The Premier League is back. Twenty clubs, 380 matches and nine managerial changes across the league — and it’s time for me to make the predictions that will inevitably come back to haunt me in May. From Chelsea winning the title to Manchester City missing the top four, here’s how I think the 2026/27 table will finish.

It’s that time of year again.

Everyone starts with zero points. Everyone has reasons to be optimistic. Every new signing is going to transform their club and, for at least a few days, nobody’s prediction can technically be wrong.

Give it a couple of weeks.

The 2026/27 Premier League season begins on Friday night when defending champions Arsenal host newly promoted Coventry City, and this feels like one of the hardest seasons to predict in years. A record nine clubs have changed manager since the end of last season, while several of the established big sides are entering genuinely new eras.

There is one other important disclaimer: the transfer window remains open until 1 September, so squads can still change after the season has started. These are my predictions based on where the clubs stand right now.

And yes, before anybody accuses me of bias when they reach number one:

I am a Chelsea supporter.

But hear me out.

Let’s count them down.

20th — Hull City

Hull have certainly given themselves a chance by attacking the transfer market.

They’ve added Premier League experience in Matt Targett and Jack Butland alongside Greece international Konstantinos Tzolakis and Japan midfielder Hidemasa Morita. It’s an aggressive approach from a promoted club and clearly designed to avoid simply accepting their fate.

We’ve seen aggressive recruitment work for promoted teams before, and I can understand what Hull are trying to do.

I just don’t think it will be enough.

The leap into the Premier League is enormous and, despite the number of changes they’ve made, I look through the other 19 clubs and struggle to find enough teams I’d confidently put below them.

Prediction: 20th

19th — Ipswich Town

Ipswich have actually been pretty ambitious.

Daizen Maeda, Abdul Fatawu, Issa Diop, Florentino Luís and Saša Lukić are among the players brought in following their immediate return to the Premier League, while Gary O’Neil has taken over as head coach.

There is certainly more Premier League experience in this squad than the last time they were here.

I’m still unconvinced.

Sometimes you can go through every signing individually and find reasons to like them, but ultimately you have to ask whether the collective squad is good enough to survive 38 Premier League games.

For me, Ipswich fall just short.

Prediction: 19th

18th — Sunderland

This might be one of my harsher predictions.

Sunderland were absolutely brilliant last season. They finished seventh after promotion and earned a place in the Europa League — an extraordinary achievement.

But that’s exactly why I’m worried about them this time.

They’re no longer the newly promoted surprise package with nothing to lose. They’re now trying to combine Premier League football with a European campaign.

Their summer has been comparatively quiet, with veteran Thomas Meunier the standout addition so far.

Thursday-Sunday football can be brutal, particularly for a squad without years of experience managing that workload.

I was hugely impressed with Sunderland last season.

I just have a horrible feeling the second season is going to be considerably tougher.

Prediction: 18th

17th — Coventry City

Now for the promoted side I think survives.

Frank Lampard appears to have found a project that suits him perfectly.

Coventry’s rise is a fantastic story. Twenty-five years after their previous Premier League season, they’re finally back after Lampard guided them to the Championship title with an attacking side that scored 97 league goals.

They’ve strengthened too. Aurèle Amenda, Caleb Yirenkyi and Loum Tchaouna have arrived, while Frank Onyeka and Carl Rushworth have made their loan moves permanent.

Will Coventry struggle?

Almost certainly.

But surviving doesn’t require everything to go smoothly. You just need to be better than three other teams.

I think Lampard has built something at Coventry that players and supporters believe in, and I’m backing that momentum to carry them over the line.

Just.

Prediction: 17th

16th — Newcastle United

This feels brutal considering where Newcastle have been in recent years, but their summer has been one of enormous change.

Eddie Howe has gone. Matthias Jaissle has replaced him.

Bruno Guimarães has joined Arsenal, Sandro Tonali has moved to Tottenham and Anthony Gordon has left for Barcelona. Newcastle have recruited replacements, but they’re essentially asking a new manager to rebuild the heart of the side immediately.

