Grading Every Premier League Team's 2024-25 Season
The 2024-25 Premier League season comes to a close this weekend.
As the weather turns warmer and eyes turn toward summer business in the transfer window, we, the B/R Football staff, decided to follow suit and hand out end-of-campaign grades to every team.
Spoiler alert: Liverpool will get the highest of marks, while relegated Ipswich, Leicester and Southampton are all failing.
Read on to see what our Leo Collis and Nick Akerman had to say about your favorite club and share your thoughts in the comments section of the app!
Arsenal
1 of 20
Highest Possible Finish: 2nd
Grade: C
An almost certain second-place finish should warrant more than a C grade, but considering Arsenal’s meek effort in keeping Liverpool honest in the title race, they don’t deserve much more than that.
Arsenal could never really close the gap to the runaway Premier League leaders throughout the campaign, significantly easing the pressure on the Reds and allowing them to claim the title without really breaking a sweat.
Injuries had a part to play, but questions should be asked of Mikel Arteta, especially with little success elsewhere to make up for that disappointment.
- Leo Collis
Aston Villa
2 of 20
Highest possible finish: 3rd
Grade: B+
Qualifying for Europe while putting together a decent Champions League run should be considered a top result for Unai Emery.
He’s built an excellent squad and has earned enough backing to loan players such as Marcus Rashford and Marco Asensio in a January flourish. Villa have the potential to compete for a top four place across many years and are enjoying the fruits of stability. Emery is a key part of that.
It’ll be interesting to see what awaits the Midlands club. Another summer of decent recruitment can elevate them further, even if there are big questions to answer around the future of Rashford and Ollie Watkins. Emery must keep the squad fresh and hungry to maintain the success of his tenure.
- Nick Akerman
Bournemouth
3 of 20
Highest Possible Finish: 9th
Grade: B
Bournemouth can be pleased with a solid mid-table finish, but the Cherries will look back and wonder if it could have been more.
The south-coast club was as high as fifth in February following a 3-1 away win over Southampton, but just two wins since then saw them tumble down the standings.
A ticket for a European competition next season could have been a possibility for Andoni Iraola’s squad, but that was squandered. However, if you had told the Cherries they would finish where they are now at the beginning of the season, they would have been thrilled.
- Leo Collis
Brentford
4 of 20
Highest possible finish: 8th
Grade: C+
The first season without Ivan Toney has proven to be decent enough for Brentford.
Although diabolical at times in defence, Thomas Frank’s side play with an attacking freedom that makes them a constant threat. Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa combine brilliantly up front and Frank’s work with Kevin Schade has ensured a three-pronged offence that is difficult to slow down.
This was always going to be a transitional year for the Bees. They are a bona fide Premier League club now and comfort should be taken from relegation never looking likely. It’s hard to escape the mid-table cluster of clubs, sure. But there’s comfort in being amongst them while having room to improve.
- Nick Akerman
Brighton
5 of 20
Highest possible finish: 8th
Grade: B
Brighton & Hove Albion topped the Premier League after Matchday 1, but they wouldn’t reach those lofty heights again.
But the Seagulls never descended past 10th place, which is still an impressive feat for a club that has been shedding talent the last few seasons and had a new manager in tow.
There is still an outside chance they can secure a spot in the Europa Conference League next season, so there is everything to play for in the final game of the season.
If they do, bump that grade up to a B+. But for now, a B seems fairly fitting.
- Leo Collis
Chelsea
6 of 20
Highest possible finish: 3rd
Grade: C
Remember when Chelsea were considered title contenders?
That dreamlike moment has passed and we’re left with the reality of Enzo Maresca’s honeymoon period coming to a dramatic close. Chelsea have struggled down the backend of the season. Pushing through to get Champions League is vital for a club that expects to compete with the best while having a bloated squad that features plenty of players who need to be cut.
Maresca’s tactics also feel like they’re going to eventually lead to him getting the chop. Chelsea’s output has lessened with Cole Palmer’s dip in form, a struggle that has made it painfully obvious how much they rely on him.
As ever, it feels like a big summer is needed.
- Nick Akerman
Crystal Palace
7 of 20
Highest Possible Finish: 9th
Grade: B-
Frankly, Crystal Palace will not care what Premier League grade they get this season after their remarkable 1-0 FA Cup final victory over Manchester City—earning the club’s first-ever major trophy.
Still, that doesn’t absolve the Eagles of judgment, and they get a B- here.
