Premier League predictions 2026/27: SPORTbible journalists pick their champions, best signing, biggest flop and more

The 2026/27 Premier League season will get underway on Friday night, with defending champions Arsenal taking on newly-promoted Coventry City in the opening game.

Mikel Arteta's side will be hoping to make a positive start at the Emirates Stadium as they look to defend their top-flight title for the first time since they won three leagues in a row in the mid 1930's.

Manchester City, Liverpool and Manchester United will be expected to be Arsenal's main challengers, but the likes of Chelsea, Aston Villa and Tottenham Hotspur, who have enjoyed a productive summer, will also hope to compete.

Promoted sides Hull City, Ipswic Town and Coventry will be desperate to beat the dreaded drop back into the Championship.

Ahead of the new campaign, SPORTbible writers have made their predictions, including the Premier League champions, the Player of the Season, the best signing and the biggest flop.

Champions

Jack Kenmare - Arsenal

One thing Arsenal have over their title rivals is stability. Manchester City are in transition under Enzo Maresca, and so are Chelsea and Liverpool, who will be looking to hit the ground running under Xabi Alonso and Andoni Iraola respectively.

The arrivals of Bruno Guimaraes and Christos Tzolis will only enhance their already-stacked squad, while Ezri Konsa will add strength in depth at the back.

Back-to-back league titles incoming for Arteta's men.

Josh Lawless - Arsenal

They finally got over the line in the Premier League last season and I can’t see anyone knocking them off their perch.

Their squad is far too strong and complete and Guimaraes is a game-changer of a signing in the middle of the park.

Ryan Smart - Arsenal

It's hard to look past Mikel Arteta's side after another stellar transfer window.

Ben McCrum - Arsenal

While other teams are in transition, Arsenal have done what champions need to do and strengthened even more with some big signings.

Tom Griffin - Arsenal

I can't see past Arsenal winning successive Premier League titles.

Where some of their main rivals have new managers and have made wholesale changes to their squad, the Gunners have the rare luxury of continuity.

Not only that, but they've made some quality additions, Guimaraes being the stand-out. Unbelievable footballer.

Arsenal will retain their Premier League crown, according to our writers. Image credit: Getty

Rest of the top four

Jack Kenmare - Man City, Man Utd, Chelsea

Maresca believes he can replicate City's success under Pep Guardiola if he's given time. And I believe him. But the word 'time' is an important one here. He has the players at his disposal, but a replacement for Rodri is an absolute must.

If they can get a deal for Carlos Baleba over the line alongside a quality left-back, Manchester United will secure a third-placed finish. Chelsea will flourish under Xabi Alonso.

Josh Lawless - Chelsea, Man City, Man Utd

Like many, I think City will start slowly as they get to grips with the post-Guardiola era but will still finish in the top three and win a cup under Maresca.

The Alonso experiment at Chelsea could go either way but I fancy him to coach them to a second-placed finish and be Arsenal’s closest challenger.

Ryan Smart - Chelsea, Liverpool, Man Utd

After missing out on Europe due to not replacing Liam Rosenior last season, Chelsea’s decision to wait for Alonso - plus another summer of big spending - should pay dividends.

United and Liverpool are in safe hands under Michael Carrick and Iraola respectively, even if Liverpool need more players in before the end of the window.

Ben McCrum - Chelsea, Man City, Man Utd

Chelsea’s squad on paper is actually now pretty nuts, and with Alonso in charge I think things will finally click. City are always going to be near the top. I think United under Carrick have the stability to get the last spot in the top four.

Tom Griffin - Chelsea, Liverpool, Man Utd

I can see Chelsea being Arsenal’s closest challenger after a disappointing campaign last time out.

Alonso has a huge task on his hands but the Spaniard is one of the best tacticians on the planet and he can get his star talent firing, including Cole Palmer.

Liverpool could also have a much-improved campaign under new boss Iraola and finish in the top four, while I expect Manchester United to continue where they left off under Carrick.

Relegated teams

Jack Kenmare - Ipswich, Coventry, Hull

I'm tipping Ipswich to make an instant return to the Championship.

They are being linked with a move for Liam Delap, a year after he left for Chelsea. That would certainly boost their chances, but it still won't be enough to avoid the drop.

Frank Lampard performed wonders with Coventry and my heart tells me they can 'do a Sunderland' and defy the odds, but again, they lack the quality needed to compete against the better teams.

I reckon Hull will finish rock bottom, meaning all three promoted teams will be relegated. Sorry, guys.

Josh Lawless - Ipswich, Hull, Fulham

Two of the newly-promoted teams will go down straight away but Coventry will just about stay up under Lampard.