That’s a lot to lose in one summer.

You can replace players individually, but replacing their leadership, understanding and importance to a team takes time.

I think Newcastle could find that out the hard way.

I’m not predicting a relegation battle, but I do think they’ll spend far more time looking towards the bottom half than the European places.

Prediction: 16th

15th — Crystal Palace

Another club I’m worried about.

Oliver Glasner has left for Nottingham Forest and Pierre Sage is now in charge, while Maxence Lacroix has moved to Chelsea and Brennan Johnson has gone to Everton. Oscar Mingueza and Dwight McNeil are among the replacements.

On top of the managerial transition, Palace have Europa League football after winning last season’s Conference League.

That’s a much tougher European campaign.

There’s still plenty of quality at Selhurst Park, but when you combine a new manager, important departures and extra fixtures, I can see Palace having an inconsistent season domestically.

Europe may provide some brilliant nights.

The league could be a grind.

Prediction: 15th

14th — Fulham

Fulham might be one of the hardest teams on this list to judge.

Marco Silva has gone and Álvaro Arbeloa has arrived, bringing Gonzalo García and César Palacios with him from Real Madrid. Shea Charles has also joined, but Fulham have lost players including Raúl Jiménez, Harry Wilson, Saša Lukić and Issa Diop.

It’s a genuine reset.

The Real Madrid connection makes the new direction interesting, and there is enough quality here that I don’t expect Fulham to go down.

But losing a proven Premier League manager alongside several established players makes me cautious.

I think they’ll be safe.

I just think they’ll spend the majority of the campaign in the bottom half.

Prediction: 14th

13th — Leeds United

I like what Leeds have done.

Harry Wilson brings proven Premier League quality, Tarik Muharemović replaces Pascal Struijk in defence and James Trafford comes in as the new number one.

There’s nothing spectacular about predicting them 13th, but that’s almost the point.

I don’t see Leeds being dragged into serious trouble this year.

They look like a side capable of settling into the Premier League rather than spending every week obsessing over the relegation line.

For a club that has experienced more than enough chaos over the years, a relatively boring mid-table campaign might actually be quite welcome.

Prediction: 13th

12th — Nottingham Forest

Oliver Glasner moving from Crystal Palace to Nottingham Forest surprised me.

He’s a very good manager and, personally, I thought his next move might be to one of the traditional heavyweight clubs.

Instead, he’s made what feels like a sideways move.

Forest have lost Elliot Anderson to Manchester City but brought in Ousmane Diomande and Xaver Schlager, giving Glasner players who should fit the type of system he wants to build.

I don’t think Forest are a bad side at all.

I just think the Premier League’s middle class looks incredibly strong this season.

They’ll be comfortable.

They’ll also finish bottom half.

Prediction: 12th

11th — Everton

I feel much more comfortable about Everton than I have for quite some time.

David Moyes knows how to build competitive Premier League teams. He’s already steadied Everton and now the question becomes whether they can finally start looking upwards rather than constantly checking what’s happening behind them.

Hayden Hackney, Christian Nørgaard and Brennan Johnson improve the squad, while the club moves into another season with something several rivals don’t have: managerial continuity.

Moyes has already shown throughout his career that if you give him a solid base, he’ll make a team competitive.

I don’t quite see a European push.

But I don’t see Everton being anywhere near relegation either.

That itself represents progress.

Prediction: 11th

10th — Bournemouth

Bournemouth are entering completely new territory.

Andoni Iraola has left for Liverpool, Marco Rose is the new manager and the club are preparing for their first European campaign after finishing sixth last season.

I’ll admit I don’t know enough about Rose in this environment to confidently predict how quickly everything clicks.

Antonio Silva looks an impressive defensive addition and Álvaro Rodríguez gives them another option up front, but replacing Iraola while simultaneously asking the squad to cope with Europa League football is a huge challenge.

