Premier League 2026/27 predictions
As a new Premier League season nears, it’s predictions time once again!
In my opinion, this season looks to be more open than ever, with a few exceptions, and therefore could be quite tricky to predict (yes, the excuses are coming out early). I will give it my best shot though, and come May we could be in for both laughing and crying.
1. Arsenal
While there might be a lot of uncertainty concerning the likes of Liverpool, Manchester City and Chelsea, Arsenal looks to be as settled as they can be. Finally winning the league last season after three consecutive 2nd place finishes will also lift a weight off of all of their shoulders. The only thing that could potentially hinder their title defence is if they shift all their focus towards the Champions League, which they narrowly missed out on last season. Then again, the depth of Arsenal’s squad should be more than good enough to compete on multiple fronts. They have also strengthened their squad with Bruno Guimaraes and Ezri Konsa, while Christos Tzolis could likely fill the hole that Leandro Trossard left. I see them winning the league again, likely with a bigger margin than last season.
2. Liverpool
I have Liverpool second, but I don’t think they will be particurlarly close to Arsenal. Honestly I think second to fifth could be put in basically any order, as the margins are so small. I do worry about Liverpool’s squad in some positions, but I also think the quality of the players are so much better than what we saw last season, and Andoni Iraola should be someone who manages to platform those players better. If Wirtz and Isak can get back to the level they have shown previously, and some much needed pace is added on the wings, I think Liverpool’s ceiling are really, really high. The question is whether we see the floor or the ceiling more often.
3. Mancester City
It’s always tough to know how a team will look after a long serving managers leaves. Pep Guardiola has basically been Manchester City for the past decade, and while Enzo Maresca was briefly a part of the Manchester City system while coaching the youth team, it’s a different beast taking over from the main man. The acquisition of Elliot Anderson is a much needed midfield upgrade, but Rodri leaving is a massive loss for the Citizens. The former Ballon d’Or winner was the glue of that team, and we’ve seen before how vulnerable City can be without him. Can Anderson take up the mantle? We’ll have to wait and see.
4. Chelsea
It obviously might not work out based on Chelsea’s manager history, but I am very high on Xabi Alonso. I also see a lot of their players fitting Alonso’s system, and the adaptation period won’t necessarily be too long. But most importantly, they don’t have European football. And while a season without Europe is never a good thing for a club like Chelsea, it should definitely benefit them in the league. Morgan Rogers is a very good signing for them, and should take some of the workload off Cole Palmer, who didn’t have a good last season. It’s a bit of a gamble having them this high, but it wouldn’t surprise me if Chelsea take a huge leap from what they did last year.
5. Manchester United
Manchester United were the best performing team in the Premier League last season post hiring Michael Carrick, at least based on points gained. The thing is, Manchester United have never played less games during a season than what they did last year, 40. They went out at the earliest possible chance in both cups and didn’t have Europe to contend with. This season the workload will be much larger, and it’s hard to say how much that will affect the squad. There’s a lot of talented players, especially in attack, but the defence leaves a lot to be desired in my opinion. The most important thing Carrick can do is continue to get the absolute most out of his team, which I feel was the biggest change from Amorim. Amorim was to fixated on the system, while Carrick was very good at platforming his best players to great effect. The question is, can he do it over 60 games rather than the 17 he managed last season?
6. Tottenham Hotspur
Is it a bit boring to put the so called “big 6” in the top six positions? Perhaps. But I like the look of Tottenham’s squad, including this summers acquisitions, and the work De Zerbi did since he took over. Losing a leader like Romero isn’t ideal for them, but they also gained some leadership in Andy Robertson. He might not be the player he once was, but his experience and leadership is invaluable in the situation Spurs are in. The fullback on the opposite side coming back brimming with confidence with a World Cup winners medal around his neck also adds to this. They may have paid some steep fees for Tonali, Fernandes and van Hecke, but they kinda needed to in order to beat out clubs who probably were more desirable. If Spurs were to get back into the top 6, I’d say that’s a big step in the right direction.
