Five teams to look out for in the major European leagues

Be honest, who had Como and Lens to qualify for the Champions League or West Ham, Nantes and Wolfsburg to be relegated on their 2025/26 bingo card?

Although, in general terms, financial muscle seems to be a good indicator of future performance, it is the glorious unpredictability of the beautiful game that keeps us coming back for more season after season.

With that in mind, we thought we’d pick out a team from each of the five major European leagues that we think might be worth keeping a close eye on in the upcoming campaign.

SERIE A – FIORENTINA

Fiorentina were massive underperformers in Serie A last season, flirting with relegation following four consecutive finishes between 6th and 8th. Stefano Pioli lasted just ten winless league games in his second spell in charge, before Paolo Vanoli arrived to steady the ship and guide La Viola to safety.

Things are looking up at the Stadio Artemio Franchi ahead of the 2026/27 campaign, however, with Fabio Grosso, scorer of the winning penalty in Italy’s 2006 World Cup shootout success, being brought in to work his managerial magic. The 48-year-old already boasts two titles in Serie B, with Frosinone in 2022/23 and Sassuolo in 2024/25, and guided I Neroverdi to a comfortable mid-table finish in the top-flight last term.

As you might expect when a new man takes charge, the 2023 and 2024 Conference League finalists have been busy in the transfer market. Around €97m has been lavished on Viery, Arthur Atta, Christ Inao Oulai, Victor Valdepenas, Marco Brescianini and Giovanni Fabbian, whilst Radu Dragusin, Joao Mario and Alex Jimenez have arrived on loan.

VERDICT – Should challenge for the European places once again, possibly giving the top four a run for their money

PREMIER LEAGUE – TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR

Success in the Europa League aside, the last two campaigns have been hideous for Tottenham and their supporters, with back-to-back 17th-place finishes in the Premier League. Roberto De Zerbi arrived just in time to save the North London outfit from the drop last season and he has now had a whole summer to implement his footballing philosophy.

Since picking up the managerial reins at Sassuolo back in 2018, the volatile Italian has enjoyed relative success everywhere he has been, notably guiding Brighton to their first ever qualification for European competition. Let us not forget either that, back in 2023, Pep Guardiola stated that “Roberto is one of the most influential managers in the last 20 years”.

The powers that be at Spurs have certainly backed their manager this summer, adding six players with proven Premier League pedigree to the squad. Andy Robertson, Marcos Senesi and Martin Dubravka have all arrived on free transfers, whilst Jan Paul van Hecke, Mateus Fernandes and Sandro Tonali cost a combined £237m.

VERDICT – May well qualify for the Champions League, with Tonali on the shortlist for PFA Men's Players' Player of the Year

LA LIGA – DEPORTIVO de A CORUNA

Having enjoyed a golden period during the 1990s and early 2000s that saw them crowned La Liga champions in 1999/00 and Copa del Rey winners in 1994/95 and 2001/02, the recently-renamed Deportivo de A Coruna have returned to the big time following eight seasons away. The club’s recent revival is all the more remarkable when you consider that half of those campaigns were spent in the third tier.

The Galician outfit have certainly been handed a gentle start to the new season, entertaining Elche and then visiting Malaga in their first couple of games. What’s more, they are not scheduled to face Atletico Madrid until 25th October, Barcelona until 29th November and Real Madrid until 20th December.

It is a clear sign of the pulling power of the newly-promoted club that, amongst other signings, they have been able to bring in experienced striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang from Marseille for €1.5m, as well as former Manchester City and RB Leipzig left-back Angelino on loan from Roma with an option to buy for €2.5m.

VERDICT – Gauging how Antonio Hidalgo’s charges will adapt to life in La Liga is difficult, but, given that just five points separated tenth and 19th last season, they could push for a mid-table finish

BUNDESLIGA – SCHALKE 04

Having spent four of the previous five seasons playing their football in the 2. Bundesliga, Schalke are now back in the big time. The Gelsenkirchen-based outfit and seven-time Bundesliga runners-up are the definition of a sleeping giant, drawing average crowds of over 61,000 supporters to the VELTINS-Arena to watch second division football in 2025/26.

The mastermind behind the club’s upturn in fortunes is undoubtedly former Plymouth boss Miron Muslic, who arrived last summer to reinvigorate a team that had finished 10th and 14th in the previous two campaigns. Renowned for his direct brand of football and the ability to galvanise a group of players, the 43-year-old will be relishing the opportunity to test himself at the highest level.

After finding the net six times in 11 matches following his January arrival from Fiorentina, 40-year-old Edin Dzeko has now signed on for one more season. The Bosnian will not be the only experienced head in the dressing room, however, with 24-cap Germany international Robin Gosens brought in to add further quality and leadership to the group.

VERDICT – Schalke’s direct style and passionate support will unsettle plenty of opponents, particularly at the VELTINS-Arena, so a top-half finish could well be on the cards

LIGUE 1 – LILLE

Lille will be playing in the Champions League this season, but that could be where the good news ends for the team from Northern France. Bruno Genesio, the man who guided them there, has left the club, taking with him a 100% record of securing top-five Ligue 1 finishes in the seven full campaigns that he has managed in the competition with Lyon, Rennes and Les Dogues.

For reasons known only to the power brokers at the club, they have opted for 37-year-old Davide Ancelotti, son of Carlo, as his replacement. Completely untested in the managerial hot seat, save for a brief stint in charge of Botafogo in Brazil, this appointment has disaster written all over it.

Recruiting young players would seem to be the club’s focus this summer, with Loun Srdanovic (20), Basar Onal (22) and Tanguy Nianzou (24) arriving from Servette, NEC Nijmegen and Sevilla respectively. This strategy may well pay dividends in the longer term, but the new man in charge would probably benefit from some more experienced additions alongside them.

VERDICT – Lille should have too much quality to go down, but it could well be a season of struggle for a team that has secured seven top-five finishes in the last eight campaigns

SUMMARY

Making football predictions can be notoriously difficult, even for us tipsters, so it will be interesting to see how things pan out for our highlighted quintet of clubs in 2026/27.

Tottenham have certainly splashed the cash in search of improvement and Lille have firmly rolled the managerial dice. Fiorentina will be looking to put a disappointing 2025/26 campaign behind them, whilst Deportivo de A Coruna and Schalke 04 will be looking to continue on their recent upward trajectories.