Premier League power rankings 2026/27: Chelsea, Spurs to get out of slump, Man City vulnerable image
The Premier League returns on Friday, August 21, when champions Arsenal travel to newly promoted Coventry City to kick off their title defence.
The Gunners ended a 22-year wait for their 14th English title last season, but it's a success that already feels like a little while ago in the mind's eye.
Spain prevailed in the first-ever 48-team World Cup, beating Argentina in last month's final. It means Mikel Merino, Martin Zubimendi and David Raya returned to Arsenal's London Colney training base with World Cup medals added to their collection.
The wider consequences for the Premier League, as often happens after a major tournament, are a condensed period in which to get transfer business over the line.
With the big kick-off upon us, the majority of the teams in England's top flight are still hard at work trying to get deals done with the clock ticking.
Things are frantic. There are parts still to slot into position everywhere you look. It makes it hard to judge who is in the best shape for the season ahead, but we've given it a go.
MORE:Ezri Konsa to Arsenal: Why Arteta wants another centre-back and what's going on at Aston Villa
Premier League Power Rankings 2026
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1. Arsenal (2025/26 league position: 1st)
Arsenal have put together a solid, shrewd window so far. It would have tended towards the spectacular if Vinicius Junior had been pried away from Real Madrid. But Bruno Guimaraes' arrival and the anticipated signing of Aston Villa's Ezri Konsa are both strong "win now" signings with vast Premier League experience. Christos Tzolis enjoyed a superb debut in the Community Shield on the left wing, an important performance as Gabriel Martinelli appears poised to follow Leandro Trossard out of the exit door.
Arsenal played on low margins throughout their title win last season and could certainly do with adding more goals to the team. Retaining the Premier League title is hard; look at Liverpool last season. Nevertheless, the stability at Arsenal, as a number of their rivals are in varying states of flux, underlines their status as the team to beat.
2. Manchester City (2nd)
Moving on after 10 years and 20 trophies under Pep Guardiola will be a transition like no other in English football since Sir Alex Ferguson left Manchester United. City do so on the back of winning both domestic knockout trophies last season, with several excellent players and Erling Haaland fresh from becoming a global superstar at the World Cup.
Enzo Maresca also knows the club from his time as reserve team boss, before joining Guardiola's backroom staff as an assistant. But it's also a vastly changed squad since the one Maresca helped to win the treble in 2022/23. Rodri and **Bernardo Silva'**s departures mean the club-record signing of Elliot Anderson only does part of the work required. There have been hits and misses in the transfer market in a flurry of activity since winter 2025, and director of football Hugo Viana must get the coming couple of weeks absolutely right.
3. Liverpool (5th)
Like City, Liverpool still have work to do before the window shuts and a new manager is in situ. Andoni Iraola's main task will be to unlock last summer's huge outlay. The preseason signs from Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz have been encouraging, and both nine-figure signings must make themselves pivotal in the post-Mohamed Salah era. Victor Munoz and Ronald Araujo will hope to lessen the load on Virgil van Dijk at centre-back.
4. Chelsea (10th)
It shouldn't be hard to improve on Chelsea's shambolic campaign from last time around. Xabi Alonso arguably has as much to prove as his new employers after his Madrid dream turned sour. Alonso still has plenty of stock in terms of being considered one of the most exciting coaches in Europe, and one game per week with no European football should work in his favour.
Morgan Rogers became the most expensive English player in history when he joined from Aston Villa, and him joining Cole Palmer and Joao Pedro in a front three is mouthwatering. It's been a typically busy window, with Jordan Henderson and Danny Welbeck curious acquisitions to quickly lift the experience profile within the Chelsea squad.
Maxence Lacroix, Marco Palestra and Valentin Barco all feel like players who can thrive in Alonso's favoured 3-4-2-1, while Geovany Quenda is simply the sort of exciting young winger Chelsea always sign to mixed results. Andrey Santos, Marc Cucurella and Trevoh Chalobah are the main departures, with all eyes on whether the Blues can keep hold of Manchester City target Enzo Fernandez.