7. Brighton
Brighton have also lost some experience in James Milner, Solly March, Adam Webster and last season’s top scorer Danny Welbeck. They have however added the likes of Luka Vuskovic, who had a stellar last season at Hamburg and Pascal Struijk from Leeds to strenghten the backline. Promise David on loan is an exciting loan signing, but will have a tough job replacing Welbeck’s output from last season. That being said, their squad is still very good, and their younger players have now gotten one year older and gained experience on the big stage - some of them even had good World Cup campaigns. It looks like Carlos Baleba might join Manchester United, and while nothing has been confirmed yet, it might not be the end of the world, as Brighton managed just fine last season when Baleba had a quite poor campaign. European football might slow them down a bit, but their squad should be good enough to compete in Europe’s third rate competition alongside the league.
8. Aston Villa
I think it could be a step back for Villa this season. They will play in the Champions League again, which can be hard to balance, though they have managed Europe just fine up until now. The bigger issue is the outgoings for me. Morgan Rogers, Youri Tielemans and Ezri Konsa who’ve all been crucial players for Villa the past few seasons are heading out the door. Goalkeeper Zion Suzuki signing from Parma also puts Emi Martinez’ future into question. And while I like the signings of Johan Manzambi and Joao Gomes (Alejandro Garnacho less so), it is a tall order to replace the impact of the departing trio. I don’t see it being a catastrophic season for Villa, but a regression from last seasons fourth place.
9. Bournemouth
Unlike last season, Bournemouth look likely to keep hold of their key players this summer! Alex Scott and Rayan have been linked away to several different clubs, but it seems like both will stay put for now. Antonio Silva could be one of the bargains of the summer, and Alvaro Rodriguez will add to their already good attacking options. Again, European football will be a change of pace for a club like Bournemouth, but in general Premier League clubs seems to be comfortable juggling Europa League and Conference League with the Premier League. Due to the massive cash cow that is the Premier League, those clubs simply have more resources than clubs from other leagues, and this obviously applies to Bournemouth as well.
10. Newcastle United
There seems to be a lot of people who think Newcastle could be pulled into a relegation battle. And while Sandro Tonali, Bruno Guimaraes and Anthony Gordon are huge losses for them, I think the prospect of them having no Europe is enough to keep them out of the danger zone. Their signings are a bit of a risk, but can have huge upside if they work out. Bazoumana Toure is an especially interesting one, as he has all the raw materials to be an excellent Gordon replacement. Newcastle will hope to get more out of Yoanne Wissa, while Woltemade needs to rediscover the form he found at the start of his Newcastle career. If everything clicks, I think Newcastle will be absolutely fine - well, by the pessimists’ expectations at least.
11. Crystal Palace
Stability is the main thing Palace have going for them this upcoming season. New manager Pierre Sage’s tactics isn’t a million miles away from how they played under Oliver Glasner, and there haven’t been any major changes to the squad. Maxence Lacroix is obviously a big loss, but Palace have quite a few centre backs who should be ready to step up and take more responsibility. No one thought they would keep Adam Wharton despite strong links to both Liverpool and the Manchester clubs, but it sounds like Palace have no intentions of selling during the last couple of weeks of the window. Mid-table and a decent European run would be a stellar season for Palace.
12. Brentford
Brentford performed above everybody’s expectations last season, but narrowly missed out on Europe. Their squad is mostly intact, while adding quality in Mamadou Sangaré and Jaidon Anthony, youth in Jannik Schuster and experience in Callum Wilson. I just think they will finish a couple of places lower due to how much of an overperformance last season was, while some of the teams that finished below them will have a much stronger season. Brentford themselves won’t necessarily regress as much as my placement suggests.
13. Everton
One could absolutely argue that Everton should be higher than last season’s 13th place based on the business they’ve done this summer. Brennan Johnson from Crystal Palace should be an upgrade on Dwight McNeil who went the opposite way. Merlin Röhl on a permanent basis is smart business while Tyrique George and Hayden Hackney should strenghten the squad. Who knows, maybe they’ll even grab a trophy to end the drought.
