Season preview part two: The relegation dogfight... and can Man United be any worse?

The Totally Football Show with James Richardson

The Athletic

Soccer, Unknown, Soccer,, Sports, Football

4.6 • 4.2K Ratings

🗓️ 14 August 2025

⏱️ 72 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Jimbo's joined by Tom Williams, Daniel Storey and Tim Spiers as we continue our look ahead to the 2025-26 Premier League season - and after shining the spotlight on the six teams competing in the Champions League during our last episode, today we turn our focus to the rest of the sides in the top flight.

But we begin in Udine, where Tottenham saw a two-goal lead dashed to be beaten 4-3 by PSG on penalties in Wednesday night's Super Cup final. Despite defeat - are there reasons to be positive for Spurs fans?

Back to domestic matters, and there's plenty of intrigue around the return of Sunderland after an eight-year spell out of the big time. The Athletic's football finance writer and Mackem Chris Weatherspoon joins us to consider their chances of staying up - before we run the rule over how fellow promoted sides Leeds and Burnley could fare after breaking the 100-point barrier in the Championship last season.

Elsewhere - surely Manchester United can't be as bad as they were last season? Laurie Whitwell stops by to talk us through the pros and cons of their pre-season - and hopes for this campaign with the pressure on Ruben Amorim to turn their fortunes around.

Will Everton be interesting this season with Jack Grealish added to the mix? Are Brighton the side most likely to upset the established 'big six' this time round? What kind of season will Forest have after the unexpected highs of last season? And are Brentford the 'B' team at risk of get dragged into a relegation scrap?

All those questions and many more answered - plus a low socks convention, bad penalties and regretful friendships.

Produced by Jesse Howard and Lucy Oliva.

RUNNING ORDER:

• PART 1: PSG lift the Super Cup (05.00)

• PART 2a: Sunderland's return to the top flight with Chris Weatherspoon (18.30)

• PART 2b: The hopes for Leeds and Burnley of survival (26.45)

• PART 3: Are Manchester United going to be better this season? With Laurie Whitwell (42.45)

• PART 4: Who'll be the best of the rest? (53.25)

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Transcript

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