The Premier League 2026/27 Sense Check
Just like last season - a focused look on each Premier League side and how they're shaping up for the new season; the good and the bad.
Arsenal
Why they’ll be good: The reigning champions will be good because they’re the reigning champions, is the type of earth-shattering analysis that you get here. Having finally gotten over the line last season, they’re now playing with house money in a league with so much change around them. Adding Bruno Guimarães to an already strong squad says it all, and if they manage to add another attacker to lighten the load up front then you have to fancy them to go back-to-back. Their methods aren’t always the prettiest on the eye, but they’re effective.
Why they’ll be bad: Will the hunger dissipate now that they landed the long-awaited league title? There’s also a chance the league as a whole evolves back away from whatever 2025/26 was, where set pieces were substantial to success and Arsenal made hay more than anyone. Football is largely cyclical and the teams most capable of attacking and defending sweeping long balls ate handsomely last season. Christos Tzolis will slot in for Trossard, but they really do need to get help for Bukayo Saka.
GOBB Prediction: 1st
Aston Villa
Why they’ll be good: As long as Unai Emery is in charge, Villa will be largely very, very good. They were slow out of the blocks last season and managed to turn it all around and finish in the top four and win the Europa League, as only Emery can do. The squad is generally stronger than the sum of its parts and Emery is capable of eking every shred of quality out of what he has. Maintaining top four will be incredibly challenging, but don’t rule out another European knockout run.
Why they’ll be bad: The squad does feel a tad light, and losing Morgan Rogers - granted he’s coming off a relatively quiet season by his standards - will leave a massive hole to fill. Equally, is Ollie Watkins alone enough to keep Villa afloat in both Champions League and domestic competition? 17-year-old starlet Brian Madjo is emerging, with a fine goal in the Super Cup - but that’s a lot to heap on a youngster. Youri Tielemans is a massive loss to their midfield. The financial chicanery to get players in means they’re once again landed with an underperforming spare from another club in Alejandro Garnacho. Staying in the top four would be a monumental achievement, but may just be beyond their grasp.
GOBB Prediction: 7th
Bournemouth
Why they’ll be good: Succession planning, with Marco Rose a long-time lined up replacement for the departing Andoni Iraola, will play a big part in Bournemouth maintaining the standards they’ve derived for themselves. A phenomenal sixth place finish last year may not be realistic back-to-back, but would it be crazy to see them be the next English team to have a dreamy Europa League run? For a club of Bournemouth’s size, that would be a hell of a season. Also, unlike in previous seasons, they’ve managed to hold onto their big names thus far in the transfer window.
Why they’ll be bad: Juggling the cut and thrust of English football under a new manager, whilst being landed with a slightly unexpected European football, may be catastrophic. Rose has big club experience as a manager but things ended abruptly at RB Leipzig after a bad spell. History books suggest they slide out of the top ten.
GOBB Prediction: 13th
Brentford
Why they’ll be good: Like Bournemouth, Brentford have held onto the squad that got them to ninth last season. And missing out on European football may propel them into that conversation next season. In Mamadou Sangare they’ve added on of Europe’s most highly rated midfield generals, while Jaidon Anthony could be one of those shrewd relegated-team pick ups that delivers some important goals.
Why they’ll be bad: There were a lot of doubts about Keith Andrews as a head coach and he overdelivered majorly in his debut season. Was that an anomaly? They also fell over the line towards the end of last season. If you’d offer another top ten finish, would that be enough to satisfy fans? Maybe, but given the quality around them and possible rise out of the likes of Chelsea and Spurs, Brentford could find themselves tumbling back a bit.
GOBB Prediction: 10th
Brighton
Why they’ll be good: It’s not beyond them to go for their third top eight finish in a row. Fabian Hürzeler has proven to be worth the hype, granted they had the odd dip in form. It’s also a rare Brighton summer where they’re not scrambling to replace lost star power, bar Jan Paul van Hecke, who they promptly replaced with a younger version in Luka Vuskovic. Pascal Struijk is another shrewd addition. A strong squad that could very easily bloom this year.
Why they’ll be bad: A lot of experience has left the dressing room, in the likes of James Milner and Danny Welbeck. And Welbeck was still delivering, leaving them a bit short up front. They need a talisman up front and although they’ve plenty of young potential, nobody has yet stepped up.
GOBB Prediction: 8th
Chelsea
Why they’ll be good: The squad is obviously talented, but its lacked a direction and Xabi Alonso may be the very man to put an identity on the litany of youthful potential. Morgan Rogers is a big addition with healthy Premier League pedigree, while Maxence Lacroix is a really solid defender. A figure like Alonso will set the tone and it seems Chelsea have given him the keys to the kingdom to guide the club in his own vision.
Why they’ll be bad: The squad is packed, but scratch a little but under the surface and you have to wonder if there’s enough quality to crack back into the top four. Robert Sanchez is still a weak link, while Cole Palmer will need a total 180 on a dreadful 2025/26 season. And despite having plenty of options, there’s a glaring lack of a focal point in attack. Alonso, granted he was so successful at Leverkusen, is coming off a spell at Real Madrid that may have knocked his momentum.
