Premier League Power Rankings 2026/27: Chelsea, Spurs Look to Escape a Slump, Man City Enter the Post-Guardiola Era
The Gunners ended a 22-year wait for their 14th English title last season, but it already feels like a while ago. Spain won the first-ever 48-team World Cup last month, beating Argentina in the final, which meant Mikel Merino, Martin Zubimendi and David Raya returned to Arsenal's London Colney training base with winners' medals to go with their Premier League ones.
As is typical after a major tournament, clubs have had a condensed window to get their business done, and with the season a week away, plenty of teams are still working the phones. That makes it a genuinely hard year to call, but here's our attempt at ranking all 20 clubs heading into the new campaign.
1. Arsenal (2025/26 league position: 1st)
Arsenal have put together a shrewd window. It might have been spectacular had Vinicius Junior been prised away from Real Madrid, but Bruno Guimaraes' arrival and the expected signing of Aston Villa's Ezri Konsa are both sensible "win now" additions with plenty of Premier League experience already banked. Christos Tzolis impressed on debut in the Community Shield on the left wing, a timely audition as Gabriel Martinelli looks set to follow Leandro Trossard out of the door.
Arsenal won the title on fine margins last season and could still do with more goals in the side. Retaining the crown is never easy, just ask Liverpool about last season, but the stability at the Emirates, with several rivals in various states of upheaval, keeps them the team to beat.
2. Manchester City (2nd)
Moving on from ten years and 20 trophies under Pep Guardiola will be a transition unlike anything English football has seen since Sir Alex Ferguson left Manchester United. City enter it on the back of winning both domestic cups last season, with Erling Haaland fresh off becoming a genuine global superstar at the World Cup.
New manager Enzo Maresca knows the club well, having served as reserve-team boss before working as one of Guardiola's assistants. Still, it's a much-changed squad from the one he helped guide to the treble in 2022/23. Rodri and Bernardo Silva's departures mean the club-record signing of Elliot Anderson only covers part of what's needed, and after a mixed run of transfer business since winter 2025, director of football Hugo Viana has to get the closing weeks of this window right.
3. Liverpool (5th)
Like City, Liverpool are still working before the deadline, with a new manager to bed in as well. Andoni Iraola's central task is unlocking last summer's enormous outlay. Preseason signs from Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz have been encouraging, and both nine-figure signings need to become pivotal now that the post-Mohamed Salah era is properly underway. Victor Munoz and Ronald Araujo should help take some of the burden off Virgil van Dijk at centre-back.
4. Chelsea (10th)
It shouldn't be difficult to improve on Chelsea's shambolic campaign last time out. Xabi Alonso has about as much to prove as his new employers after his own Madrid spell soured, though he remains regarded as one of Europe's most promising coaches, and a season with no European football should work in his favour.
Morgan Rogers became the most expensive English player in history when he arrived from Aston Villa, and pairing him with Cole Palmer and Joao Pedro in attack is a mouthwatering prospect. It's been a busy window all round, with Jordan Henderson and Danny Welbeck curious but deliberate additions aimed at lifting the squad's experience level.
Maxence Lacroix, Marco Palestra and Valentin Barco all look like they could thrive in Alonso's preferred 3-4-2-1, while Geovany Quenda is the kind of exciting young winger Chelsea have made a habit of signing, for better or worse. Andrey Santos, Marc Cucurella and Trevoh Chalobah are the major departures, and all eyes remain on whether Chelsea can keep hold of Manchester City target Enzo Fernandez before deadline day.
5. Manchester United (3rd)
Michael Carrick begins his first full season in charge, now the second-longest-serving manager among the traditional big six. After years of chaotic recruitment, United have been pleasingly methodical this summer. Carlos Baleba has been earmarked to complete a midfield rebuild that already includes Andrey Santos and Youri Tielemans. Left-back remains a need, and how Marcus Rashford is reintegrated at the other end of the pitch will be closely watched.
6. Aston Villa (4th)
Concern about Villa's season ahead is understandable. If Ollie Watkins and Ezri Konsa follow Youri Tielemans and Morgan Rogers out the door, the spine of their Europa League-winning side will have been dismantled. They did need to bring the squad's average age down, though, and Matteo Ruggeri replacing Lucas Digne at left-back helps with that. Joao Gomes and Johan Manzambi are exciting additions, but Unai Emery still needs more attacking options before the window shuts.
7. Tottenham (17th)
This projected leap merely gets Tottenham back to roughly where they should be, after two dreadful league campaigns. Roberto De Zerbi was effectively handed the keys to the club when persuaded to arrive and spare Spurs from relegation last season. Turnover in the squad has been huge, and Tottenham got fairly modest returns for the £200m spent bringing in Sandro Tonali and Matheus Fernandes to run a rebuilt midfield. If the double swoop for Manchester City's Omar Marmoush and Savinho comes off, the spending will be just as eye-catching.
Jan Paul van Hecke arriving from De Zerbi's old club Brighton, as the unpredictable Cristian Romero heads to Atletico Madrid, feels like progress. England's surprise World Cup performer Djed Spence, who has joined Inter Milan, might well be missed.
8. Bournemouth (6th)
Marco Rose is another well-regarded coach taking charge at the Vitality Stadium. It's hard to imagine him quite matching what Andoni Iraola achieved, but there's plenty to be optimistic about as Bournemouth prepare for European football for the first time in their history. Antonio Silva, Alvaro Rodriguez and Juanlu Sanchez all look like typically smart signings. Keeping hold of Alex Scott, Eli Junior Kroupi and Rayan Cherki would set them up for another top-half finish.