After finishing the 2023-24 campaign with a stunning run of results, they came stumbling out of the blocks in 2024-25, failing to win a match in their first eight games of the season.
But, steadily, things started getting better for the London club, and considering they have a chance of finishing in ninth (not to mention that FA Cup triumph), they can be proud of how their season played out.
- Leo Collis
Everton
8 of 20
Highest possible finish: 13th
Grade: C
David Moyes’ return was transformative for Everton this season.
Sean Dyche stepped aside in January after going as far as he could with the limited squad that worked so hard to escape relegation the year before. Moyes’ goal was the same as his predecessor's, with added jeopardy, as the men’s swansong at Goodison Park loomed.
In the end, there was very little to worry about. Moyes brought organisation and more attacking threat, rejuvenating Beto in the meantime, as the Toffees sit comfortably in mid-table. Just making sure the new stadium opens with Premier League football was key. Job done.
- Nick Akerman
Fulham
9 of 20
Highest Possible Finish: 9th
Grade: B
Whatever happens, Fulham will finish the season in a higher position than the campaign before, when they finished in 13th.
Marco Silva’s men picked up some fine results in 2024-25, beating Newcastle both at home and away, defeating Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, and failing to lose to Liverpool, even beating the Reds at Craven Cottage in April before they had wrapped up the Premier League title.
But drawing games to Southampton, Ipswich Town (twice), and struggling against teams of a similar stature really halted the Cottagers’ momentum, stopping a B grade from becoming a B+.
- Leo Collis
Ipswich Town
10 of 20
Highest possible finish: 18th
Grade: F
Ipswich’s relegation has a few annoying strands added to it.
For one, very few people are talking about Kieran McKenna as a top-tier manager right now. He was linked with Manchester United and other giant clubs early on in the campaign. His stock has plummeted after Ipswich never really got to grips with facing quality opponents week after week. While that could be seen as a positive, as he’ll likely stick around, it’s an indicator of how badly the team fared.
At the same time, Liam Delap’s performances have pretty much guaranteed him a massive move in the summer. To drop into the Championship while simultaneously losing your best asset is never easy. Ultimately, the starting XI and squad aren’t a Premier League-level one and the Tractor Boys had very little chance of doing any better.
- Nick Akerman
Leicester City
11 of 20
Highest Possible Finish: 18th
Grade: F
The return of the 2014-15 Premier League champions to the top flight didn’t go to plan, with the Foxes retreating right back to the Championship.
In hindsight, sacking Steve Cooper (although admittedly unpopular) might not have been the best move, with the Welshman keeping Nottingham Forest in the top flight after promotion against the odds in 2022-2023.
The arrival of Ruud van Nistelrooy did show early promise, with a win and a draw in his first two games in charge. But he earned just one win from then until the confirmation of Leicester’s relegation on April 20, when they lost 1-0 to Liverpool.
Winning two of four since news of their demise was far too little, far too late, and their possible 18th-place finish would be flattering after a woeful attempt to stay in the Premier League.
- Leo Collis
Liverpool
12 of 20
Finish: Premier League Champions
Grade: A+
Simply sensational.
Liverpool fans couldn’t ask for anything more this campaign than winning the Premier League in Arne Slot’s maiden season. Look at Manchester United post Sir Alex Ferguson. Look at Arsenal post-Arsene Wenger. Slot has stopped the post-Jurgen Klopp fears before they even got going.
The really exciting thing about Liverpool’s title win is how smart Slot has been so far. He’s mainly developed Klopp’s squad while improving what looked like a questionable midfield. Ryan Gravenberch is arguably the Premier League’s most improved player and Alexis Mac Allister has levelled up.
Combine that with a more direct attack and the Reds have cantered to a major trophy, putting themselves in the right place at the right time when Man City slipped.
- Nick Akerman
Manchester City
13 of 20
Highest Possible Finish: 2nd
Grade: D
Manchester City’s grade here is defined more by reputation than anything. However, while they could finish as high as second (although it’s very unlikely), they could drop to as low as seventh by the time the season draws to a close on Sunday.
For a team with perhaps the best manager in the game, a stacked squad of world-class stars, and a transfer war chest equivalent to the GDP of a small country, that’s simply not good enough.
That the Citizens weren’t even in title contention for much of the season is shocking for a club that has dominated English football for the better part of a decade. A lot of introspection will be needed ahead of the 2025-26 campaign.
- Leo Collis
Manchester United
14 of 20
Highest possible finish: 14th
Grade: FFFFFF-
There aren’t enough Fs on the planet to sum up Man United’s season.
