Premier League 2026/27 Predictions: Arsenal favourites for the title, Chelsea seek revival under Xabi Alonso
Premier League 2026/27 Predictions: The Premier League will return with more drama and action after Arsenal’s march to the title last season. The 2025/26 campaign saw some incredible action unfold over the course of 10 months with many surprises.
Manchester United stuck with Ruben Amorim before sacking him, and Michael Carrick then led the club to a Champions League berth. Liverpool saw their season play out painfully under Premier League-winning manager Arne Slot, and he was let go at the end of the season. Tottenham survived relegation by the skin of their teeth, and Sunderland enjoyed a dream first season back in the big time.
With the sheer amount of money at clubs’ disposal and the expectations being very high, we can expect another season full of thrills and rollercoaster rides. While there will be obvious contenders for the title, other teams will hope to break the mould once again at the top just like Aston Villa did last season.
The financial strength of the established sides makes it difficult for newly promoted clubs to stay up, but the Black Cats and Leeds United showed it can be done. Defending champions Arsenal will kick off the season on 21 August against Championship winners Coventry City, led by Chelsea legend Frank Lampard. That right there is why the league fascinates fans around the world.
Curva Global attempts to predict how the 2026/27 Premier League season will unfold.
Who will win the Premier League 2026/27 title?
Last year, Mikel Arteta ended Arsenal’s 22-year wait for a league title. The success was built on years of development and tactical learning that helped the Gunners navigate the challenges at the business end of the season.
The team made the right moves in the market, strengthening their side in almost every area and adding quality in depth. The team, you could say, had two strong options in almost every position. Now, ahead of the new season, they have reinforced one of the deepest squads in the top flight.
Bruno Guimaraes has been signed from Newcastle United and will take some workload off Declan Rice. Christos Tzolis provides an excellent attacking option after Leandro Trossard left for Besiktas. The team has a plethora of attacking options; it won’t be a surprise that they will once again score plenty of goals, but last season’s title win was based on a mean defence that conceded just 27 goals.
William Saliba’s back injury remains a concern, and his long-term absence hampers their chances of retaining the Premier League crown. Arteta is already looking at other options, with Aston Villa’s Ezri Konsa a target. Still, given the cover they have and the fact that they have now crossed the line once, Arsenal will take some stopping. This belief is also reinforced by the changes their biggest rivals have undergone.
Manchester City bid goodbye to Pep Guardiola at the end of last season, and it was only a matter of time before Enzo Maresca was appointed in his place. Having worked under the Spaniard, Maresca offers City consistency when it comes to the team’s playing style and ideals. His brief managerial CV is also impressive, having led Leicester City to the Championship title and won the Conference League and FIFA Club World Cup with Chelsea.
Yet, he steps into a job unlike any other. He will be replacing the most successful coach in Manchester City’s history, and this might be the biggest transition in the Premier League since David Moyes walked into Old Trafford after Sir Alex Ferguson stepped down. Maresca isn’t oblivious to the challenge, but that doesn’t downsize the task.
Unlike many previous seasons, City haven’t brought in many players, though that could still change. Elliot Anderson’s big-money arrival from Nottingham Forest remains their marquee signing, and there is a chance that they may lose Rodri to Barcelona. Despite finishing second last season, City were far from convincing, and Maresca will have to restore belief that post-Guardiola life won’t be any different from what usually was the case under the legendary coach.
Liverpool won the Premier League two seasons ago, but they appear to be far from the team that steamrolled their way to success in 2025. The man who brought them the 20th league title, Arne Slot, was sacked after finishing 5th last season, and club legend Mohamed Salah departed as well. The Anfield club has turned to Andoni Iraola, who took Bournemouth to an astonishing sixth place last time out, only three points behind his new club.
Iraola’s playing style will excite Liverpool fans, who at times went to sleep watching their side play last season. The team was too pedestrian and lacked any adventure. The issue for Iraola is whether he has the legs in the team to impose themselves on the pitch. A title challenge may be far off for them, but an entertaining brand of football might keep things interesting.
Chelsea under Xabi Alonso could be the rank outsiders for a run at the top of the table. Alonso’s approach saw him win the Bundesliga with Bayer Leverkusen and led to a move to Real Madrid. Though things didn’t turn out well for him at Santiago Bernabéu, the Blues didn’t hesitate in securing his services for the new season.
Alonso has a much more balanced and rounded squad than what his predecessors worked with, and with no European commitments, Chelsea could be dangerous if taken lightly.
Michael Carrick did a commendable job of getting Manchester United to third and securing Champions League football. The former United midfielder went back to the basics, and his attacking approach was rewarded richly. But now the scrutiny begins. A club of this size will always expect to challenge for the title, regardless of form and recent history.