9. Brighton (8th)
The usual feeding frenzy around Brighton hasn't really materialised, and Albion look in decent shape under Fabian Hurzeler even with Carlos Baleba finally completing his move to Manchester United. Jan Paul van Hecke is the significant defensive departure, but Luka Vuskovic has arrived in the other direction from Tottenham, via a loan spell at Hamburg, and Pascal Struijk brings solid top-flight experience at centre-back. Promise David has joined from Union Saint-Gilloise to offset the surprise loss of Danny Welbeck to Chelsea.
10. Nottingham Forest (16th)
Forest need to be looking further up the table than last season's low finish, a campaign undone by a chaotic run that saw three managerial changes. Oliver Glasner's arrival, fresh from winning trophies at Crystal Palace, is a real coup. Elliot Anderson has left for Manchester City in a £116m deal, and some of that fee needs reinvesting. Still, a settled squad built around the excellent Morgan Gibbs-White, now under a serious coach, could be a real asset.
11. Brentford (9th)
Brentford haven't spent the summer fending off big bids for their best players, for once. Jordan Henderson's exit to Chelsea shouldn't cause too much disruption, especially with Yehor Yarmolyuk, Mathias Jensen and star playmaker Mikkel Damsgaard still around. Mamadou Sangare adds further midfield depth, while Jannik Schuster's arrival from Salzburg has the feel of one of those low-key Brentford signings that just tends to work out.
12. Newcastle United (12th)
Anthony Gordon, Sandro Tonali and captain Bruno Guimaraes all leaving in the same summer looks like a nightmare scenario for manager Eddie Howe. Then again, a clean break isn't always the worst outcome. Aladji Bamba, Bazoumana Toure, Sean Steur and Amar Dedic are all younger additions who'll operate under new manager Mattias Jaissle, whose preference is high-intensity, vertical football. Lukas Hornicek arriving to take the number one spot ahead of Nick Pope feels roughly a year overdue.
13. Leeds United (14th)
Like Forest, Leeds pulled off an impressive escape from relegation trouble when it mattered last season. Daniel Farke has made some eye-catching additions since, most notably James Trafford from Manchester City as a major upgrade in goal, and Harry Wilson on a free transfer after a strong season at Fulham. Farke has good options to work with, and Leeds should be comfortably clear of the drop this time round.
14. Crystal Palace (15th)
Palace face the challenge of moving on from Oliver Glasner after a golden couple of seasons that delivered the FA Cup, the Community Shield and the Conference League. Glasner's exit wasn't entirely clean either, with results dipping around the time he publicly criticised Marc Guehi's departure to Manchester City before confirming his own exit at season's end.
New manager Pierre Sage arrives on the back of winning the Coupe de France with Lens. Competing on two fronts, in the Premier League and Europa League, will test everyone at the club, and after Maxence Lacroix's move to Chelsea, holding onto Adam Wharton amid late interest feels essential. Oscar Mingueza looks like a smart free-transfer pickup from Celta Vigo who could cover for any late move for Daniel Munoz, while Dwight McNeil arriving as part of a swap deal that sent Brennan Johnson to Everton should suit both players better.
15. Fulham (11th)
Fulham's biggest loss this summer was manager Marco Silva, and Alvaro Arbeloa arrives as a big name replacement, if one with limited top-level experience following a difficult six months as Real Madrid's caretaker. Gonzalo Garcia and Cesar Palacios have followed Arbeloa from the Spanish capital. Shea Charles is a useful midfield addition, but the goals of Raul Jimenez and Harry Wilson will be missed.
16. Everton (13th)
A Groundhog Day of a transfer window. Everton still need a reliable striker and a right-back of any description. Tyrique George and Brennan Johnson add more dynamism out wide, while Hayden Hackney and Christian Norgaard strengthen midfield. None of it is especially inspiring, and there's a sense Everton need a fast start to avoid the season becoming a grind.
17. Coventry City (1st in the Championship)
Riding high after an emotional promotion, Coventry would happily settle for finishing fourth from bottom on their return to the Premier League after 25 years away. Frank Lampard has built something genuinely good in the Midlands, home games should have a real atmosphere, and the likes of Sidiki Cherif and Taiwo Awoniyi should be enough to lift the squad just past the level required to survive.
18. Sunderland (7th)
Sunderland will hope not to come to regret the wild combination of final-day results that sent them into the Europa League. A frantic summer ahead of their promotion last year has been followed by one of relative calm. Thomas Meunier, the former PSG full-back now past his best, is the only real addition of note, and speculation over manager Regis Le Bris's future late in 2025/26, despite everything he'd achieved, didn't help matters. Keeping hold of Granit Xhaka was a coup, but the Black Cats need another strong start.
19. Ipswich Town (2nd in the Championship)
Ipswich lost a key asset when Kieran McKenna stepped down having just secured an immediate return to the Premier League. Successor Gary O'Neil has overseen a busy summer, bringing in Julio Enciso, Daizen Maeda, Chuba Akpom and Sasa Lukic among others, a strategy that echoes Sunderland's approach from last season of adding lots of fresh faces to build momentum. Realistically, Ipswich need one of the more established mid-table sides to suffer the kind of nightmare season West Ham had last year.
20. Hull City (6th in the Championship)
A wonderful story, but it's hard to see Hull avoiding an immediate return to the Championship. Nobody picked them to win the play-offs, and they made the most of facing a Middlesbrough side still reeling from the Southampton spying scandal in the final. A team that often won despite modest possession and expected-goals numbers in the Championship will find those same margins much harder to overcome a division up. Centre-back Nobel Mendy and goalkeeper Konstantinos Tzolakis are their biggest signings so far, and they'll need to be busy before the window closes.