Morgan Rogers Chelsea 22072026
5. Manchester United (3rd)
Michael Carrick enters his first full season in charge of United as the second-longest-serving manager in the traditional big six. After years of waste and folly, United have been pleasingly methodical in the transfer market this summer. Carlos Baleba has been earmarked as the man to complete a midfield refit that already boasts Andrey Santos and Youri Tielemans. Left-back is still an area of need, while Marcus Rashford's reintegration at the other end of the field will be watched with interest.
6. Aston Villa (4th)
Alarm around Villa's prospects for the season ahead is understandable. If Ollie Watkins and Ezri Konsa follow Youri Tielemansand Morgan Rogers out of the door, then the spine of their Europa League-winning team has been torched. However, they did need to lower the overall age of the team, something Matteo Ruggeri replacing Lucas Digne at left-back will help. Joao Gomes and Johan Manzambi are also exciting additions. Unai Emery still needs more options in attack before the deadline.
7. Tottenham (17th)
This projected leap up from last season only means Tottenham would be back towards par after two horrific league campaigns. Roberto De Zerbi was evidently handed the key to the castle when he was persuaded to come in and spare Spurs from relegation last term. The player churn has been vast, and Tottenham got minimal change out of £200m when they brought in Sandro Tonali and Matheus Fernandes to helm a new-look midfield. If the double swoop for Manchester City forwards Omar Marmoush and Savinho comes off, the expenditure will be similarly eye-watering.
Jan Paul van Hecke coming in from De Zerbi's old club Brighton as the loose cannon Cristian Romero joins Atletico Madrid feels like a step in the right direction. England's unlikely World Cup standout Djed Spence might be missed after joining Inter Milan.
8. Bournemouth (6th)
Marco Rose is another highly regarded coach to take charge at the Vitality Stadium. Although it's hard to imagine him quite hitting the heights Andoni Iraola managed, there are plenty of reasons for optimism as Bournemouth tackle European football for the first time in their history. Antonio Silva, Alvaro Rodriguez and Juanlu Sanchez all look like typically smart additions. If Bournemouth manage to keep hold of Alex Scott, Eli Junior Kroupi and Rayan then they'll be primed for another top-half finish.
9. Brighton (8th)
The usual summer feeding frenzy around Brighton has not occurred and Albion look in good shape under Fabian Hurzeler, even if Carlos Baleba finally gets his move to Manchester United. Jan Paul van Hecke is the big defensive departure, but Luka Vuskovic has moved in the other direction from Tottenham (via a loan spell at Hamburg), and Pascal Struijk brings solid Premier League experience at centre-back. Promise David has come in from Union Saint-Gilloise to offset the surprise loss of Danny Welbeck to Chelsea.
Luka Vuskovic Hamburg 03112026
10. Nottingham Forest (16th)
Forest must be looking further north than their low finish last season. That was due to a shambolic first two-thirds of the season that featured three managerial departures. Oliver Glasner coming in after winning trophies at Crystal Palace is a coup. Elliot Anderson has joined Manchester City for £116m, and some of those funds need to be spent. But a settled squad, still with the excellent Morgan Gibbs-White, under an excellent coach, can be a virtue for the Reds.
11. Brentford (9th)
Brentford haven't been in their usual position of trying to ward off big bids for their best players this summer. Jordan Henderson leaving for Chelsea won't have caused too much disquiet, especially with Yehor Yarmolyuk and Mathias Jensen still in the building, alongside star playmaker Mikkel Damsgaard. Mamadou Sangare further boosts the midfield ranks, while Jannik Schuster coming in from Salzburg feels like one of those typical Brentford signings that will just work.
12. Newcastle United (12th)
Anthony Gordon, Sandro Tonali and captain Bruno Guimaraes all leaving in the same summer as manager Eddie Howe looks like nightmare fuel for Newcastle. However, ripping the band-aid off isn't always the worst thing to do. Aladji Bamba, Bazoumana Toure, Sean Steur and Amar Dedic are all younger players who will operate under a manager, Mattias Jaissle, who wants to play high-intensity, vertical football. Lukas Hornicek coming in to take the No. 1 spot ahead of Nick Pope is a change about a year overdue.
