2026/27 Premier League predictions: The champion, the teams relegated & the best goalscorer

By Klimentijs Konevs | Published: 18 August, 2026, 09:15

The 2026/27 Premier League season begins on August 21. The opening weekend was pushed back by one week because of the 2026 FIFA World Cup that took place this summer. Arsenal start the new campaign as defending champions after beating Manchester City in a thrilling title race last season.

Coventry City, Ipswich Town and Hull City have all won promotion and are back in the Premier League. Their main goal will be to avoid an immediate return to the Championship. It has also been a busy summer, especially when it comes to club management. Those changes could have a big impact on the title race, the battle for Europe and the fight to stay up. Let's see how the 2026/27 Premier League season might unfold.

Arsenal

Arsenal finally got their hands on the Premier League title after finishing as runners-up for three consecutive seasons. It was their first league triumph since the 2003/04 campaign, and the club's patience with Mikel Arteta has finally paid off. The Gunners also enjoyed an outstanding Champions League run, going unbeaten all the way to the final before suffering a penalty shootout defeat to PSG.

The club has also been active in the transfer market. Arsenal signed winger Christos Tzolis from Club Brugge, and the Greek has already made a strong first impression. He scored on his debut in a friendly against Girona and provided an assist in the following game against Real Betis.

Arsenal were also pleased with Piero Hincapie's performances during his loan spell last season. As a result, they acquired the defender for €40 million. The club's most recent signing is also the most expensive one. Arsenal bought Bruno Guimaraes from Newcastle United for €87.5 million.

Manchester City

Last season was a bittersweet goodbye for club legend Pep Guardiola. Manchester City came very close to stealing the Premier League title from Arsenal, who had been leading the standings for most of the season. However, a few costly setbacks in the final weeks left City behind, and they finished second, seven points behind the champions.

The biggest change this summer came on the sidelines. Enzo Maresca, who previously worked under Guardiola, has replaced his former teacher as Manchester City's new manager. He has already shown during the pre-season friendlies that he is not just a copy of Pep. Maresca has brought his own ideas and some unusual tactics, but so far they seem to be working.

City's biggest signing of the summer was midfielder Elliot Anderson from Nottingham Forest. The club paid a whopping €135 million for the Englishman. He had a solid season last year and also played an important role in England's World Cup campaign. Now all eyes will be on whether he can justify that price tag in a Manchester City shirt.

Liverpool

Liverpool had a difficult campaign last season. The first half of the season was a complete disaster, and many expected Arne Slot to be sacked at any moment. However, the Reds found their form shortly before the New Year and produced a strong finish to the campaign. In the end, they managed to secure the final Champions League qualification spot.

The summer brought another major change, as Slot left the club and was replaced by Andoni Iraola from Bournemouth. Iraola has done an excellent job with smaller clubs, but this will be his first role at a true European giant. It will be interesting to see how quickly he adapts and whether he can turn Liverpool into genuine title contenders again.

The club have also strengthened their squad in the transfer market. They signed defender Jeremy Jacquet from Rennes for €63.6 million, and highly-rated youngster Víctor Munoz arrived from Osasuna for €40 million to add more attacking depth.

Manchester United

Manchester United had no European football to worry about last season, meaning the Premier League was their only real priority. Even then, Ruben Amorim struggled to deliver positive results and was sacked in January. Darren Fletcher took charge as interim manager for just eight days before Michael Carrick was appointed. Carrick had previously managed the club as a caretaker in 2021, and this time he made an immediate impact.

Under his guidance, United lost only two league games in the rest of the season and climbed to third place, securing a return to the Champions League.

The Red Devils have strengthened their midfield this summer by signing Andrey Santos from Chelsea and Youri Tielemans from Aston Villa. The club spent almost €100 million combined on these two transfers.

However, squad depth could become a major concern. With Champions League football back on the schedule, United will face a much busier season. It will be interesting to see whether Carrick can keep his squad fresh while competing for both the Premier League and Champions League.

Chelsea

Chelsea's 10th-place finish made last season one to forget. Despite winning the FIFA Club World Cup the previous summer, Enzo Maresca left the club in January. Many believed he had been sacked, but in reality, he chose to leave after learning that Pep Guardiola would step down as Manchester City manager at the end of the season.

Chelsea appointed Liam Rosenior from Strasbourg, but his spell at Stamford Bridge quickly became more of a meme than a success story. Poor results continued to pile up, and he was sacked just a month before the end of the campaign.