United possess a settled first XI, bolstered by the additions of Youri Tielemans and Andrey Santos. But questions remain over squad depth with European football to contend with. Still, Carrick will back himself to sustain success and take the Red Devils to the top again. With changes elsewhere, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see United make a run for the title.
Premier League title: Arsenal
Runner-ups: Chelsea
Race for Europe
A record nine teams from England will play in Europe this season. This was after a highly successful campaign in continental competitions for Premier League sides. Arsenal reached the Champions League final, and Aston Villa won the Europa League. Crystal Palace also won their first European trophy by winning the Conference League.
This season, the top four will again qualify for the Champions League, while fifth spot gives Europa League qualification. If the FA Cup winners have already qualified for a European competition, 6th place will also see Europa League qualification.
Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester City could be expected to be in the top four, but given the highly competitive nature of the league, it is far from straightforward. Manchester United, Liverpool and Aston Villa won’t be pushovers. Unai Emery has proven that he can juggle continental football with domestic commitments with minimum fuss, and Villa are slowly establishing themselves as part of the big clubs’ group.
It will be interesting to see how Bournemouth, with a new manager in charge, cope with Europa League demands, and the same can be said for Crystal Palace, who have replaced Oliver Glasner with Pierre Sage. Brighton will also play in the Conference League, and while Fabian Hürzeler will once again get the best out of his side, getting back to Europe will be a challenge.
Instead, I think Tottenham Hotspur under Roberto De Zerbi will compete at the top end of the league. De Zerbi guided Tottenham to safety on the final day after another season where the club flirted with relegation. Thomas Frank’s poor start and Igor Tudor’s chaotic reign had many Spurs fans fearing the worst.
Now, after securing survival, De Zerbi and the club are keen to look ahead and ensure there is no repeat of the struggles. The north London club has done some massive business in the summer, signing midfielders Mateus Fernandes and Sandro Tonali on big-money deals from West Ham United and Newcastle respectively.
In defence, the additions of Jan Paul van Hecke and Andrew Robertson will offer depth to the team. With no European distraction and two 17th-place finishes in consecutive seasons, De Zerbi will feel he has a free run to implement his ideas and encourage his players to be brave. They will make life tough for many teams, especially at home, and I think Spurs will be back in Europe by the end of the season.
Newcastle is another side to keep an eye on. Yes, the departure of Eddie Howe and Tonali, along with Guimaraes, hurts their prospects, but it gives them a fresh start. New manager Matthias Jaissle can be considered quite the opposite to the calm and collected presence of Howe on the touchline and will bring in a fiery attitude that may sit well with the Geordie faithful.
He has had success at Red Bull Salzburg, winning the Austrian Bundesliga twice and recently managed Saudi Pro League club Al-Ahli to two AFC Champions League titles in a row. This isn’t a random name; the German is a proven winner. In the transfer window, the North-East club have been careful. They have added midfielder Aladji Bamba from Monaco, and winger Bazoumana Touré could prove to be an underrated coup.
The spending hasn’t been lavish as before, but Jaissle will back himself to move Newcastle above last season’s 12th-place finish. If he hits the ground running in the season opener against Liverpool, St. James’ Park will be a tough place to visit this season.
European places:
Champions League: Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester United, Manchester City
Europa League: Tottenham Hotspurs, (possible sixth place Europa League spot: Liverpool)
Possible Conference League place: Newcastle United
Surprise package of the season
Last season, it was newly promoted Sunderland who took the Premier League by surprise. The Black Cats, possessing a youthful side with experience in the right areas, finished seventh on the final day of the season to earn a Europa League berth.
With European football to navigate, I think it’s fair to say Sunderland will find it slightly difficult to repeat last season’s heroics. This time around, clubs like Newcastle and Tottenham, who largely underperformed, could turn heads. But I’m backing Nottingham Forest to outperform a lot of teams.
The 2025/26 campaign was a turbulent one for Forest and their fans. The club changed their manager three times before finally securing their survival under Vitor Pereira. The Portuguese was also relieved of his role at the end of the season. It is this chaos that has defined the reign of Greek owner Evangelos Marinakis.
But the results, and the fact that the team has established themselves as a Premier League unit, suggest there is a method to his madness. The club has made another shrewd move and appointed Oliver Glasner as the manager for the upcoming season. Glasner stepped down from his role at Crystal Palace after a successful tenure that saw him collect three trophies with the South London club.
As such, his arrival could be considered a massive boost to the team that finished 16th last season. The Austrian turned Palace from a team fighting to stay in the league into a club that won more titles than many big teams in the span of two years, with success in England and Europe. He fits what Marinakis wants in a coach: ambition and the ability to back it up.
