It seems like only yesterday we were watching Arsenal parading their Premier League trophy along Holloway Road. Yet the new 2026/27 Premier League Season is just days away. The slate is wiped clean and excitement is building, with the transfer window in full motion. Record fees are being exchanged between clubs and the predictions are for much more activity still in the transfer pipeline.
One question at the forefront of all football-loving British Turks is, who is best positioned to take away the Premiership title from Arsenal and knock Mitel Arteta ‘off his perch’?
Arsenal are arguably the team to beat, if any other club have aspirations of being crowned the 2026/27 Premier Champions, but which could that be? Here are my thoughts.
Arsenal have the advantage of finally shaking off that most unwanted of titles, ‘Bottlers’, experiencing the pressures of a successful run-in to becoming Champions. The squad will not just have that experience going into a new campaign, but Arteta can also use the current transfer window to add improvements that will surely make them even more formidable title holders and tougher to overhaul.
So, who are the leading challengers that could ensure Arsenal’s reign as Premier League Champions is short lived?
Manchester City are the obvious choice. They were surely wounded from seeing Arsenal finally rise to the challenge and wrestle (some would say literally) the title from Liverpool, and despite being in hot pursuit of the Gunners, City ended the season in second place, seven points adrift from the top.
Any title challenge by City will need to be done without long serving manager Pep Guardiola, who stepped down after ten years in charge. His replacement, Enzo Maresca, has been busy in the transfer market. The Sky-blues have already brought in England international Elliot Anderson (£116m) from Nottingham Forest and goalkeeper Geronomi Rulli from Marseille. Recent rumours have them linked City with Chelsea’s Enzo Fernandez.
Many will wonder whether City will be weaker without Pep or can Maresca fill in seamlessly? Sunday’s 3-0 Community Shield defeat to Arsenal suggests the former. Maresca’s task is all the harder for missing the spine of City, with Bernardo Silva, John Stone, Rodri, Akanji and Nathan Aké all departing this summer and yet the boast a strong squad that is still capable of competing for the title.
Liverpool, too, have a new manager (new managers are a common theme in this article) in ex AFC Bournemouth head coach Andoni Iraola. But can Iraola step up from a club with such a small stadium and lower expectations to one of the world’s footballing giants? The pressure will be on from minute 1 of the new season and Liverpool start the new campaign without long-serving a trio of first team players: Ibrahima Konate, Andy Robertson and Mo Salah. Iraola has brought in defender Jeremy Jacquet and winger Victor Munoz; will that be enough?
Chelsea are also under new management, but that’s nothing unusual for the Blues. Xavi Alonso becomes the seventh manager in six years at Stamford Bridge. Alonso has wasted no time in shaping the team to his liking, bringing in defenders Maxence Lacroix and Marco Palestra, midfielders Valentin Barco, Morgan Rogers, Harrison Bettoni and Jordan Henderson, and forwards Geovany Quenda and Danny Welbeck. All good additions to the squad, but will they all gel together and integrate enough for Chelsea to finish higher than last season’s final 10th placing, let alone be good enough to challenge Arteta?
Manchester United have had a quiet pre-season, yet are sure to have been cunning behind the scenes. Having replaced Reuben Amorim with the interim appointment of former player Michael Carrick as manager earlier this year, United went from strength to strength. Such was their form, that had the season have started in January, United would’ve been crowned Champions!
United have let experienced midfielder Casemiro leave for Inter Miami. Also departing were Rasmus Hojund, Jadon Sancho, and international goalkeepers Altay Bayindir (Turkiye) and Andre Onana (Camaroon). Coming in the other direction are Karl Darlow as back up keeper, Youri Tielemans and Andrey Santos, which suggests that United feel their squad has shown it is capable of competing and challenging Arsenal for their title. One additional challenge testing their squad this season is being in the Champions League, but that’s not an unfamiliar scenario for United to be in.
Then we have Tottenham Hotspur, still regarded as one of the ‘Big Six’ Premier League sides, despite their dire form of late, finishing in 17th position in the Premier League two seasons running. The North London club’s relegation battle went to the wire, securing their status in England’s top league on the final day of last season with a 1-0 home win against Everton. This desperate outcome has triggered the Spurs board into a frenzy of early transfer window activity, going after a host of proven premiership players.
Tottenham played last season with three managers. The final one, Roberto De Zerbi, is clearly being rewarded for keeping the club up and he is busy rebuilding the squad by bringing in player whose profiles are better suited to his style of play. Out go Djed Spence, last year’s captain Christian Romero, Joao Palhinha, Will Lankshear, Luka Vuskovic, Manor Solomon, Alfie Devine, Radu Dragasun and Alejo Veliz. There are rumours circulating that goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario, midfielder Lucas Bergvall and forward Richarlison de Andrade may also be leaving in this transfer window.
New Spurs signings are all proven professionals: Sandro Tonali, Mateus Fernandes, Jan Paul Van Hecke, Marcos Senesi, Andy Robertson and Martin Dubravka. Tottenham are still needing of a recognised goalscorer and, in my view, will struggle to make the required impact if they remain with their current forwards. No doubt there’ll be more transfer activity to come.
Many other Premier League teams will be vying for European qualification places at best and in some cases survival would equate to a good season.
You’d expect Aston Villa and Newcastle United to be leading the ‘best of the rest’. However, both have sold a number of their key players and have brought in what appears to be underwhelming replacements. And Newcastle have also lost their highly rated manager Eddie Howe, who decided to step away in the middle of pre-season.
Behind them are Brentford, Sunderland, Everton, Fulham, Leeds United and Nottingham Forest. They have all sold and bought well, and I see all six teams being stronger and finishing in a higher league position at the end of this campaign.
There are huge question marks over where AFC Bournemouth, Crystal Palace and Brighton will end this season. All three clubs are competing in Europe this season, which can take its toll on less experienced teams. Brighton and Palace should be ok, but Bournemouth are entering into the unknown and, having lost a couple of key players this transfer window and under new management, could suffer.
When I look at the newly promoted clubs, Coventry City, Ipswich Town and Hull City, it’s difficult not to fear the worse for them. They have left a very competitive Championship, but surviving The Premiership is a whole other challenge. Not surprisingly, all three clubs have had their cheque books out, spending millions of pounds to bring in new players to bolster their squads, with 6, 10 and 9 new signings respectively to Coventry City, Ipswich Town and Hull City. Can any of these three retain their place in the promised land?
My forecast is that the title will be a three-way race between Arsenal and the two Manchester clubs. I regard Arsenal as favourites and may surprise many by predicting Manchester United as their closest rivals; where City only have Haaland as their prolific striker, United can boast Mbeumo, Cunha, Sesko, Amad and Bruno Fernandez that all deliver their fair share of goals.
Arsenal have Gyokeres, Havertz, Saka with recent additions Tzoli and Guimares adding to the Gunners fire power. I see Tottenham Hotspur as the dark horses – they have the potential for a top four finish if they can recruit a proven goal scorer before the end of this transfer window.
The reigning champions will start the season as the clear favourites to retain their title, but I fancy it will be a close race and that if anyone can push Arteta off his perch this season, it will be Michael Carrick.
Main picture, top, of Arsenal Manager Mikel Arteta celebrating with the Premier League trophy after the Crystal Palace v Arsenal march at Selhurst Park, London, on 24 May 2026. Photo © Mark Pain / Alamy