The best thing that could have happened to Chelsea arrived this summer, as Xabi Alonso took over as manager and immediately got to work in the transfer market. The Blues loaned Alejandro Garnacho to Aston Villa, signed defenders Marco Palestra from Atalanta and Maxence Lacroix from Crystal Palace, and added winger Geovany Quenda from Sporting.

Their biggest signing, however, was Morgan Rogers. Chelsea paid a staggering €137.3 million to bring the England midfielder from Aston Villa. The club also received another huge boost, as Mykhailo Mudryk is back after his ban was dropped. Chelsea have reshaped their squad significantly this summer, and now it's time to see whether all those changes pay off.

Tottenham Hotspur

Tottenham endured a nightmare campaign last season. Thomas Frank failed to deliver the results the club expected and was sacked in February. Igor Tudor was then appointed until the end of the season, but his spell quickly turned into a disaster. His first five Premier League matches brought four defeats and just one draw, leaving Spurs only one point above the relegation zone. Tudor left the club at the end of March.

Roberto De Zerbi was then brought in with one clear objective. He had to keep Tottenham in the Premier League. He managed to do exactly that, guiding Spurs to a 17th-place finish, just two points clear of relegation.

Despite last season's struggles, Tottenham are still considered one of the top six favourites to win the Premier League this year. The club have backed De Zerbi heavily in the transfer market, spending more than €250 million. Spurs strengthened both their defence and midfield by signing Jan Paul van Hecke from Brighton, with Luka Vuskovic moving the other way as part of the deal. They also added midfielders Mateus Fernandes from West Ham and Sandro Tonali from Newcastle, with Tonali alone costing the capital club €108 million.

Picking the relegated teams is never easy, but this season there are a few clubs that already look like they will struggle. To be fair, I expect two of the three promoted sides to go straight back down. Coventry look well-prepared for the challenge and should have enough quality to survive.

Hull City, however, are a different story. They only finished sixth in the Championship, securing the final promotion play-off spot. While getting promoted was a great achievement, they rarely looked convincing throughout the season.

Ipswich Town also make my relegation list. The club went on a spending spree this summer in an attempt to strengthen the squad, but I still don’t think the overall quality is enough for the Premier League. They also lost several important players, and there is no guarantee that all of the new signings will settle in quickly. That lack of chemistry could cost them valuable points early in the season.

The final team I expect to go down is Fulham. Losing Harry Wilson is a massive blow after he scored 11 goals and provided eight assists in 38 Premier League and FA Cup appearances last season. Marco Silva also left the club after several successful years in charge and was replaced by Alvaro Arbeloa. While the Spaniard had a great career as a player, he is still relatively inexperienced as a manager. Fulham were also fairly quiet in the transfer market, and that could leave them short of the quality needed to avoid relegation.

Erling Haaland is the obvious favourite to finish as the Premier League’s top scorer once again. The Manchester City striker finished last Premier League season with 27 goals. He then carried that form into the World Cup, scoring seven goals in just five matches for Norway.

When Haaland is fit, there are very few defenders capable of stopping him. Under Maresca, City are expected to remain one of the league's strongest attacking sides, meaning the Norwegian should receive plenty of chances. If he avoids injuries, another Golden Boot looks well within reach.

Who'll be the English champions?

Call me delusional, but I'm picking Chelsea to win the Premier League this season. So many things have gone right for the club this summer. Fans are already questioning Xabi Alonso after back-to-back defeats in pre-season friendlies. They need to remember how Maresca's pre-season looked when he joined the club.

Chelsea have made several excellent signings, brought in one of Europe's most exciting young managers, and reshaped the squad. They also won't have Champions League football to worry about, meaning their full focus can be on the Premier League title race.

Who'll be relegated from the Premier League?

Besides the more obvious picks like Hull City and Ipswich Town, Fulham are on my list to be relegated. The Cottagers lost their best player from last season, as well as long-serving manager Marco Silva, who had been in charge since 2021.

Alvaro Arbeloa is an exciting appointment, but I don't expect him to make a major impact in his first season. Combined with a quiet transfer window, I believe Fulham have a real chance of dropping into the Championship.

Who'll be the best Premier League goalscorer in 2026/27?

Haaland is my pick to finish as the Premier League's top scorer in 2026/27. He won the Golden Boot last season and backed up those performances with an incredible World Cup campaign, scoring seven goals for Norway. If he avoids injuries, I believe he is the clear favourite to win this award once again.

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