Who will win the biggest honours and who will be relegated come May? Which players will star and which players will flop? football.london’s writers have their say on the 2026/27 Premier League season!
A big season awaits for Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham
The 2026/27 Premier League season will finally get underway on Friday night with champions Arsenal welcoming Coventry City to Emirates Stadium.
Frank Lampard's side have not been in the top flight since the 2000/01 season and will be joined in the division by fellow newcomers Ipswich Town and Hull City.
All eyes will be on whether Mikel Arteta can repeat his heroics from last season but, with nine clubs now with new managers, it will be no easy task. Enzo Maresca and Manchester City, Xabi Alonso and Chelsea, and Andoni Iraola's Liverpool will all want to knock the Gunners off their perch. Tottenham have also spent big this summer and should have more of an impact at the top end of the table under Roberto De Zerbi.
So how will the 2026/27 campaign end? Who will win the biggest honours and who will be relegated come May?
We asked our football.london writers to predict the future…
FOLLOW OUR ARSENAL FB PAGE! Latest Gunners news, analysis and much more via our dedicated Facebook page
Sam Truelove
Champions: Arsenal
Top four: Arsenal, Man City, Liverpool, Chelsea
Relegated: Hull, Ipswich, Sunderland
Golden Boot winner: Erling Haaland
Playmaker award: Florian Wirtz
Signing of the summer: Marco Palestra / Harry Wilson
Worst signing of the summer: Alejandro Garnacho
Unexpected star of the season: Christos Tzolis
Young star of the season: Jeremy Jacquet
First manager to be sacked: Sergej Jakirovic
Champions League winners: PSG
Europa League winners: Juventus
Conference League winners: Brighton
FA Cup winners: Liverpool
Carabao Cup winners: Man Utd
I've said all this because… Arsenal look strong again and the signing of Bruno Guimaraes will only help them. Other clubs are going through periods of transition and the Gunners really should be winning the Premier League again. I think Hull and Ipswich will be relegated and also have a feeling Sunderland may also struggle. I really like Marco Palestra and expect him to have a good first season at Chelsea while Harry Wilson going to Leeds for free has gone under the radar I feel. Although aged 21 I believe Jeremy Jacquet will look comfortable alongside Virgil van Dijk at Liverpool, if he can stay fit. I expect Liverpool to be stronger next season but can see the Reds winning a cup, with Andoni Iraola's passion helping make Anfield a fortress yet again.
Tom Canton
Champions: Arsenal
Top four: Arsenal, Man City, Chelsea, Spurs
Relegated: Coventry City, Ipswich Town, Hull City
Golden Boot winner: Erling Haaland
Playmaker award: Martin Odegaard
Signing of the summer: Bruno Guimaraes
Worst signing of the summer: Elliot Anderson
Unexpected star of the season: James Trafford
Young star of the season: Brian Madjo
First manager to be sacked: Matthias Jaissle
Champions League winners: Barcelona
Europa League winners: Juventus
Conference League winners: Brighton
FA Cup winners: Arsenal
Carabao Cup winners: Man City
I've said all this because… Arsenal for the double? Yes please.
I think with all the change elsewhere, managerially, player-wise, especially Rodri and Bernardo Silva and the depth that the Gunners have, as shown in the Community Shield even at this early stage, that for the first time since the 1930s they will defend the title. However, having failed to add the dream left wing upgrade, I still am not sure that the Champions League is gettable quite yet. Plus with Barcelona signing Rodri I think that could be transformative for their hopes.
The three promoted clubs this year I am not sure have enough to stay up, especially as the team that finished 17th have spent so much they surely won't be there, in fact I think they might do quite well… for my sins.
Brighton should win the Conference League, making it four Premier League teams in four years of existence. Juventus though should have plenty to win the Europa League, a big chance finally to win a European trophy.
Aston Villa's Brian Madjo, remember the name – credit Ryan Taylor for the nudge. Newcastle United could be in big trouble and if things get off to a bad start for Matthias Jaissle it could quickly fall apart. Martin Odegaard and Bruno Guimaraes are in for special seasons, fitness-provided.
