Just like that, the Premier League is back. With the 2026-27 campaign kicking off Friday, theScore’s Michael J. Chandler, Jamie Johnstone, Caio Miari, and Gianluca Nesci make their predictions for the top flight of English soccer this season.
Title winners
Picking against the reigning champions certainly seems unwise. Arsenal finally got over the line last season, holding off Manchester City to claim their first Premier League title in 22 agonizing years. All they’ve done since then is return what is by far the league’s most resolute backline, sign an elite central midfielder in Bruno Guimaraes, and replace Leandro Trossard (their only notable departure from the title-winning squad) with a younger, arguably more explosive option in Christos Tzolis. And Arsenal likely aren’t done adding.
Their destruction of Manchester City in the Community Shield, and Rodri’s transfer to Barcelona shortly after, make the gap between last season’s champions and runners-up seem even more insurmountable on the eve of the campaign.
Yet all of that evidence wasn’t enough to make this a clean sweep in our selections. Nesci is banking on Arsenal’s injury concerns – primarily with Declan Rice and William Saliba – to hinder the Gunners just enough to allow Erling Haaland, Antoine Semenyo, and Jeremy Doku to power what is still an absolutely loaded Man City squad back to the top of the podium in Enzo Maresca’s first season at the helm. While a transitional period at the Etihad is inevitable following Pep Guardiola’s departure, the sheer depth of talent (and likely more to come) means the distance between the two clubs might not be as wide as some think.
Champions League places
We predict the Premier League will again earn an additional Champions League spot through strong performances in Europe this season. As a result, the fifth-place finisher will qualify for the competition.
Chelsea, free of any European commitments after last season’s dreadful 10th-place finish, have made some excellent summer signings, adding more defensive resilience (Maxence Lacroix) and much-needed veteran leadership and professionalism (Jordan Henderson, Danny Welbeck) to what was a very talented but undisciplined side. We’re all excited to see what Xabi Alonso can muster in his first season at Stamford Bridge.
Both Liverpool and Manchester United still face glaring squad questions – not to mention the intrigue around Andoni Iraola’s arrival at Anfield and Michael Carrick’s first full season at Old Trafford. Still, there’s a gap between the proverbial powers and the clubs trying to gate-crash the upper echelons. Aston Villa did that last season, and Bournemouth led an exciting pack of clubs that came close, but their added responsibilities in Europe this term will likely impact their domestic performances.
Relegated clubs
Only one of our editors is predicting someone other than the three newly promoted teams to go down this season, with Miari unconvinced that Daniel Farke can engineer another impressive campaign at Elland Road. Leeds’ reliance on injury-prone striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin, their leading scorer last season, is certainly a fair concern, even if the club has seemingly done some solid business during the summer transfer window.
Last season was something of an aberration, as multiple promoted sides either thrived (Sunderland) or comfortably avoided the drop (Leeds). Expect a return to more normal service this year, with the new trio – Hull City, Coventry City, and Ipswich Town – struggling to avoid going right back down to the Championship.
Full predicted table
In our predicted table, the top five qualify for the Champions League, while sixth place yields a Europa League berth. The domestic cups will determine the Premier League’s other European places.
PFA Player of the Year
It’s exceedingly rare for a defensive-minded player to take home this award – Virgil van Dijk and John Terry are the only defenders to win the PFA Player of the Year since 2000. And many of the midfielders who’ve been honored in that span were recognized more for their attacking exploits (N’Golo Kante being the obvious exception). So it’s no surprise that we’ve all gone with players who either put the ball in the net, help their teammates score, or do both.
Of course, the eventual winner has a good chance of coming from one of the league’s top finishers. With Declan Rice needing more time to recover after a grueling last 12 months, Saka should step back in and reaffirm himself as Arsenal’s primary superstar, especially if the Gunners play with a little more attacking freedom as we expect. Haaland’s scoring exploits alone mean he’ll always be in this conversation, while Foden, only two years removed from winning this award, will be hungry to bounce back and become the creative fulcrum of Enzo Maresca’s team.