I don’t think Bournemouth collapse.

I do think they regress.

And after last season’s remarkable achievements, tenth really shouldn’t be viewed as a disaster.

Prediction: 10th

9th — Brentford

I owe Keith Andrews an apology.

I wasn’t convinced.

Brentford then went and produced another strong Premier League campaign despite significant change around the squad.

So I’m not making the same mistake twice.

They’ve added Jaidon Anthony, Jannik Schuster and the experienced Callum Wilson this summer, and unlike several of the teams around them, Brentford won’t have European football eating into their preparation time.

Can they build again?

I think they can.

They’re one of those clubs that consistently seem to know what they are, recruit accordingly and ignore everybody predicting their downfall.

I’m putting them ninth.

Watch them finish seventh now.

Prediction: 9th

8th — Brighton & Hove Albion

Another recruitment department I’m prepared to trust.

Brighton rarely make the loudest signing of the summer, but that’s never really been their game.

They’ve added Pascal Struijk and Luka Vušković in defence among several new recruits, while Jan Paul van Hecke has moved to Spurs.

They also have Conference League football this season.

Maybe I’m being slightly arrogant on behalf of English football here, but I think any Premier League team entering that competition should believe it can win it.

Brighton have a good manager, a good recruitment model and enough depth that I don’t think Europe destroys their domestic campaign.

A European run and another top-half finish?

Absolutely possible.

Prediction: 8th

7th — Aston Villa

Villa are another side dealing with significant change.

Morgan Rogers has joined Chelsea, Youri Tielemans has moved to Manchester United and Lucas Digne has left for Paris Saint-Germain.

That’s an enormous amount of proven quality disappearing from one team. João Gomes, Johan Manzambi and Alejandro Garnacho are among those coming in as Villa attempt to rebuild.

I still trust Unai Emery.

He’s far too good a manager for me to predict Villa suddenly falling apart.

But after finishing fourth and winning the Europa League last season, expectations are high, and I think replacing that amount of quality while playing Champions League football will cost them domestically.

Still good.

Just not quite as good.

Prediction: 7th

6th — Liverpool

This is one of the biggest transitional seasons Liverpool have faced for years.

Andoni Iraola arrives after his excellent work at Bournemouth, but Mohamed Salah has gone, Ibrahima Konaté has left and Andy Robertson is now a Tottenham player. Jeremy Jacquet and Victor Muñoz are among the players tasked with beginning the next generation.

I’m actually less worried about losing Salah than some people might be.

Eventually every great team has to move on from its icons.

And I really rate Iraola.

What he achieved with Bournemouth showed he can build an exciting, aggressive Premier League side.

I think Liverpool challenge strongly for the Champions League places.

I just think, in year one of this rebuild, they narrowly miss out.

Prediction: 6th

5th — Manchester City

Here’s one of my biggest calls.

Manchester City outside the top four.

Pep Guardiola has gone. Rodri has joined Barcelona. Bernardo Silva, John Stones, Nathan Aké and Manuel Akanji are also among the senior players who have departed, while Enzo Maresca begins the unenviable task of following Guardiola. Elliot Anderson is the headline midfield arrival.

Then came the Community Shield.

Arsenal beat City 3-0, and although nobody should ever judge an entire season on one glorified curtain-raiser, City looked poor.

My concern is bigger than one result.

This feels like the end of an era happening all at once.

I actually think Maresca could be gone by Christmas if things start badly.

City won’t suddenly become a terrible football team, but I’m predicting something we haven’t been used to saying for a long time:

Manchester City miss the Champions League places.

Prediction: 5th

4th — Tottenham Hotspur

From flirting with disaster to the Champions League.

That’s the turnaround I’m predicting for Spurs.

Roberto De Zerbi has been backed heavily, with Sandro Tonali, Mateus Fernandes, Andy Robertson, Marcos Senesi and Jan Paul van Hecke among a substantial group of arrivals.

I really like the recruitment.

