One Burning Question for Every Premier League Club Before the 2026

Rarely has a Premier League season had so much uncertainty surrounding it.

The 2026–27 campaign begins with a record number of new managers, a churn of players which has been similarly prolific and even the fundamental laws of the game being rewritten. Chaos will surely reign across foundations built on these moving sands.

England Women manager Sarina Wiegman tells her players: “Don’t be a question mark on the pitch, be an exclamation mark.” But in this climate of chronic unknowns, it’s tough for anyone in the Premier League to not inspire some sort of query.

Arsenal

Will the Pressure Be Lifted?

New season. Same standard. pic.twitter.com/cfKO59aG1D
— Sports Illustrated FC (@SI_FootballClub) August 16, 2026

The question of whether the freshly crowned champions would retain their hunger was swiftly and insatiably answered during a rampant Community Shield victory over Manchester City. In truth, any team led by a manager with the wild-eyed intensity of Mikel Arteta is unlikely to be lacking enthusiasm. How can you not be lit up by a motivational speaker with access to a lightbulb and extension cable?

The more probing unknown is whether Arsenal will be unburdened by the end of their title drought.

Despite the incessant (and often justified) criticism of the Gunners’ attacking bluntness from open play, this is a roster which should be suited to front-foot soccer. Riccardo Calafiori’s cavalier surges into the box from fullback are a potent weapon to go alongside the skill of a team which includes Bukayo Saka, Martin Ødegaard and Eberechi Eze.

The tension of 22 years and three successive runners-up finishes made large chunks of last season a brutal grind, with a distinct reliance upon set-piece goals and clean sheets becoming a caricature of Arsenal’s campaign. Stricter rules on contact at free kicks and corners as well as William Saliba’s long-term absence could narrow that familiar avenue of success, forcing Arteta to rediscover the free-flowing stuff of the recent past. Will shedding the weight of history help that quest?

Fun fact: The last time Arsenal retained the top-flight title, the Phillips screwdriver hadn’t yet been invented.

Aston Villa

Will Unai Emery’s Magic Be Enough to Overcome So Much Strife?

Unai Emery has been called (endearingly, it would seem) “a monk in a tracksuit” by one of his Aston Villa colleagues, but it will take a divine act to maintain his staggering level of success in the Midlands.

Despite qualifying for the Champions League for a second time in his glorious tenure, the defending Europa League winners have been forced to offload a glut of key personnel from both the playing and coaching staff. The sales of Youri Tielemans and Morgan Rogers have been compounded by Amadou Onana’s devastating ACL injury, leaving Emery with an entire midfield to rejig.

The brilliant Basque has proven capable of overcoming hurdles of any height, but this season’s strife will test his powers to the limit.

Fun fact: Only one Premier League team collectively scored from goals from outside the box last season than just three Aston Villa players managed between them (John McGinn, Morgan Rogers and Emi Buendía racked up 10).

Bournemouth

Can Marco Rose Fill Andoni Iraola’s Shoes?

“Whoa, Marco, it’s going to be difficult,” is the message that Rose has received from “many people” when they realize the daunting act he is following at Bournemouth.

Andoni Iraola shattered multiple club records during his three seasons on the south coast before signing off with Europa League qualification. Rose insists that he is “totally positive” but his struggles with Borussia Dortmund and RB Leipzig don’t inspire a great deal of external confidence.

Fun fact: Bournemouth’s Vitality Stadium only holds around 11,300 spectators but they aren’t the club with the smallest home in the 2026–27 Europa League. Second-tier Portuguese side Torreense, who qualified by winning their domestic cup, play in front of 2,400 fans.

Brentford

Can Igor Thiago Replicate His Scoring Form?

Brentford were denied a European place by goal difference last season, yet Igor Thiago could scarcely be blamed for that. The most prolific Brazilian in Premier League history rattled in a staggering 22 goals for the Bees, more than anyone in the division not called ‘Erling Haaland.’ It’s a remarkable feat not to be diminished, but it’s not quite clear how sustainable that splurge will be.

Eight of Thiago’s goals came from penalties. Spot kicks are a notably volatile statistic which are rarely won with any consistency. Thiago is one of just 11 players in Premier League history to score as many as eight penalties in the same season. His 10 prolific predecessors averaged just 2.1 converted spot kicks in the campaign immediately following their burst of 12-yard goals.

