Arsenal begin the 2026/27 Premier League season as defending champions after finally ending their wait for another league title. However, keeping hold of the trophy could prove an even harder challenge.
Winning the Premier League is one thing. Staying on top is another challenge entirely.
Liverpool have entered a new era under Andoni Iraola and must replace Mohamed Salah. Manchester City are starting life after Pep Guardiola, while Chelsea, Tottenham and Manchester United all believe they can close the gap.
That leaves us with one question.
Who will be lifting the Premier League trophy next May?
Arsenal – 7/5 to win the Premier League
Odds courtesy of 10bet.com
Winning the league answered plenty of questions. Retaining it will ask even more.
For years, Arsenal were criticised for falling just short when it mattered most. Last season they finally found the consistency needed to become champions, combining one of the league’s best defences with an attack capable of deciding matches in an instant.
The biggest advantage Arsenal possess is continuity.
Arteta knows his squad inside out, the players understand exactly what’s expected of them, and there’s no dramatic overhaul taking place this summer.
That matters.
When rivals are adapting to new managers or replacing mainstays in their squads, Arsenal begin the season without those distractions.
Of course, continuity alone doesn’t win titles.
The champions will need to cope with the added demands that come from being everyone’s biggest fixture. Teams that previously settled for a point against Arsenal will now believe that beating the champions is a statement result.
That’s a different kind of pressure.
If Arsenal deal with it well, there’s every chance they’ll be celebrating again next May.
Liverpool – 5/1 to win the Premier League
Odds courtesy of 10bet.com
Few clubs face a bigger summer than Liverpool.
Deciding to replace Arne Slot was always going to be one of the biggest decisions Liverpool took this summer, but appointing Andoni Iraola feels like a bold statement.
His Bournemouth side earned a reputation for relentless pressing, aggressive football and causing problems for the Premier League’s biggest clubs. Liverpool supporters will expect him to bring those same principles to Anfield.
The bigger challenge, though, isn’t in the dugout.
It’s replacing Mohamed Salah.
For nearly a decade, Salah wasn’t simply Liverpool’s best player. He was their guarantee. Goals, assists and moments of brilliance arrived season after season with remarkable consistency.
Players like that don’t come along very often.
Liverpool still possess enormous quality throughout the squad, but someone has to replace the numbers Salah produced year after year.
If they can share that responsibility across the squad rather than relying on one individual, Liverpool have every chance of mounting another serious title challenge.
The talent is certainly there.
Whether the transition happens quickly enough remains the biggest question.
READ MORE: Premier League relegation predictions: Who will be relegated in 2026/27?
Manchester City – 11/4 to win the Premier League
Odds courtesy of 10bet.com
There was always going to come a day when Pep Guardiola left Manchester City.
It just felt like football wasn’t ready for it.
After redefining what sustained excellence looked like in English football, Guardiola’s departure signals the end of one of the Premier League’s greatest managerial eras.
Now the spotlight falls on Enzo Maresca.
Few managers could arrive with greater expectations.
The good news is that City remain blessed with one of the strongest squads in Europe. The foundations are still there, and winning habits don’t simply disappear overnight.
The challenge is maintaining those standards without the man who set them.
Even the smallest tactical tweaks or changes in personality can affect a dressing room that’s spent years operating one way.
Maresca also spent time at Man City under Pep, so he isn’t going in completely blind. Will that help him? Probably, yeah. Does that mean they will go back to winning league titles immediately? Time will tell.
City should still win plenty of football matches.
The question is whether they’ll maintain the ruthless consistency that’s been their trademark for so long.
Chelsea – 8/1 to win the Premier League
Odds courtesy of 10bet.com
Chelsea might not attract as many headlines as Arsenal, Liverpool or Manchester City heading into the season.
That could work in their favour.
For the first time in several years, there’s a sense of direction at Stamford Bridge. For now, at least anyway.
Xabi Alonso has inherited one of the youngest and most gifted – and biggest – squads in the division, and another year of development could see several players reach an entirely different level.
Chelsea don’t need dramatic improvement across the pitch.
They simply need greater consistency.
The gap between finishing in the top four and competing for the title is often smaller than people think.
Chelsea don’t have European football to contend with this season, so a more consistent starting XI will be much easier to maintain this season.
If Alonso can make Chelsea more clinical in the biggest moments and improve their record against the league’s strongest teams, they could surprise plenty of people this season.
Although I’m not sure Jordan Henderson is the answer to all their problems.
Tottenham Hotspur – 14/1 to win the Premier League
Odds courtesy of 10bet.com
Tottenham supporters have endured enough uncertainty to last a lifetime.
Frequent managerial changes, inconsistent performances and fluctuating expectations have prevented Spurs from building genuine momentum.
That finally feels like it’s changing.
Roberto De Zerbi arrived with the difficult task of stabilising the club after a disappointing campaign, and he succeeded.
Now comes the exciting part.
This is his first full season to shape the squad, implement his ideas and build the kind of attacking football that’s become synonymous with his coaching style.
Spurs won’t begin the season as favourites for the title.
Nor should they.
But there are enough reasons to believe they’ll spend significantly more time looking up the table than down it.
They have spent an absolute fortune already this summer and more signings are rumoured to be on the way in. If those fresh faces settle in fast, then they will certainly be up and around there.
Manchester United – 21/4 to win the Premier League
Odds courtesy of 10bet.com
Manchester United are improving. That’s no longer really in doubt.
Michael Carrick deserves credit for bringing greater organisation and identity back to Old Trafford, and there are signs the club’s recruitment strategy is finally becoming more coherent.
The problem is the standard they’re trying to reach. Improvement alone doesn’t win Premier League titles.
You have to be exceptional.
United are capable of producing outstanding performances against anybody, but championship-winning teams don’t just shine in the biggest fixtures.
They avoid unnecessary slip-ups against the rest.
Until United prove they can collect points with the same relentless efficiency as Arsenal or Manchester City at their peak, they’ll probably remain outsiders.
That doesn’t mean they can’t surprise people.
It simply means there’s still another level to find.
Who will win the 2026/27 Premier League?
If I had to pick one team to lift the Premier League trophy, I’d stick with Arsenal.
Winning the title last season should give them even more belief, and they’re the only genuine contender entering the campaign without a major rebuild.
Mikel Arteta knows exactly how he wants his side to play, the squad has developed together over several years and, for me, they remain the team to beat.
My outsider pick is Manchester United.
That might raise a few eyebrows, but I think Michael Carrick has quietly built something impressive at Old Trafford. United finally look like a team with a clear identity again, and their recruitment has been far smarter than in previous years.
They’re probably still a season away from being genuine favourites, but title races rarely go exactly as expected.
If Arsenal stumble and United can put together the kind of consistency they’ve lacked in recent years, I wouldn’t be shocked to see them right in the mix.
Liverpool should still be in the conversation despite beginning life under Andoni Iraola and replacing Mohamed Salah, while Manchester City remain a threat even after Pep Guardiola’s departure.
Chelsea and Tottenham also have the quality to upset the established order if everything clicks but I still think they are a step behind the rest.
This feels like one of the most unpredictable Premier League seasons in years.
Arsenal deserve to start as favourites, but there are enough question marks surrounding every challenger to make this a title race that’s impossible to call with complete confidence.