Ryan Taylor
Champions: Arsenal
Top four: Arsenal, Man City, Manchester United, Liverpool
Relegated: Hull, Ipswich, Coventry City
Golden Boot winner: Erling Haaland
Playmaker award: Bruno Fernandes
Signing of the summer: Mamadou Sangare (Brentford)
Worst signing of the summer: Alejandro Garnacho (Aston Villa)
Unexpected star of the season: Jack Hinshelwood
Young star of the season: Brian Madjo
First manager to be sacked: Sergej Jakirovic
Champions League winners: PSG
Europa League winners: AC Milan
Conference League winners: Brighton
FA Cup Winners: Man City
Carabao Cup winners: Arsenal
I can’t see past Arsenal retaining the title this season, particularly on the back of the Community Shield. Erling Haaland is the obvious pick for the Golden Boot and I think the three promoted sides will struggle despite Coventry City doing some bright recruitment work.
Mamadou Sangare excelled for Lens last season, winning the Coupe de France and he seems nailed on for a Big Six move in a year or so. Jack Hinshelwood is an underrated young star that can chip in with goals and I think he’ll have another fine season for Brighton while Brian Madjo looks capable of wreaking havoc for Aston Villa. Sergej Jakirovic has done a great job at Hull but it’s part of a newly-promoted side’s cycle that they change managers when things aren’t going to play.
PSG look well equipped to compete for the Champions League again, AC Milan will be competitive under Ruben Amorim while Brighton have the depth to become the latest PL side to win the Conference League. I just fancy City to collect some silverware this season and they’re always good value in the FA Cup. Arsenal need to add more trophies to fulfil their potential as a group, their depth could enable them to reach the EFL Cup final without fielding their best XI.
Matt Maltby
Champions: Arsenal
Top four: Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester United, Tottenham
Relegated: Coventry City, Ipswich Town, Hull City
Golden Boot winner: Erling Haaland (Manchester City)
Playmaker award: Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United)
Signing of the summer: Sandro Tonali (Tottenham)
Worst signing of the summer: Elliot Anderson (Manchester City)
Unexpected star of the season: Youri Tielemans (Manchester United)
Young star of the season: Adam Wharton (Crystal Palace)
First manager to be sacked: Oliver Glasner (Nottingham Forest)
Champions League winners: Liverpool
Europa League winners: Crystal Palace
Conference League winners: Brighton
FA Cup winners: Manchester United
Carabao Cup winners: Tottenham
I've said all this because… It’s hard to bet against Arsenal this season, especially when you look at their performance in the Community Shield. Manchester City looked awful, but Erling Haaland didn’t look fit. He’ll always perform well once he gets going, but his goals won’t be enough. And who else is there to challenge? No European football for Chelsea is a big boost, but I can’t see them challenging Arsenal for the title. It will be another comfortable triumph for Mikel Arteta’s men.
Relegation seems nailed on for the promoted teams, although Crystal Palace could struggle after another summer of disappointing transfer business. Having said that, Pierre Sage will spring a huge surprise and guide them to Europa League glory. And his predecessor Oliver Glasner will regret his move to Nottingham Forest, becoming the first manager to be sacked.
In terms of the other trophies, Liverpool will land another Champions League trophy, Manchester United will claim the FA Cup and Spurs will lift the Carabao Cup. Roberto De Zerbi has overseen a remarkable transfer window and with Sandro Tonali running the show, they’ll also finish in the top four.
Bobby Vincent
Champions: Arsenal
Top four: Arsenal, Liverpool, Chelsea, Manchester City
Relegated: Coventry City, Ipswich Town, Hull City
Golden Boot winner: Joao Pedro (Chelsea)
Playmaker award: Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United)
Signing of the summer: Marco Palestra (Chelsea)
Worst signing of the summer: Alejandro Garnacho (Aston Villa)
Unexpected star of the season: Cody Gakpo (Liverpool/Tottenham)
Young star of the season: Rio Ngumoha (Liverpool)
First manager to be sacked: Alvaro Arbeloa (Fulham)
Champions League winners: Paris Saint-Germain
Europa League winners: AC Milan
Conference League winners: Atalanta
FA Cup winners: Chelsea
Carabao Cup winners: Liverpool
I've said all this because…
Right now, Arsenal look like the team to beat. It’s almost by default that I have them as champions as I do not think any side is capable of fighting them at the time of writing.