He also has a more than decent squad at his disposal, one that reached the Europa League semi-finals last season. Apart from losing Elliot Anderson to Manchester City, the Reds have kept hold of their best players, something that bodes well for them. Forest won’t have European football to contend with this season and with nine clubs facing travelling around the continent for games, the table could open up nicely for the East Midlands club.
The only concern for City Ground faithful is that their club hasn’t gone gung-ho in the transfer market. European commitments or not, the English domestic season can still be gruelling, and you will need quality and cover to succeed. So far, the only notable addition has been the signing of Ivory Coast defender Ousmane Diomande from Sporting. At 22, he is already seen as a big game player and will bring flair and confidence to the Forest backline.
But let’s also remember that Glasner’s fallout at Palace, despite the success, was due to the lack of investment in the squad and failure to replace high-profile departures. There may not be that friction at Forest, at least not yet. Glasner knows he will have to prove himself all over again before he can demand what he needs.
His tactical acumen and the European coaching pedigree mean Nottingham Forest will be more than up for the challenge with the players they already have. Glasner knows his way around the Premier League and will bring the big club feel back to this historic institution. I’m not ruling out him securing European football for the team, but a top half finish is a more realistic expectation.
Don’t be surprised if Nottingham Forest are giving the top teams more than a run for their money at the start of the season.
Relegation
Premier League has become a tough place to survive for newly promoted clubs recently. The financial chasm between a well-established top-flight side and a team from the EFL Championship keeps widening. Last year, Sunderland and Leeds United did well to buck the trend, with only Burnley getting relegated after coming up from the second division.
But for two consecutive seasons before it, all three clubs that came up went straight back to the second tier. This season, it will be another tough ask for the new clubs.
Coventry City are back in the big time after a period of 25 years. The club spent years and years in the wilderness in the lower divisions and away from their home ground. Led by Chelsea legend Frank Lampard, the Sky Blues won the Championship title in impressive fashion last season, finishing top with 95 points and scoring 97 goals.
The promotion has bolstered Lampard’s managerial reputation, which took a hit after turbulent spells in charge of Everton and the Blues. Coventry have made some useful additions to prepare for life in the Premier League, and Lampard has addressed his coaching shortcomings when it comes to being solid at the back, with his team having the most meagre defence in the Championship.
But the top-tier is different gravy. Still, I think they will be exciting to watch; whether it will be good enough to stay up, that’s another story.
Ipswich Town are also back in the top division after a year’s absence, and this time around, they are not messing around when it comes to summer signings. They have added midfielders Sasa Lukic and Florentino to go along with the signing of centre-back Issa Diop. The Tractor Boys have also made exciting additions up front.
Brazilian striker Emersonn arrives from Toulouse, and winger Abdul Fatawu has been brought in from Leicester City. Forward Daizen Maeda is a big coup from Celtic and could prove to be a masterstroke. The big change, though, is the departure of Kieran McKenna, who decided to take a break from the game after leading the club to promotion.
McKenna had become synonymous with the team’s success over the last few years, leading them to successive promotions from League One to the Premier League. Former Wolves manager Gary O’Neil has been appointed in his place. O’Neil did a good job of keeping Bournemouth in the league in his first managerial role but was let go at the end of the season. At Wolves, he had a successful first season but was sacked in December 2024, with the club in 19th place.
He took up the coaching role at Ligue 1 side Strasbourg in January this year, before Ipswich came calling in the summer. O’Neil has a decent record as a manager and will forge a close-knit unit mentality at Portman Road. Still, given the quality across the league, they face an uphill battle to stay up.
Hull City surprised everyone by clinching promotion through the playoffs, having only secured their spot in the four-team shootout on the final day of the season. Following the playoff win, manager Sergej Jakirović joked that he failed to achieve his task to keep Hull in the Championship, having taken them up to the Premier League.
The club have done some smart business in the transfer window and is still trying to add to their ranks. Under the Bosnian Jakirović, the Tigers will fight hard, and some of their football won’t be pretty. Last season, they averaged the most tackles per game in the Championship and the physicality could hold them in good stead in the Premier League.
Still, questions over the defence and overall quality remain. If getting promoted to the Premier League was considered a miracle, they would need something more than that to stay there.
Apart from these teams, Sunderland could find themselves in a precarious position. Second-season syndrome could catch up with them. Last season, despite an expected goals (xG) of lower than relegated Burnley and Wolves, the Black Cats defied the odds. Not only did they stay up, but also secured European football on the final day.
But the added workload of Europe in this campaign and the fact that other sides will be more wary of them will pose a challenge. I’m not pinning them as a relegation candidate just yet, but it will be a testing season for Regis Le Bris’ side.
Other than this, teams like Fulham and Crystal Palace, with new managers in place, are also heading into the unknown. A bad start for either team can quickly spiral into a season-long battle.
Relegation: Coventry City, Ipswich Town, Hull City
