EIGHT reasons to be excited about the 2026/27 season
We take a look at Alonso’s Chelsea move, the promoted clubs, De Zerbi’s first full season and more
The 2025/26 Premier League season has only just finished but we’re already raring to go for the next one.
That’s because the campaign was so unusually rich with stories – with twists and turns right to the very end – that the final day felt more like a cliff-hanger than a conclusion.
Here are eight reasons to be excited about 2026/27.
How will Man City adapt to life after Pep Guardiola?
The biggest change in the Premier League next season will be the absence of the most influential figure of the last decade.
Life after manager Pep Guardiola is a new challenge for Manchester City, who will be doing everything they can to avoid the declines that followed the Arsene Wenger era at Arsenal, and Sir Alex Ferguson’s departure from Manchester United.
After such a long period of stability and success, the next chapter is unusually daunting for Man City fans.
Can Man Utd maintain impressive momentum under Carrick?
Michael Carrick has become the permanent head coach of Man Utd, and with that comes a whole new set of challenges and expectations.
It will be interesting to see how Carrick uses his first summer in charge to get tactical ideas across, how he operates in the transfer market, and, most important of all, how he juggles UEFA Champions League football alongside the Premier League.
Watch: Top 10 Carrick-Ball moments at Man Utd
Man Utd only played 40 matches in all competitions in 2025/26, compared with Arsenal’s 63. More matches will test the depth of United’s squad.
Alonso’s arrival signals a chance of approach from Chelsea
The arrival of one of the most exciting young coaches in Europe is good news for the Premier League, and it will be fascinating to see just how quickly Xabi Alonso can get Chelsea going.
His appointment as manager and not head coach at Stamford Bridge signals a change in approach from the club following a 10th-place finish, putting focus on Chelsea’s summer transfer window.
With a good window, and benefiting from free midweeks after the club’s failure to qualify for Europe, Alonso’s Chelsea will be aiming high.
Can Spurs improve further after De Zerbi’s strong start?
After securing safety on the final day, the task for Tottenham Hotspur is to now rebuild.
They have finished 17th in consecutive Premier League seasons but have genuine hope for substantial improvement after head coach Roberto De Zerbi won 11 points from the final six matches.
Only Man Utd, Arsenal and AFC Bournemouth bettered that points tally in that period.
Coventry and Hull return to the top flight after long absences
It’s always more engaging for neutrals when new clubs join the Premier League or old ones return after a particularly long absence.
Coventry City last played in the Premier League in 2000/01, and have been all the way down to League Two and back again since. Hull City haven’t been in the top flight for a decade.
While Championship title-winners Coventry are a comeback story, Hull are particularly interesting because Opta’s ‘‘Expected Points’’ table had them all the way down in 23rd in the 2025/26 season.
The promoted clubs will be looking to emulate the success of Sunderland and Leeds United, who both impressed in their first seasons back in the Premier League, qualifying for the UEFA Europa League and securing safety with matches to spare respectively.
Liverpool must embark on another major rebuild
A disappointing campaign meant this was always going to be a big summer at Liverpool, but Arne Slot’s shock departure and the appointment of Andoni Iraola as head coach has turned that into a greater rebuild.
The gradual loss of the club’s tactical identity under Slot concerned many Liverpool supporters, suggesting 2026/27 is going to be as crucial, if not more so, than the year after Slot’s predecessor Jurgen Klopp stepped down.
Add to that the losses of star players Mohamed Salah, Andy Robertson and Ibrahima Konate, and it becomes the end of an era at Anfield.
Whether it’s just as challenging as 2025/26 or a revival of the year before, when they won the title, next season promises to be hugely consequential for Liverpool.
European adventures will shake up the league table again
The Premier League has never been so competitive, and that is partly thanks to the number of European places up for grabs.
Difficulties for Spurs, Chelsea, Newcastle United and Nottingham Forest in 2025/26 may have been the result of juggling European football, and with nine clubs again playing in UEFA competitions in 2026/27, the league table should be just as unpredictable.
This season, Bournemouth, Brighton & Hove Albion and Sunderland exceeded expectations to qualify for Europe, with just two points separating seventh from 11th place.
There is no reason why we won’t have a similarly congested table in 2026/27.
Arsenal must decide whether to adapt their style of play
Pundits are split on whether Arsenal’s cautious football was a deliberate tactical strategy or a reflection of the unbearable tension felt by a club desperate to go one further and win the title after three consecutive second-place finishes.
We will find out next season, when Mikel Arteta must decide to defend the title either by doubling down on their current style, or, with the weight off their shoulders, attacking with a bit more freedom.