Compounded by Wednesday’s pathetic performance in the Europa League final, they’re essentially the worst team not to be relegated from the Premier League this season. Years of awful decisions have resulted in a broken squad, dire finances and an uncertain future.
Most disappointingly of all, there’s a fair shout to say the team has gotten worse since Ruben Amorim’s arrival. ‘He needs his players’ is the argument. That may well be true, but he will need to prove that almost instantly next season if he’s to survive.
It’s hard to imagine it getting much worse for United. Yet, the club and the team continue to find a way.
- Nick Akerman
Newcastle United
15 of 20
Highest Possible Finish: 3rd
Grade: A-
For Newcastle United, read the start of the Crystal Palace entry. The Magpies won’t care much about this grade after ending a 70-year wait for a trophy with victory over Liverpool in the Carabao Cup Final.
But, unlike the Eagles, Newcastle has backed up its cup success with a fine Premier League campaign.
It was a disappointing start for the team from the north-east, with the Magpies down in 12th in early December. But a run of six wins on the trot in the final month of 2024 catapulted them back up the table, and five straight wins from March through April put them back in the mix for a Champions League return.
With a better start to the season, the Magpies could have been title challengers.
- Leo Collis
Nottingham Forest
16 of 20
Highest possible finish: 3rd
Grade: A+
A year of redemption for both Nottingham Forest and Nuno Espirito Santo.
His guidance has taken the club from the brink of relegation to potentially a spot in Europe. He’s made cracking signings (hello, Nikola Milenkovic) and he’s somehow turned Chris Wood into prime R9. Forest are physical, have pace down the wings and a striker who is constantly buzzing in the box. It’s an effective formula.
Morgan Gibbs-White’s likely departure does provide something of an issue in the upcoming transfer window. The Forest of last year would have been doomed. With Nuno at the helm, it feels like things may just be okay for the biggest overachievers in this year’s Premier League.
- Nick Akerman
Southampton
17 of 20
Finishes: 20th
Grade: F
Southampton have narrowly avoided the record of being the worst Premier League team ever (sorry, Derby County fans), but that does little to ease the pain of Saints fans.
Two wins in 37 games entering the final matchday is shocking. The Saints scored the fewest goals (25) and conceded the most (84) on their plummet back to the Championship, and there’s little hope that they will make a speedy return to the top flight.
According to Merriam-Webster, there are over 1,000 synonyms for the word “bad,” and if you took the time to read them all, they would likely all apply to Southampton’s season in one way or another.
- Leo Collis
Tottenham Hotspur
18 of 20
Highest possible finish: 14th
Grade: F
Spurs won’t care about their Premier League finish now the trophy drought is over.
That doesn’t change their grade or hide the reality of what has been an abysmal season. Ange Postecoglou has been kept in a job by the Europa League run and will feel lucky to still be at the club by the time next season begins.
His tactics, aside from the Europa final, have put pressure on a team that doesn’t often find control in important moments. Injuries have piled up and no change of tact has left Spurs flailing around the bottom five for a long while. That’s not acceptable and won’t be tolerated much longer.
- Nick Akerman
West Ham United
19 of 20
Highest Possible Finish: 14th
Grade: D
Another season when West Ham United looked to have a squad capable of sitting comfortably in the top half, another season when they were miles away from those levels.
The tenure of Julen Lopetegui was doomed from the start, and things haven’t got much better since Graham Potter stepped into the breach.
The Hammers have often looked confused, lacking identity and not making the most of the talent they have. That has led them to the worst goal difference in the league outside of the relegated clubs.
By the time next season rolls around, the cycle of hope followed swiftly by disappointment could yet begin again.
- Leo Collis
Wolverhampton Wanderers
20 of 20
Highest possible finish: 14th
Grade: C
Fair play Vitor Pereira.
Wolves were a guaranteed F-grade under Gary O’Neil, a manager who took his good work of last season and someone obliterated it with some of the most lifeless football in the league. Pereira has let go of the brakes and emphasised that quick, penetrative attacks go a long way to putting together a decent run of results.
Surviving the drop was Pereira’s objective upon his arrival. He’s done so via sharpening up the output of multiple talents at the club, including Jean-Ricner Bellegarde and Joao Gomes. It’s the anti-Amorim situation; Pereira hasn’t needed ‘his’ players. He’s come in and worked with what he’s got, improving many in the process.
Next season could be a bright one.
- Nick Akerman
.png?w=600 "NBA Playoff Bracket After 76ers Win")