14. Leeds United
Somone else who will keep their spot from last season is Leeds United. Pascal Struijk is the only sale of note as of now, while their incomings looks quite interesting. James Trafford should be a big upgrade on both Lucas Perri and the departing Illan Meslier, both in terms of ball playing, but more importantly the safety between the sticks. Harry Wilson on a free is a clever pickup, while Nico Elvedi and Tarik Muharemovic will try to fill the hole left by Struijk. I can see Leeds being a very fun watch, but not necessarily consistent enough to climb too far up the table.
15. Nottingham Forest
By Nottingham Forest standards, this has been a fairly quiet window. Elliott Anderson out for a record fee, while Taiwo Awoniyi has left for Coventry. Xaver Schlager from RB Leipzig will have the lofty task of replacing Anderson, while Ousmane Diomande is a fantastic addition to Forest’s already good defence. Keeping hold of talisman Morgan Gibbs-White for yet another summer is a huge success, and if he can continue his form from the second half of last season, this prediction might look silly come May.
16. Sunderland
I know, I know, it’s a massive drop off. But Sunderland were never supposed to qualify for Europe last season. It’s hard to know if that is their actual level, or if they will regress to the mean or even slightly below that with the extra European fixtures. Selling Mayenda and Geertruida going back to Leipzig after finishing his loan leaves them without two players who were useful squad players for them last season, without really adding much. Thomas Meunier as of now is the only incoming for Sunderland, and he mainly adds experience at this stage of his career. I am quite worried for Sunderland, but I still think their squad is too good to go down. Will they play like it? That’s another question entirely.
17. Fulham
This is another one that could look really silly once the season is over, because it would be a huge drop off from last season’s 11th place finish. I am a huge fan of the Shea Charles signing, and while the fee for Gonzalo Garcia is a bit steep, that’s basically what the market has turned into. And Fulham were in need of a striker after Raul Jimenez went back to Wolves. I expect a good season from Oscar Bobb, and Alex Iwobi is a very reliable Premier League player. Reliable Premier League players are essentially what a lot of Fulham’s squad consists of. And that’s not a bad thing at all, but I’m just not sure if that takes them where they want to go.
18. Coventry City
Coventry had a brilliant season in the Championship under Frank Lampard, winning the title by 11 points. It’s always tough predicting how promoted sides will do in the Premier League, but I have a feeling it will be difficult for all three. Coventry were by far the highest scorers in the division, but they also shipped a lot of goals for a team that dominant. I don’t think that’s a good sign, as we’ve seen countless examples of promoted teams attempting to play fluid, attacking football, only to get found out and going straight back down. I fear that might be Coventry’s achilles heel as well.
19. Ipswich Town
That’s two out of three promoted clubs, and spoiler alert, we have one more coming later. I could easily see Ipswich suffering the same fate as Coventry, for mostly the same reasons. I also just don’t think their squads are strong enough. Say what you will about the so-called “bad” teams in the Premier League, but they all have a few players who have been there and done it before. I just don’t think Ipswich, or any of the other promoted clubs for that matter, have enough of those characters to climb above the drop. Inevitably, I will be wrong about at least one of the three promoted clubs, as someone always seems to exceed expectations. I just feel like this is the most logical prediction, but that certainly doesn’t mean it will be the correct one.
20. Hull City
It would be a really fun story if Hull were to do well in the Premier League after the underlying numbers essentially pointed towards them being a Championship side fighting for relegation last season, but I just can’t see that happening. Their squad is small and quite bleak, and I won’t pretend I know too much about every one of their signings. I remember Lucas Gourna-Douath being an interesting prospect a few years ago, and I’m also very intrigued to see if Jens Hjertø-Dahl can make the step up from a top club in the Eliteserien to a relegation battling club in the Premier League. It’s likely going to be a very tough season for Hull, and I know I’m not the only one who has them finishing 20th. I am a huge fan of the mentality of their manager Sergej Jakirovic though, I will say that.