Breaking the wrong records: Are the 2025/26 Wolves the worst Premier League side ever?

Records in the Premier League are usually chased, celebrated, and framed on club walls. But some records exist at the other end of the spectrum, the kind no side wants to be associated with.

As the 2024/25 season has unravelled, Wolverhampton Wanderers have found themselves drifting into an uncomfortable historical conversation.

Question is, are they the worst Premier League side ever? And what do they need to do to avoid being on the Premier League Hall of Shame.

5 – Huddersfield Town (2018/19) – 16 Points

Huddersfield’s first Premier League season was a miracle. Their second was a reality check.

After defying expectations in 2017/18, the goals dried up completely. Huddersfield managed just 22 goals all season, rarely looking capable of troubling opposition defences. Matches became exercises in damage limitation rather than belief.

David Wagner, the architect of their rise, departed in January, but the slide was already irreversible. Relegation was confirmed in March, with weeks of the season still to play.

4 – Sheffield United (2023/24) – 16 Points

If Huddersfield lacked goals, Sheffield United simply couldn’t stop conceding them.

The Blades shipped an astonishing 104 goals, the most ever in a 38-game Premier League season. Heavy defeats became routine, including humiliations like 8-0 at home to Newcastle and 6-0 losses to Arsenal.

Despite winning three matches, the defensive collapse was relentless. Every fixture felt like survival training rather than competitive football.

3 – Sunderland (2005/06) – 15 Points

The Black Cats in 2005/06 lost their opening five games and never recovered momentum. They recorded just one home win all season, turning the Stadium of Light into a venue opponents actively looked forward to visiting.

It got so bad that Sunderland gathered the lowest haul of points in Premier League history, up until that season.

Worse still, this wasn’t a one-off. It was the second time in three seasons Sunderland finished with one of the lowest points totals ever, cementing their reputation as the Premier League’s ultimate yo-yo club of the era.

2 – Southampton (2024/25) – 12 Points

Southampton’s return to the top flight quickly turned into a case study in tactical stubbornness.

Committed to playing out from the back regardless of personnel or opponent, the Saints were ruthlessly exposed week after week. They set a new Premier League record with 30 defeats, somehow avoiding Derby’s mark with a late, desperate draw.

1 – Derby County (2007/08) – 11 Points

This remains the benchmark. The record nobody wants.

Derby’s 2007/08 season is widely considered the worst in Premier League history. Their only win came in September. The next 32 games passed without victory.

Relegation was confirmed in March, the earliest ever in the 38-game era. By spring, survival was no longer the goal, dignity was.

Seventeen years later, no team has fallen lower. And that alone tells you everything.

Where do the 2025/26 Wolverhampton Wanderers rank?

After their defeat to Brentford, Wolves have accumulated two points from 17 games, as per The Guardian. This remains the worst start any team has ever made in any league in the English pyramid.

So, yes, right now, Wolves could be the worst team in Premier League history.

Fortunately for them, the Wanderers have 21 more games to turn their season around. Relegation might be a foregone conclusion barring something miraculous. 16 points behind the 17th placed side is never a good sight but pride is at stake.

But to avoid being the worst team in Premier League history, Wolves need 10 points from those 21 matches. Can they do it?