Even though the 2025–26 Premier League season is only getting started, some intriguing plotlines are already beginning to take shape. Both the title contenders and possible relegation candidates are becoming more apparent.
However, those stories are not limited to clubs. Some players have pleased fans thus far this season, while others—from recent additions to English top flight veterans—haven’t yet left their mark.
These people aren’t just found in teams that are at the bottom of the table. It can be challenging to deal with expectations, and some people may be crumbling under the strain at the moment. Even though the current season is only getting started, GIVEMESPORT is here to walk you through the top ten Premier League disappointments to date.
Factors that rank
Two primary criteria have been used to calculate each player’s ranking:
How has each Premier League player fared on the pitch?
Before the season started, what expectations did fans have of each player?
10Viktor Gyokeres
Everyone has different opinions about Viktor Gyokeres’ early success in the English top division. With a brace against Leeds United and another effort against Nottingham Forest, Arsenal supporters will claim that he has had a respectable first six games. However, others think he hasn’t done enough yet, especially when he won the Gerd Muller trophy for scoring 54 goals for Sporting Lisbon and Sweden in 2024–2025.
His performances against the more established clubs were lacking, especially against Manchester United on the first day of the season and later against Manchester City at the Emirates. Gyokeres couldn’t be too high in this rating given that they have scored a goal in every other game thus far, but they can still do better.
9Mohamed Salah
Now hold off on using your pitchforks for two seconds. Normally, Mohamed Salah wouldn’t be associated with this list. However, some Liverpool fans and Fantasy Premier League players will concur that the Egyptian King hasn’t quite lived up to his often lofty expectations this season.
The 33-year-old hasn’t exactly had a bad start to the new season either; two goals and two assists is certainly not a bad return. However, Salah already had four goals and four assists by gameweek six of the previous season. We doubt he will be here at the end of the season, especially if Liverpool wins the Premier League, considering his experience in this league and his apparent desire to overtake the greats who came before him in the all-time scoring rankings. However, it’s safe to say that Salah hasn’t taken off.
8Jorgen Strand Larsen
At one point, it appeared as though Jorgen Strand Larsen would be among the last dominoes to fall in the massive striker hunt of the summer transfer window of 2025. The Magpies attempted to close a deal for the Norwegian, but their £55 million offer was turned down because Alexander Isak was doing everything he could to escape Newcastle for Liverpool.
As a result, they signed Nick Woltemade, and given what each player has accomplished thus far, Geordie supporters will be happy that they chose to sign the German. Strand Larsen has had a difficult time, but the new forward at St. James’ Park has shown promise. With their star striker still without a league goal, Wolves are sitting at the bottom of the standings. Given his current difficulties, it’s difficult to defend the Old Gold’s high demand for its center-forward.
7Bryan Mbeumo
In the Red Devils’ first match against Arsenal, Manchester United’s decision to sign Bryan Mbeumo, a player with Premier League experience, this summer appeared to be a wise move. The former Brentford player was a tremendous live wire who gave the Gunners a lot of trouble.
Since then, however, the Cameroon international has lost his temper. He has only contributed one goal this season, against Burnley, which suggested that the floodgates were about to open. Mbeumo, who scored 20 goals for his old team in 2024–2025, is likewise a victim of his own fame. Fans would have hoped for more from him, even though the Red Devils once again performed poorly under Ruben Amorim.
6Jamie Gittens
Jamie Gittens hasn’t had much of an opportunity to demonstrate his abilities, in contrast to other people on this list. Since joining Chelsea from Borussia Dortmund in the summer, he has only played 145 minutes in the league, starting just twice and coming off the bench in two other games. However, you want a player who costs £48.5 million to have an immediate effect rather than play sporadically off the bench.
Gittens has not appeared to be able to lead the west London team to greater heights after their Club World Cup victory and fourth-place finish last season. Instead, he has appeared raw and in need of improvement when he has played for them thus far this season. Maybe he needs more playing time to show off his skills, but the fact that Enzo Maresca isn’t making use of one of the team’s more costly summer acquisitions isn’t exactly a positive indication.
5Benjamin Sesko
Similar to Gittens, Man United acknowledged when they bought Benjamin Sesko that, despite the fact that he had a lot of talent, he needed time to mature. But even after the club spent £73.7 million, fans would have expected someone who scored 13 Bundesliga goals in 2024–2025 at the age of 21 to have a greater influence than he has.
Rio Ferdinand even criticised the Slovenian for his performance during the Red Devils’ 2-1 victory over Chelsea, even though he was instrumental in the build-up before to Robert Sanchez’s dismissal. Sesko, 22, needs to start defending the amount spent for his services, but it hasn’t all been awful. He scored against Brentford as United fell 3-1.
4Ollie Watkins
Ollie Watkins’ Premier League debut goal against Fulham was everything supporters have come to expect from the Aston Villa forward. finishing calmly after making a risky run in behind and playing on the shoulder of the final defender. However, thus far this term, that hasn’t been sufficiently observed.
The England international didn’t score his first goal of 2025–2026 until gameweek six. Many people thought he would make the difference for Unai Emery’s team as they attempted to qualify for the Champions League again before a ball was ever kicked. Villa supporters will be hoping that Watkins’ performance against Fulham can serve as a boost following a dismal start to the new season, as Ian Wright has criticised Watkins for his performances thus far, saying he hasn’t been successful.
3Morgan Gibbs-White
One of the highlights of the 2024–25 season was Nottingham Forest, who pushed for Champions League qualifying despite relegation predictions. They ultimately agreed to a Europa League spot, and Morgan Gibbs-White’s 15 goals from the previous season were crucial to their participation in Europe this year.
But under new manager Ange Postecoglou, the Tricky Trees have struggled so far this season and are on the verge of relegation. Even if some players have performed poorly this season—we’re referring to you, Chris Wood—you could argue that Gibbs-White’s subpar play is the true cause of the discrepancy. The team as a whole flourishes when he’s singing, and the 25-year-old has the capacity to move supporters out of their seats. However, at the City Ground, that hasn’t occurred frequently enough this year.
2Morgan Rogers
Similar to Gibbs-White, Morgan Rogers was the driving force behind his success the previous season. The England international continuously propelled Villa forward, even if other players made important contributions to their pursuit of Champions League football. He finished with eight league goals, demonstrating his ability to create something out of nothing when facing tough opposition.
However, Rogers hasn’t had a great start to the year. He hasn’t played as well as the Villa Park supporters remembered him from the previous season, contributing nothing to games and drawing criticism from commentators for his poor performances. In the summer, it was suggested that Chelsea and other interested parties would have to spend almost £90 million to entice the offensive midfielder to leave Unai Emery’s team. It goes without saying that he hasn’t yet provided evidence to support that estimate for 2025–2026.
1Florian Wirtz
When Florian Wirtz took the pitch for the first time in a Premier League match, the atmosphere at Anfield was electric. After a stellar two seasons at Bayer Leverkusen, where he contributed 22 Bundesliga goals, Liverpool spent £116 million to acquire one of the top football talents in the world. Although things haven’t gone as planned thus far, supporters were eager to see what he might offer Arne Slot’s team.
Despite keeping himself occupied, Wirtz hasn’t been able to make a significant impression in the Premier League thus far. He hasn’t scored a goal or provided an assist, and his performances have drawn criticism. Normally, you would give a new hire some leeway since they are acclimating to their new environment, but when Liverpool paid that much, you expect them to succeed right away. The 22-year-old clearly have the potential; he simply needs to demonstrate it more than he currently does.
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