I fear for Fulham following the changes made at Craven Cottage and think they might just find themselves taking the final relegation spot.

I also expect Sunderland to struggle with European football.

Ryan Smart - Sunderland, Hull, Ipswich

Ipswich have spent big this summer but it's still hard to see them having the quality needed to staying up.

Likewise Hull, who look like their squad is short despite some extensive business.

The third spot is a bit of a lottery. Coventry should be fine, Newcastle surely can't slip that far down the table even after a horrendous summer, and Oliver Glasner should save Nottingham Forest.

Sunderland have Europe to contend with and, although they have a very shrewd operator in Regis Le Bris, didn't always look convincing in attack last season and relied heavily on captain Granit Xhaka.

Ben McCrum - Ipswich, Coventry, Hull

Unfortunately, I think the gap between the promoted sides and the rest is just too big and they’ll go straight back down.

I was very close to putting Crystal Palace down because I think the summer has been awful for them, but if they can hold on to Ismaila Sarr and Daniel Munoz they’ll have enough quality to stay up.

Tom Griffin - Hull, Ipswich, Sunderland

It wouldn't be a shock if all three promoted teams suffered relegation and an instant return to the Championship. But I'm backing Lampard to steer Coventry to survival. His experience of keeping teams in the Premier League could prove vital and I really like the additions of Taiwo Awoniyi and Caleb Yirenkyi.

Hull and Ipswich will give it a good go but will ultimately come up short in their quest to say in the league.

I'm tipping Sunderland to join them in the bottom three. A huge shock considering they finished seventh last season on their return, but with their small squad and Europa League football to manage, it could be a physically taxing campaign for the Black Cats.

Hull City have been tipped to go down by all of our writers. Image credit: Getty

Top scorer

Jack Kenmare - Erling Haaland

This man is inevitable. The idea of him NOT scoring more than 25 goals this season just doesn't compute. A machine.

Josh Lawless - Joao Pedro

Joao Pedro had a solid first season at Chelsea with 15 Premier League goals and with Palmer back on song, along with Morgan Rogers doing the business, I fancy him to be the man to break Haaland’s recent dominance when it comes to the Golden Boot.

Ryan Smart - Erling Haaland

City may struggle this season but you can always bank on Haaland to score the goals. Are there many other genuine contenders at the moment?

Ben McCrum - Erling Haaland

I just can’t see anyone else getting the golden boot this season. Haaland will always score loads and the key thing is that across the other teams I’ve put in the top four, none of the strikers take penalties.

Tom Griffin - Joao Pedro

Under the management of Alonso, I'm boldly tipping Pedro to end Haaland’s recent Golden Boot dominance.

The Brazilian has been in red-hot form during pre-season and with a world-class supply line of Rogers and Palmer feeding him, he could become a scoring machine at Chelsea.

Pedro did return 15 goals in his debut campaign at Stamford Bridge, and now he will have the Golden Boot in his sights.

Player of the Season

Jack Kenmare - Bruno Fernandes

Fernandes was the best player in England's top flight last season, breaking the all-time Premier League record for the most assists (21) in a single campaign. It feels like this is just the beginning.

With United adding some much-needed legs to their midfield, he will be given even more freedom to produce the goods. A recipe for success.

Josh Lawless - Martin Odegaard

The Arsenal skipper ran the show in the Community Shield and I expect him to continue in the same vein. He didn’t have the best season last time out even with Arsenal’s title win but I think he’ll be their main man this season.

Ryan Smart - Bukayo Saka

He needs to stay fully fit but Saka will be key to any Arsenal success once again.

Ben McCrum - Cole Palmer

I picked Palmer last season and I’m sticking to my guns.

After a disappointing season and missing out on the England squad, Palmer has a lot to prove. I think Chelsea signing Rogers gives him a friendly rivalry that will push him even more.

Big season ahead.

Tom Griffin - Declan Rice

It's a toss-up between Saka and Rice for Player of the Season in my eyes.

Rice would have won it last season if it wasn't for the incredible form of Fernandes, but I'm backing the Gunners star to get his hands on the accolade by driving them to the league title.

Saka will win the Player of the Season, according to Ryan Smart. Image credit: Getty

Best signing

Jack Kenmare - Andrey Santos

From what I've seen in pre-season, the energetic Santos can press and recover the ball - something United desperately need following the departure of Casemiro. He can also progress play with line-breaking passes.

The Brazilian will give United a different edge this season. £50 million will look like a steal in 12 months.

Josh Lawless - James Trafford

A really solid signing from Leeds, bringing in a goalkeeper who should be on the cusp of becoming England’s No.1 very soon.