GOBB Prediction: 4th
Coventry
Why they’ll be good: Gooooooooooals. Promoted teams often struggle because they can’t find the net, but coming off a 97-goal haul in the Championship shows Coventry have the appetite. If they can maintain that freewheeling attacking output with the likes of Haji Wright and Ellis Simms they’ll be fun to watch and have every chance of staying up. Also, credit must go to Frank Lampard - getting another Premier League opportunity and showing his mustard that he can thrive as a top level manager.
Why they’ll be bad: Well, the squad is still distinctly Championship level, and they haven’t followed the perhaps necessary Sunderland blueprint of essentially overhauling the squad with a raft of new signings to compete at the next level. Funds are obviously limited, so they’ve been more pinpointed in their additions, but it may not be enough to carry them out of the bottom three.
GOBB Prediction: 18th
Crystal Palace
Why they’ll be good: They went and won the Conference League, having won the FA Cup the year prior, so expectations will be high. But as of writing they’ve held onto Adam Wharton and Ismaila Sarr who were essential cogs to that success. Wharton, in particular, is a starlet and as long as he’s meeting the 9/10 level he’s set for himself, Palace will be fine. They’ve also replaced Glasner with Pierre Sage, who finished just six points shy of PSG in Ligue 1 last season.
Why they’ll be bad: Another year goes by without really strengthening the squad. If anything, they once again go into the new season in a weaker position, having lost Lacroix to Chelsea. They never truly replaced Eberechi Eze, nor Marc Guehi. It’s a bizarre policy of pursestring tightening, when you’d think they’d want to build upon the recent silverware to push higher up the table. Glasner, also, is a huge loss - a lot of pressure on Sage with perhaps a bit less of the patience Glasner was afforded.
GOBB Prediction: 15th
Everton
Why they’ll be good: They escaped year one in a new stadium with a 13th place finish, so its onwards and upwards for the Toffees. The squad has been strengthened, David Moyes is one of those wily managers that somehow manages to pull something magical out of the bag once in a while, what’s stopping Everton from going on a run up into the top half of the table? Hayden Hackney could be one of those sneaky very good signings, too.
Why they’ll be bad: Beto has his moments, but Everton really could do with a focal point in attack. Nobody in that squad is consistently hitting double figures and until they fix that, it’ll be an uphill climb to mix it with the top six or seven teams.
GOBB Prediction: 11th
Fulham
Why they’ll be good: Finally, some investment in the squad - Gonzalo Garcia from Real Madrid, although the signing felt like a bit of accounting shenanigans with agents and Madrid, did play a decent amount of football last season in a bit-part role. He clearly has something about him, if that translates to the Premier League and Fulham have found a goalscoring gem, they’ll be in right old shape.
Why they’ll be bad: Marco Silva had Fulham as consistent as consistent could be, despite any meaningful investment in the squad over the years. Losing that factor could be detrimental to Fulham, while Alvaro Arbeloa, well regarded as he may be, didn’t exactly swim in his brief spell in the Real Madrid dugout.
GOBB Prediction: 16th
Hull City
Why they’ll be good: It’s hard to pull many, if any, positives from why Hull could be good this season. The playoff winners though have been active in the market, bringing in nine players. But the list is scant, and includes veterans like Matt Targett and Jack Butland.
Why they’ll be bad: Because they were the sixth best team in the Championship last season as points go, and somehow survived the playoff gauntlet without any real impressive angle to their game. This will be a slog.
GOBB Prediction: 20th
Ipswich
Why they’ll be good: Unlike their first time around, Ipswich have strengthened the squad in meaningful areas - centre forward, out wide and in central midfield. If they can gel and hit the ground running, the squad has the bones of being very solid, with a lot of leftovers from their relegation fight two seasons ago.
Why they’ll be bad: Losing Kieran McKenna a month into the summer window unexpectedly is sure to impact things. Gary O’Neil has had his moments in the Premier League, but it’s difficult to be confident in this one being third time lucky for him.
GOBB Prediction: 19th
Leeds
Why they’ll be good: A year extra in the league has afforded them the chance to strengthen - James Trafford is a big upgrade in goal, while Harry Wilson is an X-Factor capable of scoring goals from anywhere. This season is a great chance for them to bed into the Premier League for a long time.
Why they’ll be bad: Daniel Farke has had his detractors and you’d wonder has he hit a ceiling now, having kept Leeds up last year.
GOBB Prediction: 17th
Liverpool
Why they’ll be good: Last season couldn’t have gone any worse in many ways, although they managed to cling onto Champions League football. Now, they enter a new season with a fresh Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz bouncing off the turf after an iffy debut season in England. Andoni Iraola will play a brand of football the fans want to see, that will surely lift the crowd. Rio Ngumoha will also be given a longer leash to shine this season and his various cameos and moments thus far have been utterly mesmerising.