Golden Boot winner
No need to overthink this one. We all took the insatiable Norwegian machine who’s led the Premier League in scoring in three of the last four seasons. We’ve already outlined some of the big changes that will likely create an adjustment period at Manchester City this season, but one thing remains the same: Haaland is the best pure scorer in the league. Let’s move on.
Best signing
Our selections run the gamut from shrewd operations that will deliver enormous value to big-money moves set to be smash hits. Wilson, the silky Welsh playmaker, joined Leeds on a free transfer from Fulham. Anderson and Guimaraes, two high-priced maestros who are among the most well-rounded midfielders in the world, will play vital roles for leading title contenders this season. Sangare, acquired for €45 million after a sensational season with Lens in France, could prove to be the smartest signing if he continues his ascent at Brentford.
Plenty of wheeling and dealing is still to come in the final weeks of the summer transfer window – expect Premier League clubs to continue splashing cash as they fill holes and react to last-minute injuries. For the moment, these moves jump off the page for their own unique reasons.
Worst signing
Neither Tonali nor Rogers is a “bad” player. Far from it, in fact. The Italian is an industrious, heart-on-his-sleeve midfielder who, at his best, can cover the entire pitch and become a fan favorite. Rogers, meanwhile, is an England international with 34 Premier League goal contributions over the last two seasons, and he just turned 24.
The issue with both transfers is simply value for money. Rogers’ €137-million move from Aston Villa to Chelsea made him the most expensive British player in history, while Tonali’s €108-million fee represents a staggering premium to pay when you consider what some other arguably better midfielders went for this summer. Both Tottenham and Chelsea could’ve found greater value elsewhere, and the two players will now have to deal with the pressure that comes with those huge price tags at their London-based clubs.
Breakout star
England’s top flight is loaded with exciting young talent ready to blossom on the big stage. Manzambi, who truly announced himself at this summer’s World Cup, will be handed the keys to Aston Villa’s midfield. Teenage wide forwards Ngumoha and Estevao can electrify fans whenever they touch the ball. Vuskovic, replacing Jan Paul van Hecke at Brighton, is on course to be one of the world’s best center-backs.
Though this category has plenty of competition – Trey Nyoni (Liverpool), Ryan McAidoo (Manchester City), and Brian Madjo (Aston Villa) are all teenagers who’ll make their mark this season – the quartet above will be household names by the end of the campaign.
First manager sacked
Former Crystal Palace tactician Glasner has proven to be an excellent manager capable of lifting teams to new heights, but it’s his new environment – and boss – that concerns us. Evangelos Marinakis is one of the sport’s most volatile owners, and he cycled through four different managers last season. That alone puts Glasner in trouble despite his pedigree.
Meanwhile, promoted clubs are always a wise pick for in-season managerial changes, as they’re usually desperately trying to keep up with the rigors and quality of the Premier League. Lampard (Coventry City) and Jakirovic (Hull City) could be in trouble if their teams get off to slow starts. The latter, in particular, has a brutal run of fixtures to begin the new campaign.
Most excited about …
Chandler: Watching Arsenal play without the weight of expectations. Three consecutive second-place finishes clearly shaped the Gunners’ performances last year. Now, with much less pressure on Mikel Arteta’s domestic efforts, it’ll be interesting to see whether Arsenal can adopt a more free-flowing, attacking approach.
Johnstone: New managers galore. Nine Premier League clubs will begin the 2026-27 season under new leadership, the most in England’s top flight since 1946-47, per Opta Analyst. For heavyweights Manchester City, Liverpool, and Chelsea, early results will loom large as they adjust to new systems and tactics under intense scrutiny. Who adapts fastest? Who falls behind?
Miari: Xabi Alonso’s Chelsea. The Spanish boss joins the Blues after a disappointing spell at Real Madrid, but the high-intensity tactics that led him to glory at Bayer Leverkusen could make a big difference for a Chelsea side coming off a turbulent year. They made several notable signings and enter the season with exciting youngsters, including Brazilian phenom Estevao.
Nesci: New faces in new places. The Premier League’s unrivaled financial power means it continues to attract the world’s best players, with established superstars and burgeoning young talents alike flocking to England’s top flight. In that respect, Aston Villa and Newcastle, two clubs on seemingly opposite trajectories, will be fascinating to watch.
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