5 Most Impactful Injuries in the Premier League This Season

Injuries have long been the unseen hand that can derail a Premier League club’s ambitions, and the 2025/26 campaign has provided a stark reminder of how fragile success can be. From relegation battles to title tilts, five absentees have reshaped the destiny of their teams more than any tactical tweak or blockbuster signing ever could.

At Turf Moor, Burnley’s survival hopes were already on life support when skipper Josh Cullen limped off in December, his season ended by a serious injury. The indefatigable midfielder had been both metronome and motivator for Scott Parker’s side, and without his relentless running and authority on the ball, the Clarets’ fight lost its heartbeat. The club now face the drop with a squad visibly stripped of leadership.

Chelsea, meanwhile, have spent the season searching for defensive solidity that never arrived. Levi Colwill’s absence explains part of the void: an ACL injury suffered moments after the Club World Cup has denied the 22-year-old even a single minute of Premier League football. England will also feel the ripple effect, as the centre-back’s composure and ball-playing ability would have made him a near-certainty for the 2026 World Cup squad had he remained fit.

North London has cursed the training room twice over. Tottenham, mired in relegation trouble, have yet to see Dejan Kulusevski’s distinctive blend of width and creativity. The Swede’s role as a wide playmaker—tasked with unpicking deep-lying defences—has no like-for-like replacement in the Spurs ranks. James Maddison’s pre-season setback compounded the misery; the midfielder’s prognosis remains uncertain, with whispers that only the final day of the campaign might see him return, potentially in a Championship fixture if results go awry.

No injury, however, has cost more in pounds and potential silverware than Alexander Isak’s broken fibula. Liverpool invested a record £125 million to secure the Swedish striker, yet just two league goals preceded a fracture that has sidelined him for the majority of the season. The timing proved catastrophic: Isak’s momentum was building, and his void up front has coincided with the Reds sliding to fifth, their title challenge extinguished.

From Burnley’s captaincy vacuum to Chelsea’s missing defensive organiser, and from Spurs’ creative drought to Liverpool’s goal-scoring shortfall, these five casualties have carved the true narrative of 2025/26. In the Premier League, talent wins matches, but availability wins seasons—and each of these clubs has learned that lesson the hard way.