Fun fact: Brentford have finished in the top half of the top flight for two seasons on the spin for the first time since recording back-to-back sixth-place position between 1936–38.

Brighton

Can Conference League Glory Be Achieved?

Lewis Dunk — Brighton will play in Europe for just the second time. | Glyn KIRK/AFP/Getty Images

The Conference League is already five years old and three of its past four winners have one thing in common: they played in the Premier League. Such is the distorted wealth of England’s top flight, its participant in Europe’s third tier club competition is automatically promoted to the status of favorites. Brighton & Hove Albion have already been given the same daunting task despite tough competition from the likes of Atalanta, Getafe and Braga.

Fun fact: Brighton manager Fabian Hürzeler, 33, is younger than 39 players who featured in the 2025–26 Premier League season.

Chelsea

Was the Missing Ingredient Sunderland’s 2010–11 Roster?

Danny Welbeck (left) and Jordan Henderson. — Danny Welbeck (left) and Jordan Henderson will be clubmates again this summer. | Mike Hewitt/FIFA/Getty Images

“You need the right balance of personalities, of maturity stages,” Xabi Alonso argued. “[Players in their] early twenties, early thirties and in between, players in different stages of their careers.”

Chelsea previously operated in one very specific immaturity stage. The youngest roster for the past two Premier League seasons hit the highs of Champions League qualification and Club World Cup glory under Enzo Maresca, while also self-imploding to 10th place under a revolving cast of managers last term. Alonso has managed to convince the similarly changeable ownership that the solution lies in Sunderland’s 2010–11 roster.

Danny Welbeck (35) and Jordan Henderson (36) have both been brought in to marshal the Stamford Bridge crèche from within the plastic ball pit. While each England international offers more than first-hand experience of what the 1990s were actually like, it will be fascinating to see if this latest twist in a typically chaotic transfer strategy bears fruit.

Fun fact: Chelsea’s roster got younger in each of the past five seasons; (27.1 in 2021–22, 25.9 in 2022–23, 23.7 in 2023–24 and 23.6 in 2024–25, 23.5 in 2025–26). Finally there is set to be an aging up.

Coventry City

Can Frank Lampard Translate Success to Top Flight?

Frank Lampard clapping. — Frank Lampard has limited Premier League experience as a manager. | Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC/Getty Images

Coventry City were a dominant force in the Championship. Frank Lampard’s league winners boasted the best record for goals scored and conceded, dominating the underlying numbers while also posting set-piece figures which would make Arsenal blush. Yet, the jump from the second tier to the top of the English soccer pyramid has rarely been so steep—as demonstrated by Lampard’s past managerial struggles at the highest level.

Fun fact: Coventry City’s roster has managed a combined 29 Premier League goals in their entire senior careers. Frank Lampard scored more 34 in England’s top-flight in his first two seasons after turning 30.

Crystal Palace

What Will Maverick Manager Bring?

Crystal Palace are a club painfully familiar with upheaval. Rarely does a summer go by without at least one star player getting poached. But this has been a particularly unsettled few months: Maxence Lacroix followed Marc Guéhi out of the door, while the influential sporting director Dougie Freedman left before manager Oliver Glasner this summer.

Pierre Sage has been given the daunting task of corralling this chaos at what remains the start of his managerial career.

Fun fact: Pierre Sage is the only Premier League manager with fewer than 100 professional matches as a player and manager combined.

Everton

Are European Aspirations Fanciful?

Everton had a horrible end to last season under David Moyes. | Malcolm Couzens/Getty Images

Everton ultimately finished 13th but there was one glorious stretch last spring in which the Toffees were three points adrift of Champions League qualification. “We’re here now, I don't want to step away,” David Moyes declared. Everton wouldn’t so much step away as sprint in the opposite direction, failing to win a single match after the March international break. After a summer window of more consistency—which is both a blessing and a curse for a roster which needs some upgrades—can the Toffees return to the European question?

Fun fact: Everton won as many home games last season in their wildly praised Hill Dickinson venue as West Ham United managed at the loathed London Stadium.

