Premier League 2026-27 Predictions:
Ranking All 20 Clubs

Hull City earned promotion through the Championship Playoffs as a significant underdog against both Millwall and Middlesbrough, riding a stingy defense and a counterattacking style. I don't think they have the quality to survive. They spent 88.6 million over the summer, but most of the big signings arrived late, and it's fair to wonder how much time Sergej Jakirović needs to get those new pieces playing as a unit. Even with the additions, I still see the Tigers as the weakest team in the league.

Ipswich managed just 22 points the last time they were in the Premier League, and while this squad looks more balanced than Hull's, I still don't see them reaching safety. The bigger concern is on the bench: Kieran McKenna, the manager who got them promoted, stepped away for personal reasons, and Gary O'Neil has taken over. O'Neil's previous Premier League stints at Wolves and Bournemouth were rough, which makes me question whether he's the right man to keep Ipswich up, even though his short run at Strasbourg, including a Conference League and Coupe de France semifinal, was genuinely strong.

Coventry has an edge over the other two promoted sides. They were the best team in the Championship, scoring 97 goals in 46 games, and unlike Ipswich, they kept continuity on the bench with Frank Lampard staying on. I think Lampard is an excellent Championship coach but only a decent Premier League one, which is part of why I still don't have them staying up. They also made their signings early, giving Lampard time to integrate them. If any of the three promoted clubs survives, my money's on Coventry.

Fulham strung together two solid mid-table seasons, but the ground is shifting under them. Marco Silva left for Benfica, and Álvaro Arbeloa takes over, bringing in two young Real Madrid products, Garcia and Palacios. Those moves could swing either way, and I lean toward the riskier outcome. Fulham also lost Raúl Jiménez and Harry Wilson, good for 21 goals between them last season, and that's a lot of scoring to replace. I expect it to show up early.

Crystal Palace had two excellent seasons by trophy count, winning an FA Cup and a Europa League title, but finished 12th and then 15th domestically. I think they get worse this year with Pierre Sage replacing Oliver Glasner. Balancing Europe with the league was already a problem for Palace, and it only gets harder in the Europa League.

Leeds had a solid survival season and haven't overhauled the squad. I like the additions of Trafford, Muharemović, and Wilson, though I'm not sure they move the needle much on their own. That said, there's a path to an upper-half finish here: Trafford is one of the better ball-playing keepers around, and if Leeds can build attacks through him the way they were missing last season, this team could outperform expectations.

Everton have finished between 13th and 17th for five straight seasons, and on paper this roster is good enough for the upper half. The issue is consistency: they tend to start strong and fade. I also haven't loved what I've seen from David Moyes in this spell, and the move from Goodison Park to the new Hill Dickinson Stadium may have cost them some of their home-field edge.

Newcastle are in a genuine reset. They lost Sandro Tonali, Bruno Guimarães, and Anthony Gordon, plus manager Eddie Howe, and Matthias Jaissle now has to rebuild on the fly. The upside is they're out of Europe entirely, so it's a one-competition focus, and I wouldn't be shocked to see them dip into the market again for reinforcements. Still, I don't trust this group to be especially good this season.

This one's tricky. Sunderland finished 7th last season in one of the best promoted-team campaigns the league has seen, and I wouldn't be shocked to see them push for Europe again, but I also wouldn't be shocked to see them battling the drop. I expect regression. Their squad isn't deep enough to balance the Europa League with the Premier League, and their low-block, set-piece-heavy identity under Régis Le Bris is no longer a secret to opposing coaches.

Bournemouth finished 6th last season, but that was under Andoni Iraola, who's now at Liverpool. Marco Rose is a sensible replacement stylistically, another high-press, attacking coach, but any managerial change carries risk, and Bournemouth is also playing in Europe for the first time. I like this squad and how well they've historically replaced departing talent, but I expect some regression from the coaching change and the added workload.

This could be a controversial call given Nottingham Forest finished 16th last season. But if Oliver Glasner gets time to work, and that's a real if given owner Evangelos Marinakis's track record, I think this team finishes in the upper half and makes a run in one of the cup competitions, since Glasner has a history there. Yes, they lost Elliot Anderson, their standout player last season, but I think he was a little overrated and won't be missed as much as people expect.

Brentford finished 9th last season and I expect something similar. The squad is largely unchanged beyond added depth in Mamadou Sangaré, Jaidon Anthony, and Callum Wilson. There are obvious talent limitations, but without European football to stretch the roster, I don't expect a drop-off. Their preseason was also encouraging: a 7-0 demolition of Eintracht Frankfurt and a 4-2 win over Rennes.

Brighton have proven, year after year, that they're one of the league's most stable clubs regardless of who leaves. Fabian Hürzeler is only 33, but he's already shown he belongs among the league's better young coaches, and this squad, with Luka Vušković anchoring the defense, looks deep enough to handle the Conference League without much strain. Unlike Palace or Sunderland, I trust Brighton to balance both competitions well.

After two miserable seasons, Tottenham went all-in. New signings, a strong new manager in Roberto De Zerbi, and no European football to worry about, and the expectations are enormous. I'd view anything below 5th-6th as a disappointment. With additions like Sandro Tonali and Mathys Tel, the pieces are there for even a title push, but major overhauls rarely translate to instant chemistry.

Unai Emery is the key to everything at Aston Villa. They finished 4th last season and secured Champions League football, but lost key pieces like Youri Tielemans and Morgan Rogers. I rate Emery as arguably the second-best manager in the league now that Guardiola is gone, but I think Champions League commitments cost Villa a spot or two in the table. The new additions are genuinely good, though, and another strong season wouldn't shock me.

Chelsea spent big again and brought in Xabi Alonso, and the potential is obviously there. But this is a team that had a talented squad last season and still finished 10th, so I'm not ready to project a massive leap purely off transfer spending. If Alonso fixes their structural issues and manages the egos in that dressing room, Chelsea could have a monster season, but that's still a big if.

Manchester United went through a rough stretch before Michael Carrick took over as caretaker. Under him, United posted an outstanding points-per-game record and finished comfortably in 3rd. The doubters remain, but the numbers back him up. My concern is that United were quiet in the transfer market this summer, and with Champions League football back on the calendar, I expect a slight step back.

I originally had Manchester City in 2nd, but the Community Shield performance under Enzo Maresca moved them down a spot for me. Elliot Anderson, City's €135 million signing, showed little in that game. It's one match, but the early gap between City and Arsenal looked real, and replacing a decade of Pep Guardiola is not a one-window job.

Liverpool finished 5th last season, but I trust Andoni Iraola to push them several places up the table. This squad, featuring Alexander Isak, Florian Wirtz, Dominik Szoboszlai, and Cody Gakpo, is full of light, mobile attacking pieces that should thrive in Iraola's high press. The open question is buy-in: his style is demanding, and players typically need time to adjust. Even with a slower start, I see Liverpool as one of the two main challengers to Arsenal.

Arsenal enter the season as champions, trying to defend the title for the first time under Mikel Arteta. Their football isn't always pretty. It leans heavily on set-piece hunting and grinding out 1-0s, but the defensive organization, squad depth, and Arteta's continuity (now the longest-tenured manager among the league's top clubs) are exactly why it worked last season. William Saliba's back injury from the World Cup semifinal is a real concern for that defense, but the addition of Bruno Guimarães gives Arsenal midfield flexibility and lets them manage Declan Rice's minutes better than last season. My biggest worry heading into the summer was the left-wing spot, but after Christian Tzolis was excellent against City in the Community Shield, I'm increasingly comfortable saying he can fill Leandro Trossard's role.