That said, with Xabi Alonso in and no European football to contend with, I see Chelsea doing well this season. Do I think they have enough to compete with Arsenal all the way? Not quite, but they have about as much chance as anyone else. As do Liverpool.
Joao Pedro shone for Chelsea in his debut season and I see him doing similar this time. The obvious choice for the Golden Boot is Erling Haaland but I wanted to mix it up a bit.
I could be wrong, of course, but I don’t see Alvaro Arbeloa lasting very long at Fulham. The job Marco Silva did at Craven Cottage was exceptional and a tad underappreciated. I am very intrigued to see what Fulham look like post-Silva.
Jake Stokes
Champions: Arsenal.
Top four: Arsenal, Manchester City, Liverpool, Chelsea.
Relegated: Hull City, Ipswich Town, Coventry City.
Golden Boot winner: Erling Haaland.
Playmaker award: Cole Palmer.
Signing of the summer: Marco Palestra.
Worst signing of the summer: Elliot Anderson.
Unexpected star of the season: Kevin Schade.
Young star of the season: Rayan.
First manager to be sacked: Sergej Jakirovic.
Champions League winners: Paris Saint-Germain.
Europa League winners: Bournemouth.
Conference League winners: Brighton.
FA Cup winners: Chelsea.
Carabao Cup winners: Tottenham Hotspur.
I've said all this because…
Arsenal are by far the favourites to win the Premier League in my book. Even if the Gunners weren’t to make any more signings, they’d still be better positioned to mount a title bid than any other team in the English top-flight – they could stand still and remain champions.
If Mikel Arteta wants to get his hands on the Champions League though, Andrea Berta needs to sign a world-class left-sided forward just to take them to the next level. Arsenal could very well win the FA Cup and Carabao Cup, too, but I reckon Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur sweep up in that department as they’ll have no other silverware to genuinely compete for.
Cole Palmer, who’s had a full summer of rest for the first time in two years, could be close to his best again this season. With fewer fixtures in the calendar, Xabi Alonso can carefully manage the midfielder’s minutes and keep him fresh for the entirety of the campaign.
Joao Pedro could score a hatful of goals this term, but Erling Haaland is just a different breed of striker. Kevin Schade will be the next big success story at Brentford, Elliot Anderson will get swallowed up by Rodri’s shadow, Rayan will take Bournemouth to new heights, and each of the three promoted teams will go down having been unable to compete financially with the established Premier League clubs.
Alasdair Gold
Champions: Chelsea
Top four: Chelsea, Arsenal, Man City, Spurs
Relegated: Hull, Ipswich, Coventry
Golden Boot winner: Erling Haaland
Playmaker award: Rayan Cherki
Signing of the summer: Mateus Fernandes
Worst signing of the summer: Alejandro Garnacho
Unexpected star of the season: Mohammed Kudus
Young star of the season: Rio Ngumoha
First manager to be sacked: Pierre Sage
Champions League winners: Bayern Munich
Europa League winners: Juventus
Conference League winners: Brighton
FA Cup winners: Tottenham
Carabao Cup winners: Chelsea
I've said all this because…
The Premier League is difficult enough at the best of times but if you’re juggling European football it’s a tough ask unless you’ve got the strongest, injury-free squad. Therefore it’s no coincidence that a regular theme over the years has been big clubs having stinkers of seasons and then the next year flying up the table without the extra fixtures that continental football brings.
With nine clubs in Europe this season, I think we’ll see both Chelsea and Tottenham have far better campaigns. They’ve spent big money and have improved their squads. No team will want to face them after they’ve had a full fresh week to prepare.
I think the gap between the Premier League spending and the Championship will make it difficult for the new boys to stay up and while I don’t think Manchester City will win the Premier League under Enzo Maresca this season, there will be a lot of pressure on Haaland to score and Cherki to create in his system and they will.
Spurs have got themselves a star in the making in Mateus Fernandes this summer and I think people have forgotten about Mohammed Kudus somewhat since his injury. De Zerbi will make the £55million Ghanaian the main man and he’s going to dazzle in the Italian’s system.
There are a few Premier League managers who could be in danger if early results don’t go their way, but I just feel like Pierre Sage has some tough shoes to step into with Oliver Glasner’s exit, although the Austrian’s own job at Forest is likely to be as vulnerable as his predecessors’.