Trafford was probably not quite ready to displace Gianluigi Donnarumma at City but he could not afford a second season playing second-fiddle.

He’s a great buy for Leeds.

Ryan Smart - Harry Wilson

Leeds should steer well clear of the drop zone this season and a large part of that will be down to Harry Wilson, who could prove to be a steal of a pick-up on a free transfer from Fulham.

Ben McCrum - Bruno Guimaraes

This feels like the kind of signing that wins the title.

Arsenal knew they wanted a new midfielder and signed one who is arguably the best in the league. Arsenal's defence was already strong, but now they have a midfield which is also among the best in the world.

Tom Griffin - Tarik Muharemrovic

A £34 million arrival from Serie A side Sassuolo, defender Tarik Muharemovic could be an astute piece of business from Leeds, who I'm tipping to have a strong campaign.

Muharemovic caught the eye with Bosnia and Herzegovina at the World Cup and he's already impressed at his new club during pre-season by scoring a bicycle kick.

He possesses all the attributes to be a perfect fit in the Premier League and I believe he will be a crucial player in the heart of Daniel Farke's defence.

Biggest flop

Jack Kenmare - Ronald Araujo

This is a huge gamble from Liverpool. After falling down the pecking order at Barcelona, Araujo has struggled with form and confidence in recent times.

He has shown a tendency to be error-prone at times, something we saw first-hand in a recent training session, when he brought down Cody Gakpo from behind. He will likely play back-up to Virgil van Van Dijk and Jeremie Jacquet, but if one of them suffers an injury, Araujo will need to step up. I hope it happens, but I'm not so sure.

Josh Lawless - Mateus Fernandes

While a perfectly fine player, I’m not sure splurging £85 million on a player relegated with two clubs was the right call from Spurs and think he will struggle for Roberto De Zerbi’s side.

Ryan Smart - Marco Palestra

Will offer plenty in attack but looks vulnerable defensively. Chelsea have spent a significant fee to bring him in but this season will be one of learning ahead of next year

Ben McCrum - Dwight McNeil

Hardly brave to say McNeil won’t have a cracking season, but this had to be my pick because it’s one of the worst transfer deals I’ve seen in a long time. Six months after giving him a new deal, Palace have let Brennan Johnson go in a fee-free swap for McNeil, who only had one year left on his deal. Baffling.

Tom Griffin - Emersonn

Ipswich broke their transfer record with the £24 million signing of Emersonn in July. It's a big gamble on a player who has scored just nine senior goals, especially after relegation rivals Hull pulled out of the race to sign him due to the amount Toulouse wanted.

It will either pay off handsomely and he'll help fire them to safety, or he'll struggle to adapt to the top flight. I think the latter scenario will play out, making him one of the biggest flops of the window.

Mateus Fernandes will struggle to live up to his price tag, says Josh Lawless. Image credit: Getty

Bold prediction

Jack Kenmare - Rio Ngumoha will score 10+ goals this season and become an England starter

Ngumoha, who will turn 18 later this month, is set for a prominent role under Iraola this season. A star in the making who has already shown his composure in front of goal for club and country. This is his time.

Josh Lawless - David Moyes to be sacked first

Moyes’ second stint at Everton looks like it has run its course and I think after the disappointment of failing to qualify for Europe last season, a slow start to the new season will see him given the boot.

I can see Eddie Howe coming in to replace him at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.

Ryan Smart - Fulham to flourish under Arbeloa

There seem to be two accepted views when it comes to new Fulham head coach Alvaro Arbeloa; he either transforms the Cottagers or is out by October. I’m going for the former.

Arbeloa has got two genuine talents in he knows very well from Real Madrid, and Shea Charles is a shrewd pick-up from Southampton. Top talent Josh King is in for a big season.

Ben McCrum - Chelsea to win a trophy and be serious title contenders

I do think Chelsea will ultimately fall short of the Premier League title this season, but I think they’ll give Arsenal a good test and really surprise people.

No Europe this season will allow them to focus on domestic competitions and come away with an FA or Carabao Cup as well as their title fight.

Tom Griffin - Man City to finish outside Champions League spots

Guardiola's departure from Man City has a similar feel to when Sir Alex Ferguson left Manchester United and Arsene Wenger departed Arsenal.

Inevitably, both clubs struggled in the campaigns following their departures, and I think City could suffer a similar hangover from Pep's exit. Enzo Maresca has huge shoes to fill at the Etihad Stadium, and with several key long-term players departing, notably Bernardo Silva and Rodri, I think they could see an alarming drop off and finish outside of the Champions League spots.