverpool elite-level creativity and goal threat between the lines. Alexander Isak is retained as a central option, offering a different dimension to the forward line. The club continues to back its youth pipeline too: Stefan Bajcetic, Harvey Elliott, Curtis Jones, Ben Doak and a string of academy prospects are all secured, ensuring the high-energy, technically sharp identity remains intact.
Across the city, Manchester United’s list feels like a squad caught between eras, but with a clearer spine than in recent seasons. Kobbie Mainoo, Lisandro Martinez and Andre Onana are retained as pillars through the middle, while Bruno Fernandes, Marcus Rashford and Mason Mount all remain part of the attacking structure.
The defence is being rebuilt in plain sight. Matthijs de Ligt, Harry Maguire, Luke Shaw and new central presence Leny Yoro are all on the contracts list, with full-back depth shored up through Diogo Dalot and Noussair Mazraoui. Up front, Benjamin Sesko and Joshua Zirkzee stay on, pointing towards a more mobile, pressing-oriented strike force.
United are not ripping it up. They’re tightening the screws around a younger, more athletic core.
Chelsea, Spurs and Newcastle: Heavy squads, high stakes
Chelsea’s retained sheet is as dense as you’d expect from a club that has spent heavily and widely. Enzo Fernandez, Moises Caicedo, Cole Palmer, Reece James and Levi Colwill are all confirmed, forming the heart of a side that still has enormous potential if it can find stability.
The attacking talent remains stacked. Alejandro Garnacho, Mykhailo Mudryk, Andrey Santos, Deivid Washington and Kendry Paez all stay, while Nicolas Jackson and David Datro Fofana keep Chelsea well stocked at centre-forward. At the back, Benoit Badiashile, Axel Disasi and Marc Cucurella are retained, and Malo Gusto’s presence ensures the right flank has both depth and dynamism.
Tottenham’s list, by contrast, looks like a squad carefully tuned to an attacking coach’s demands. James Maddison, Rodrigo Bentancur and Pape Matar Sarr are all retained to run the midfield, with Dejan Kulusevski, Mohammed Kudus and Richarlison giving Ange Postecoglou – or his successor – a front line full of pressing, power and invention.
Micky van de Ven, Cristian Romero and Destiny Udogie remain as the defensive core, while Mathys Tel, Dane Scarlett and a clutch of young forwards keep the future of the attack well stocked. Spurs have opted for continuity around a clear identity: aggressive, front-foot football with pace on every line.
Newcastle United, still aiming to cement themselves in the top tier of contenders, have kept their main weapons. Bruno Guimaraes, Sven Botman, Sandro Tonali and Nick Pope all feature, with Harvey Barnes and Anthony Elanga retained as wide threats. Lewis Hall and Valentino Livramento stay on, giving the Magpies energy and technical quality in the full-back zones.
Yoane Wissa and Nick Woltemade remain in the forward unit, hinting at a more varied attacking approach to complement Alexander Isak’s presence last season. Newcastle’s core is intact; the question now is how aggressively they add around it.
Villa, West Ham and the chasing pack
Aston Villa’s retained list is that of a club determined to stay in the European conversation. Ollie Watkins, John McGinn, Youri Tielemans and Emiliano Martinez are all present, as are Pau Torres and Ezri Konsa in defence. Leon Bailey, Emiliano Buendia and Donyell Malen remain as wide and central attacking options, keeping Villa’s forward line unpredictable and direct.
Depth has been preserved. Samuel Iling-Junior, Ian Maatsen and Victor Lindelof are all on the books, while Boubacar Kamara and Amadou Onana give the midfield a powerful, combative edge. Villa look built for another season of high-intensity, front-foot football.
West Ham United, meanwhile, have retained a spine that blends Premier League nous with fresh signings. Jarrod Bowen, James Ward-Prowse and Tomas Soucek remain, anchoring the midfield and attack with goals and set-piece threat. At the back, Konstantinos Mavropanos, Edson Alvarez and new arrival Maximilian Kilman stay on to give the Hammers height and aggression in central areas.
Up front, Niclas Fullkrug and Callum Wilson are retained, a pair of seasoned strikers capable of bullying defences and finishing chances. Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Kyle Walker-Peters both feature, giving West Ham serious defensive depth in the wide areas.
