The 2026/27 Premier League season is about to get underway, and there has been no shortage of talking points throughout the summer. Chelsea smashed the British transfer record to sign England international Morgan Rogers from Aston Villa for a whopping £117m, pipping rivals Arsenal to his signature in the process. The Gunners also flirted with the idea of signing Real Madrid superstar Vinicius Jr. before the Brazilian penned a new contract to remain in the Bernabeu, while Manchester City, never one to be outdone in the transfer market, stumped up £116m to sign Elliot Anderson from Nottingham Forest.
Despite missing out on a number of key targets, it remains Arsenal that online betting sites still consider the team to beat. The Gunners ended their 22-year wait for the Premier League title last season as they finally stayed the course and got over the finish line to finish seven points clear of Manchester City. Now, the popular Lucky Rebel Sportsbook makes the defending champions a 6/4 favorite to retain their crown, with City just behind at odds of 3/1.
But being the favorite for the title ultimately guarantees nothing. Last season, we saw a slew of big names fall by the wayside, with outgoing champions Liverpool slumping to fifth while heavyweights Chelsea finished way down in tenth. So, who could follow in their footsteps and underwhelm this season? Let's take a look.
Arsenal, Liverpool, and Chelsea are the favorites.
Arsenal
They may well be the favorites and the defending champions, but anyone who saw Arsenal close out the title last season could clearly see that the Gunners were beginning to falter. After edging out a nervy, last-gasp 2-0 win at home to Everton in April, Mikel Arteta's side moved ten points clear of Manchester City with just seven games to play. Then, they lost at home to Bournemouth and away at City, before Pep Guardiola's Blues won their game in hand away at Burnley to somehow take the lead in the title race.
Arsenal would eventually close it out, but barely. Nervy 1-0 wins against Newcastle as well as the relegated duo of West Ham and Burnley, coupled with City dropping points away at Everton and Bournemouth, were enough to see them over the line, but it became clear to all that the Gunners would need to strengthen and find a reliable source of goals in the off-season if they were to contend again.
That is something they have not done. Newcastle captain Bruno Guimarães is the club's only major addition, while unproven Greek winger Christos Tzolis is a somewhat underwhelming addition after being linked with the likes of Vinicius Jr., Julian Alvarez, and Morgan Rogers all summer long.
Arsenal were overly reliant on set pieces last season, and while the goals did come from corners, free kicks, and penalties, they did also begin to dry up toward the end of the campaign. The front three remains unchanged, with Viktor Gyokeres, Bukayo Saka, and Kai Havertz tasked with scoring the goals required for the Gunners to defend their title, but considering the fact that those three managed just 23 goals between them last term, the request seems like a tall one.
Liverpool
A year ago, it was Liverpool who were the defending champions and the overwhelming favorites to defend their crown. The Reds forked out over £400m as they looked to strengthen their Premier League stranglehold, signing the likes of Alexander Isak, Hugo Ekitike, and Florian Wirtz for eye-watering fees. But their title defense fell apart almost immediately.
Arne Slot's side embarked upon a miserable run of form throughout the fall, losing six games out of seven, and their title was surrendered with a whimper. To make matters worse, both Isak and Ekitike suffered devastating, potentially career-changing injuries, leaving their £200m investment in the two strikers hanging in the balance. Since the end of the season, iconic winger Mohamed Salah has left the club after a slew of damaging media interviews meant he could no longer remain at Anfield, while title-winning manager Slot has also departed, replaced with former Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola.
After last summer's outlay, Liverpool's transfer war chest was heavily depleted. Young defender Jérémy Jacquet and Osasuna winger Víctor Muñoz are the only major additions, but the club is in talks with Paris Saint-Germain to complete a blockbuster deal for explosive winger Bradley Barcola. Still, even if he does arrive, will that be enough for the Reds to compete for the title once again? It seems ambitious.
Last term, there were major defensive concerns, and the departure of Ibrahima Konate on a free transfer to Real Madrid has only added to the woes. At the age of 35, captain Virgil van Dijk isn't the Rolls-Royce of a defender that he once was, and he will need young Jacquet to put his youthful exuberance to good use alongside him at the heart of the defense if Liverpool are to have any hope of righting the wrongs of last term. In attack, Salah's departure remains unaddressed, while the inconsistent Cody Gakpo continues to be the only option on the left wing.
If Gakpo finds his form, Jacquet immediately adjusts to the Premier League, Iraola's tactics translate from a smaller club to a big one, and Barcola arrives and delivers from the get-go, the Reds could have a solid season. Those, however, are a lot of ifs.
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