Season-long performance ratings for the 2025/26 Premier League highlight 15 clear underachievers — led by Jørgen Strand Larsen (6.23) and Lyle Foster — with a worrying Wolves trio reflecting their relegation. Several high-fee signings and once-promising forwards (Elanga, Delap, Kolo Muani) failed to deliver, underscoring recruitment misfires and tactical mismatches across the division.
15 worst Premier League players — 2025/26 overview
The statistical ratings for 2025/26 single out a group of forwards and transitional signings who underwhelmed. Crystal Palace’s Jorgen Strand Larsen finished bottom on 6.23, while Burnley’s Lyle Foster (6.24) and a string of attackers and midfielders round out the list. Wolves account for three names, mirroring their catastrophic campaign and relegation.
What this list tells us
These ratings reveal more than individual slumps. Clubs that finished poorly — Wolves and Burnley — carry multiple entries, indicating collective failure rather than isolated bad luck. High transfer fees and mid-season moves that didn’t pay off point to recruitment errors and tactical misfits. For managers and sporting directors, the data flags where urgent course corrections are needed.
Ranks 15–11: Early disappointments
15 Rodrigo Gomes — Wolves — Portugal — 6.43 A young winger who struggled for consistency in a team that barely won. Gomes’ technical qualities showed flashes but Wolves’ structural collapse magnified every weakness.
14 Lukas Nmecha — Leeds United — Germany — 6.42
Signed to help Leeds’ survival, Nmecha delivered little end product. His work rate was there at times, but finishing and link-up play fell short of expectations.
13 Hwang Hee-chan — Wolves — South Korea — 6.41
Hwang’s pace and pressing are dependable, but a lack of goals and an anemic Wolves attack made his season forgettable.
12 Jean-Ricner Bellegarde — Wolves — Haiti — 6.40
A midfielder who was expected to add drive but was instead overwhelmed in transition phases. The defensive chaos around him limited any creative influence.
11 Callum Wilson — West Ham — England — 6.40
Wilson scored seven times but rates poorly on consistency and impact. At 34 and out of contract, his output raises questions about West Ham’s attacking depth.
Ranks 10–6: Misfires and relegation casualties
10 Anthony Elanga — Newcastle United — Sweden — 6.39 A £55m move that failed to spark. Elanga’s pace returned, but end product and adaptation to Newcastle’s demands were wanting.
9 Loum Tchaouna — Burnley — France — 6.34
One of Burnley’s attacking recruits who struggled to influence matches as the team buckled under pressure.
8 Rodrigo Muniz — Fulham — Brazil — 6.33
A sporadic season—scoring just once—Muniz never found a reliable role in Fulham’s attack.
7 Josh Laurent — Burnley — England — 6.31
A midfield battler whose numbers suffered amid Burnley’s relegation fight; lacked influence in possession zones.
6 Wilson Isidor — Sunderland — Haiti — 6.31
A forward with raw attributes but limited end product at Premier League level this season.
Ranks 5–1: The deepest underperformers
5 Jacob Bruun Larsen — Burnley — Denmark — 6.30 Bruun Larsen’s average masks moments of technical quality; consistency and end product were missing in a team without cohesion.
4 Randal Kolo Muani — Tottenham Hotspur — France — 6.30
A loan signing expected to add cutting edge. One goal and limited adaptation means Spurs escaped a potential permanent mistake, but the experiment underlined recruitment risk.
3 Liam Delap — Chelsea — England — 6.30
Arrived for a fee after an impressive season at Ipswich; instead, Delap managed just one goal. Chelsea’s system and his development pathway both deserve scrutiny.
2 Lyle Foster — Burnley — South Africa — 6.24
A physical presence who failed to convert chances. Foster’s struggles epitomize Burnley’s broader attacking inefficiency.
1 Jorgen Strand Larsen — Crystal Palace — Norway — 6.23
The lowest-rated player in 2025/26. Strand Larsen’s season will be viewed as a major concern given his transfer market value and the expectations attached to him.
Implications for clubs and players
Clubs with multiple names on this list face structural questions: recruitment, coaching and system fit all come under the microscope. For players, some are clearly out of form; others appear tactically mismatched. Expect summer reviews, positional reappraisals and, in several cases, moves designed to reset careers.
What to watch next
Will clubs back their underperformers with tactical changes or cut losses in the transfer window? Teams that made costly signings must decide whether coaching tweaks can unlock value or whether wholesale roster changes are required.
For the players named, the coming pre-season will be decisive in determining whether this season was an aberration or the start of a downward trajectory.
Givemesport