Around them, Brentford, Brighton and Fulham all keep faith with the cores that define their identities. Brighton retain Lewis Dunk, Pascal Gross, Evan Ferguson, Kaoru Mitoma and a raft of technically gifted youngsters, staying loyal to their possession-heavy, high-pressing model. Brentford keep Ethan Pinnock, Nathan Collins, Mathias Jensen, Mikkel Damsgaard and Keane Lewis-Potter, ensuring Thomas Frank’s side remains physically robust and tactically sharp.
Fulham hold on to Bernd Leno, Antonee Robinson, Sander Berge, Calvin Bassey and Emile Smith Rowe, with Rodrigo Muniz and Harry Wilson also retained. The spine that kept them competitive stays together.
Survival plans and second chances
Lower down the table, the retained lists speak of clubs trying to avoid another season on the brink.
Everton keep Jordan Pickford, Jarrad Branthwaite, Vitalii Mykolenko and James Tarkowski together in defence, a unit that has carried them through difficult campaigns. In midfield, James Garner, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Iliman Ndiaye remain, offering more technical quality and legs than in recent years. The club’s younger generation – including Omari Benjamin and a clutch of scholars – is being protected, suggesting a gradual transition rather than another frantic overhaul.
Nottingham Forest’s list is long, but the key names are clear. Morgan Gibbs-White, Callum Hudson-Odoi, Murillo, Neco Williams and Ibrahim Sangare all stay, as do Taiwo Awoniyi and Arnaud Kalimuendo. Forest continue to operate with a large squad, yet the decision to retain so many of last season’s central figures hints at a desire for stability after years of churn.
Burnley’s retained core shows a similar intent to bounce back and stabilise. Louis Beyer, Hjalmar Ekdal, Maxime Estève and Connor Roberts remain in defence, with Josh Cullen, Hannibal Mejbri and Zian Flemming in midfield. Up front, Armando Broja and Lyle Foster stay on, while several contracts – including Ashley Barnes and Axel Tuanzebe – are listed with offers, indicating ongoing negotiations rather than a clean break.
Crystal Palace keep Dean Henderson in goal, Marc Guehi’s replacement Maxence Lacroix in defence, Jefferson Lerma in midfield and a forward line built around Jean-Philippe Mateta, Brennan Johnson, Ismaila Sarr and Yeremy Pino. Eberechi Eze has moved on, but the structure around him has been preserved.
Wolverhampton Wanderers retain Hee-Chan Hwang, Sasa Kalajdzic, Joao Gomes, Jose Sa’s successor Jose Pedro Malheiro de Sa and a deep group of young forwards and defenders. The club has chosen to bank continuity across the pitch rather than gamble on wholesale change.
Promoted and ambitious: Leeds, Sunderland and Bournemouth
Among the newer or returning faces, Leeds United’s retained list looks built for a serious attempt at consolidation. Ethan Ampadu, Pascal Struijk and Jaka Bijol stay as defensive anchors, with Ilia Gruev and Anton Stach in midfield. Out wide, Jack Harrison, Dan James and Wilfried Gnonto remain, while Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Joel Piroe and Largie Ramazani give Leeds a varied strike force.
Sunderland’s sheet is striking. Granit Xhaka, Nordi Mukiele, Reinildo, Enzo Le Fée and Simon Adingra are all retained, a group that would not look out of place higher up the table. Jack Clarke’s successor in wide areas, Romaine Mundle, stays, while Brian Brobbey leads the line. It is a bold, aggressive squad for a club determined not just to survive, but to compete.
AFC Bournemouth, who have quietly built one of the more intriguing mid-table squads, keep Dominic Solanke, Luis Sinisterra, Marcus Tavernier and Marcos Senesi. Justin Kluivert and Enes Unal remain as attacking options, with Lewis Cook and Romain Faivre providing guile in midfield. The Cherries are not standing still; they are banking on continuity and chemistry.
The names are now inked in. Contracts are confirmed, offers are on the table, and the market will swirl around these foundations.
From Haaland and Saka at the top to the defenders fighting for survival at the bottom, the Premier League’s 2025/26 story has its cast. The question is simple: whose retained core will prove strong enough when the season starts to tear at the edges?
