Top News

20 August 2026

Harry Diamond: Arsenal. The champions are founded on the league’s strongest defence and look far more settled than the chasing pack in a summer when there has been plenty of change across the Premier League.

Ste McGovern: Arsenal. The Gunners are not guaranteed to defend the Premier League crown, but it is certainly hard to identify a side capable of knocking them off top spot.

Ayoob Rahman: Arsenal. Winning successive league titles requires relentless consistency and real mental strength. With the stingiest defence in the division and outstanding squad depth, Mikel Arteta’s team still set the standard.

Mohon Chanda: Manchester City. Arsenal are still a serious threat and City have just lost Rodri, but Manchester City had a fairly poor campaign by their standards last season and still came close to taking the title. I do not think any other side can match their consistency.

Harry Diamond: Arsenal, Manchester City, Liverpool, Chelsea.

Ste McGovern: Arsenal, Manchester City, Chelsea, Liverpool.

Ayoob Rahman: Arsenal, Manchester City, Chelsea, Manchester United

Mohon Chanda: Manchester City, Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea.

Harry Diamond: Coventry City, Ipswich, Hull City. After Leeds and Sunderland went against the trend of promoted clubs going straight back down, I think we will, unfortunately, see that gap return again. I hope I am wrong on this one.

Ste McGovern: Sunderland, Coventry City, Hull City. The Black Cats could decline badly after the highs of last season.

Ayoob Rahman: Ipswich Town, Fulham, Hull City.

Mohon Chanda: Ipswich Town, Hull City, Coventry.

Harry Diamond: Erling Haaland. Unless injury intervenes, a fourth Golden Boot to equal the record feels inevitable.

Ste McGovern: Erling Haaland. Simple as that.

Ayoob Rahman: Joao Pedro. Pedro displayed his clinical edge throughout pre-season with sharp movement inside the penalty area. At the same time, Erling Haaland could find things tougher as City adapt to the loss of key creators such as Rodri and Bernardo Silva.

Mohon Chanda: Once again, it is Erling Haaland. 35 goals minimum.

Harry Diamond: Bruno Guimaraes (Arsenal). It takes a special player to arrive in a title-winning side and improve it further, but I believe Guimaraes can do exactly that. He has a style that naturally wins admirers.

Ste McGovern: Declan Rice (Arsenal). If the midfielder remains fully fit throughout the season, he will be central to their title defence.

Ayoob Rahman: Martin Ødegaard (Arsenal). Ødegaard showed flashes of his very best form during the World Cup and in pre-season. A fully fit captain could be decisive as Mikel Arteta asks even more of him.

Mohon Chanda: Erling Haaland. I expect him to finish as the leading scorer, and not by a narrow margin. Anyone who scores that heavily in a single campaign has to be a major contender for player of the season.

Harry Diamond: This may sound contradictory after selecting a new signing as Player of the Season, but let us focus on value here. Leeds are a genuine aerial threat and have brought in an excellent set-piece specialist in Harry Wilson on a free transfer. The Wales winger should provide plenty of assists.

Ste McGovern: Hayden Hackney to Everton. The Toffees have picked up an exciting prospect for a very good fee.

Ayoob Rahman: Christos Tzolis (Arsenal). The Greek winger instantly underlined his £34 million price tag with two crisp assists in the Community Shield. His direct running and crossing give Mikel Arteta an explosive fresh option in attack.

Mohon Chanda: Ronald Araujo will make Liverpool a strong defensive side once again.

Harry Diamond: Brian Madjo (Aston Villa). The 17-year-old overpowered Paris Saint-Germain in the UEFA Super Cup and could easily have scored a hat-trick. He looks tailor-made for the Premier League.

Ste McGovern: Cesar Palacios (Fulham). The former Real Madrid midfielder appears to be a neat footballer with composure in possession and excellent vision. He could prove to be a bargain.

Ayoob Rahman: Jeremy Monga (Manchester City). Manchester City signed the electric 17-year-old winger after his historic breakthrough in the Championship. His searing pace and fearlessness in one-on-one situations make him a hugely exciting prospect.

Mohon Chanda: Gonzalo Garcia. He is going to score plenty of goals for Fulham.

Harry Diamond: Sergej Jakirović. Hull owner Acun Ilicali has used social media this summer to keep supporters updated on the club’s transfer business. It is certainly unconventional, so perhaps we should expect a quick-trigger reaction if the team make a slow start.

Ste McGovern: Matthias Jaissle. Newcastle are going to struggle this season and their new manager could end up taking the blame before too long.

Ayoob Rahman: Álvaro Arbeloa (Fulham). Moving straight from Real Madrid into a Premier League relegation battle comes with huge risk. If Fulham begin badly, growing pressure from the board could lead to a swift sacking at Craven Cottage.

Mohon Chanda: Sergej Jakirović. The fixture list is difficult and I cannot see them collecting many points early in the season.