More importantly, Spurs don’t have European football this season.

That matters.

While rivals are travelling across Europe in midweek, De Zerbi gets time on the training ground and his players get recovery time.

We’ve seen before how powerful that advantage can become for a talented squad.

After last season, fourth might look ambitious.

I think they’ll surprise a lot of people.

Prediction: 4th

3rd — Manchester United

I’m buying into Manchester United under Michael Carrick.

There. I’ve said it.

United looked far more convincing after Carrick took charge last season. In fact, from his appointment in January, they collected more league points than any other Premier League side over the subsequent 17 matches.

Now they’ve strengthened the midfield.

Youri Tielemans and Andrey Santos have arrived following Casemiro’s departure, giving Carrick a completely new combination in the middle of the pitch.

Europe adds another challenge this year, so I’m not ready to call them champions.

But I don’t think last season’s improvement was a fluke.

For the first time in a while, United look like they’re heading somewhere rather than endlessly starting another rebuild.

Comfortably top four for me.

Prediction: 3rd

2nd — Arsenal

The defending champions will be right there again.

They’ve added Bruno Guimarães, which is unquestionably a major signing, as well as winger Christos Tzolis.

But I’m not convinced they’ve strengthened enough overall to retain the title.

My biggest concern at the start of the season is William Saliba.

He’s currently sidelined with a back problem and Arsenal expect him to be unavailable for an extended period.

That’s a massive absence.

Arsenal have finally got over the line and won the Premier League under Mikel Arteta, so the psychological barrier is gone.

They’ll challenge.

They may even spend large parts of the season top.

I just think someone else edges them.

Which brings me neatly to…

Prediction: 2nd

1st — Chelsea

Yes.

Chelsea are going to win the Premier League.

Get your screenshots ready.

Am I a Chelsea supporter? Yes.

Do I genuinely believe it anyway? Also yes.

Xabi Alonso inherits a squad that has added Morgan Rogers, Maxence Lacroix, Geovany Quenda, Emmanuel Emegha and experienced heads in Danny Welbeck and Jordan Henderson among a busy summer of recruitment. Most importantly, Chelsea don’t have European football this season.

That is a huge advantage.

One game a week means more time for Alonso to coach his ideas, more time for players to recover and fewer occasions when the squad has to be rotated simply because they’ve flown halfway across Europe three days earlier.

The attacking possibilities are exciting.

Cole Palmer and Morgan Rogers playing behind the striker could be fantastic.

There is one area that really worries me.

Goalkeeper.

Robert Sánchez isn’t a top-quality goalkeeper for me, and when you’re trying to win a Premier League title, those fine margins matter.

But every contender has a weakness this year.

Arsenal have injury concerns.

City are rebuilding after Guardiola.

Liverpool are moving on from Salah and several long-term leaders.

United and Tottenham have European or rebuilding questions of their own.

Chelsea have talent, they’ve recruited well, they have an elite coach and they have those precious free midweeks.

Top four should be the minimum.

I’m going considerably further.

Chelsea — Premier League champions.

Prediction: 1st

My 2026/27 Premier League predicted table

And now we wait…

The beauty — and stupidity — of making predictions before a ball has been kicked is that I’m absolutely certain some of these will look ridiculous by Christmas.

Maybe Maresca proves me completely wrong at City.

Maybe Sunderland thrive in Europe and finish seventh again.

Maybe Chelsea’s goalkeeper costs them enough points to make my title prediction look horribly biased.

That’s why we watch.

What I do think is that this season feels unusually open.

Five of the traditional big six are operating under managers who either arrived this summer or are entering their first full season, three promoted clubs are attempting very different approaches to survival, and nine English teams have European football to juggle.

There will be surprises.

There always are.

But I’ve nailed my colours to the mast.

Chelsea champions. Arsenal runners-up. City outside the top four. Coventry survive. Sunderland, Ipswich and Hull go down.

Come back in May and tell me how horribly wrong I was.