13. Leeds (14th)
Like Forest, Leeds climbed impressively away from relegation when it came to the crunch last term. Daniel Farke has secured some eye-catching additions, most notably James Trafford from Manchester City to be the new No. 1 - a huge upgrade - and Harry Wilson, pinched on a free transfer after an excellent season at Fulham. Farke has plenty of good options and Leeds should be comfortably clear of the drop line this time.
14. Crystal Palace (15th)
Palace have the challenge of moving on from Oliver Glasner after a glorious couple of seasons that yielded the FA Cup, the Community Shield and the Conference League. Glasner also brought political complications, with Palace's league form suffering around the time he publicly grumbled about Marc Guehi's departure to Manchester City and confirmed he would leave at the end of last season.
New manager Pierre Sage is also riding high after guiding Lens to the Coupe de France. Fighting on two fronts in the Europa League and Premier League will test all involved, and, after Maxence Lacroix's departure to Chelsea, it feels vital for Palace to be able to repel late interest in Adam Wharton. Oscar Mingueza looks like a steal on a free transfer from Celta Vigo and would mitigate any late move for Daniel Munoz. Dwight McNeil signing on a swap deal, with Brennan Johnson heading to Everton, probably puts both players in more suitable surroundings.
15. Fulham (11th)
Fulham's biggest loss this summer was manager Marco Silva, and Alvaro Arbeloa is a big-name replacement, albeit a man with limited top-level experience after the hospital pass that was his six months at Real Madrid last term. Gonzalo Garcia and Cesar Palacios have come with Arbeloa from the Spanish capital. Shea Charles is a good addition to the midfield, but Raul Jimenez and Harry Wilson's goals will be missed,
16. Everton (13th)
A Groundhog Day of a window. Everton still need a reliable striker and a right-back of any description. Tyrique George and Brennan Johnson will lend more dynamism out wide, with Hayden Hackney and Christian Norgaard bolstering the midfield. It's all fairly uninspiring, and the sense is that Everton must start strongly to avoid the whole thing becoming a slog.
17. Coventry City (1st Championship)
Riding on the crest of a wave after their emotionally charged promotion, Coventry would happily take fourth bottom on their return to the Premier League after a quarter century away. Frank Lampard has built something special in the Midlands; their home games will often feel electric and the likes of Sidiki Cherif and Taiwo Awoniyi should lift the level just enough to get the job done.
Coventry City boss Frank Lampard
18. Sunderland (7th)
Hopefully, Sunderland don't regret the crazy combination of final day events that catapulted them into the Europa League, but it feels possible. An incredibly busy summer prior to their top flight return last year has been followed by one of stasis. Thomas Meunier, the former PSG full-back with his best days in the rearview mirror, is the only notable addition, and speculation over the future of boss Regis Le Bris towards the end of 2025/26, despite everything he had achieved, was not helpful. Granit Xhaka staying was a coup, but the Black Cats really must start well once again.
19. Ipswich Town (2nd Championship)
Ipswich lost one of their main assets when Kieran McKenna stepped down as manager after securing an instant Premier League return. Successor Gary O'Neil has overseen a busy summer in the transfer market, with Julio Enciso, Daizen Maeda, Chuba Akpom and Sasa Lukic among those through the door. It arguably follows the Sunderland model from last season of throwing in lots of new faces to lift the level and create some momentum. Realistically, Ipswich need one of the more established mid-table clubs to have the sort of nightmare West Ham did last season.
20. Hull City (6th Championship)
A wonderful story, but it's hard to see beyond Hull going straight back down. They were nobody's pick to win the playoffs and made the most of playing the final against a Middlesbrough side with their heads spinning following the Southampton spying scandal. A team that often won despite low possession and xG in the Championship will struggle to make those margins work in their favour a division up. Centre-back Nobel Mendy and goalkeeper Konstantinos Tzolakis are the Tigers' biggest buys so far and can expect to be busy.