Why they’ll be bad: It’s a big step up for Iraola - can his style translate to a team who, by his own admittance, aren’t fit enough, yet will be playing two and three games a week? It’s a huge step up and fans will need to be very patient. The squad is still very thin, and if they fail to get the likes of Bradley Barcola over the line before the end of the window will be very light in attack. If things don’t spark for Iraola, Liverpool could very well find themselves in a tailspin, especially if the top four race gets stronger.
GOBB Prediction: 6th
Manchester City
Why they’ll be good: Adding Elliott Anderson for a measly €135million adds one of the best midfielders in the Premier League last season. Enzo Maresca is a long-awaited successor to Guardiola, so it should be a seamless transition in terms of style of play and expectations.
Why they’ll be bad: Rodri is still a Manchester City player as of writing, but its looking more and more likely that he’ll leave for La Liga by the end of the window. That’s a Balon d’Or and World Cup winning captain departing, leaving a sizeable hole in the team’s identity. And despite having loads of options in attack, it still seems to reliant on Erling Haaland. They need Foden to rekindle his form of old and guys like Jeremy Doku and Savinho to deliver more output.
GOBB Prediction: 2nd
Manchester Utd
Why they’ll be good: A summer of settlement under Michael Carrick, who’s been given the chance to take the club forward. Youri Tielemans is a great signing in an important area, while last year’s additions, the likes of Bryan Mbeumo and Benjamin Sesko, should all drive on this season.
Why they’ll be bad: Is Carrick really the man to take them forward, or will the revolving door continue if they hit a wall early on this season? They are so reliant on Bruno Fernandes that its about time someone else stepped up to lighten the load, and there may be too much inconsistency in the panel to deliver.
GOBB Prediction: 3rd
Newcastle
Why they’ll be good: It’s all change and Newcastle are back to being up against the world. Eddie Howe has left and you could argue he had found his ceiling at St. James’ Park, and his German replacement Matthias Jaissle brings recent winning pedigree from Saudi Arabia. Bazoumana Touré was one of the most exciting young wingers in Europe last team and could present as a bit of a coup.
Why they’ll be bad: Yikes. Losing Bruno, Sandro Tonali and Anthony Gordon in a single window, without any real incomings, signals a death knell to the Saudi PIF era of Newcastle. They slipped to 12th last season, and that was with the trio they’ve now sold. It could be a grim season under the new manager who has zero experience at this level.
GOBB Prediction: 14th
Nottingham Forest
Why they’ll be good: After some managerial upheaval, plucking Oliver Glasner, fresh off European success with Palace, is a major, major coup for Forest. Elliot Anderson is a loss but they have otherwise stemmed the bleeding - Morgan Gibbs White remains a Forest player, and he was talismanic last year. A 16th finish could easily be improved upon with a talented squad tailored to what Glasner brought forth at Selhurst Park.
Why they’ll be bad: They haven’t replaced Anderson and fans will be asking where that huge windfall is being spent. Evangelos Marinakis is probably the most intrusive owner in the Premier League and as strong as Glasner has been, patience will still be worn thin. If he can’t keep his nose out of things, the Glasner era could well be shortlived.
GOBB Prediction: 9th
Sunderland
Why they’ll be good: Sunderland’s blueprint to buy big last season paid off massively, converting a Championship squad into a decent Premier League one in almost a single window. And several players stepped up to the mark, delivering a Europa League finish. They’ve held onto all of them, so Black Cats fans will be simply looking for more of the usual. An ultra hard team to beat that is tailored to this new era of Premier League football.
Why they’ll be bad: Adding Europa League football after just one season back in the Premier League will have all the concerned connotations of biting off more than they can chew. They’ve been notably quieter in the window, adding just a single player - veteran Thomas Meunier. It could start going south fast, should the squad struggle to maintain last season’s incredible form.
GOBB Prediction: 12th
Tottenham
Why they’ll be good: Really strong market additions. Sandro Tonali is a proper big boy transfer, especially plucking him from Newcastle - like passing ships in the night, its really hard not to see Spurs ascending while Newcastle go in the other direction. Marcos Senesi and Jan Paul van Hecke transforms their defense, while Andy Robertson still has plenty to give and brings almost a decade of impeccable leadership and winning mentality from Liverpool. All the pieces are in place for Roberto De Zerbi.
Why they’ll be bad: It’s still Spurs, and Spursiness is rarely too far away. Several of the squad have been ravaged with injury and Dominic Solanke and Richarlison are unreliable in attack, the former only scoring three league goals last season. €100million on relegated Mateus Fernandes also has all the ingredients for another big priced flop.
GOBB Prediction: 5th
Awards
Player of the Year: Bukayo Saka
Top Scorer: Erling Haaland
Young Player of the Year: Rio Ngumoha
Comeback Player: Marcus Rashford
Signing of the Summer: Youri Tielemans
Manager of the Year: Roberto De Zerbi