Fulham

Has Marco Silva Taken His Magic With Him?

Marco Silva applauding. — Marco Silva did a subtly brilliant job at Fulham. | Izzy Poles/AMA/Getty Images

During Marco Silva’s four consecutive seasons in the Premier League with Fulham, only one ever-present top-flight club spent less on transfer fees. Yet, in that same period, the Cottagers never flirted with relegation and earned exactly the same points as Tottenham Hotspur, who spent three times as much.

Can Álvaro Arbeloa, a man with more experience of comparing himself to a Spartan warrior than senior management, pull off the same feat?

Fun fact: The last time Fulham embarked upon a top-flight campaign without Marco Silva as manager, they were relegated after winning just five games while Bobby Decordova-Reid topped the scoring charts with five goals.

Hull City

Can Oli McBurnie Make It Big?

Oli McBurnie celebrating. — Oli McBurnie stole the show in the playoff final. | Ben STANSALL/AFP/Getty Images

Oli McBurnie will forever be remembered for his last goal of the 2025–26 season which won Hull City the Championship playoff final against Middlesbrough. However, the Scottish striker scored 17 times in the regular season, accounting for almost a quarter of the team’s total league goals. Only one other top-half team was more reliant upon a single player.

For all the transfers Hull have made this summer, there have been no moves for any new strikers, ensuring the weight of expectation remains firmly on McBurnie’s shoulders. Given his Premier League record reads 13 goals in 96 appearances, that’s a pretty sizable gamble for the Tigers.

Fun fact: Hull City had the second-worst expected goal difference of any Championship team in 2025–26, yet still finished sixth and won the playoffs.

Ipswich Town

Will the Free-Spending Pay Off?

Gary O’Neil has a big job on his hands at Ipswich. | David Rogers/Getty Images

The endless roll call of expensive new signings posing with the Ipswich Town shirt during the busiest summer in the club’s history could be read as an attempt to adequately prepare for life in the Premier League. Alternatively, the promoted Championship runners-up may instead be trying to make everyone forget about when divisive U.K. politician Nigel Farage posed with the club shirt earlier this year.

Whatever the reason for the strategy, Ipswich cannot be accused of thriftiness.

Fun fact: Goalkeeper Kjell Scherpen is set to become the tallest Premier League player of all time should he make his competition debut at 6'9".

Leeds United

Can Second Season Syndrome Be Swerved?

Daniel Farke waving. — Daniel Farke ditched his “trampoline man” tag. | Alex Livesey/Danehouse/Getty Images

“The second year after promotion can be difficult and dangerous,” Daniel Farke warned in that deceptively high voice of his.

A lot fell Leeds United’s way last term to help secure an impressive 14th place after promotion; Dominic Calvert-Lewin produced the most searing hot streak of his career, Farke struck upon a mid-season formation tweak which the rest of the division needed months to decode and set pieces proved to be a super strength.

With Calvert-Lewin’s injury struggles, the tactical ingenuity of other managers and heightened scrutiny on contact at dead balls all new factors to consider, can the fates keep aligning for Leeds in the “difficult and dangerous” second season?

Fun fact: A swollen 45% of Leeds’ Premier League goals last season came from either set pieces or penalties, more than any other club in the entire division.

Liverpool

Can Andoni Iraola’s Style of Play Be Upscaled?

“I would not like to change too much,” Andoni Iraola promised after being appointed as Liverpool manager this summer. Some large sections of the fanbase would perhaps argue otherwise.

The dethroned Premier League champions endured a ruinous campaign, suffering stretches of form so dire they hadn’t been seen since the times of food rationing in the U.K. As Arne Slot was all too willing to explain in public, the Reds simply had no answer to the newly physical demands of England’s top flight, wilting under a torrent of high balls, long throws and set pieces.

Iraola’s Bournemouth embodied the modern virtues of Premier League soccer. Pep Guardiola went as far as to include the Cherries in a list of teams that can “ride the rhythm” of matches which are increasingly about “duels, duels, duels.” Iraola’s greatest challenge will be dragging this Liverpool side, one which spent so much of last season getting pummeled by the frantic rhythm of matches, into the modern day.

There are already concerns about how his pressing style will cope with teams willingly giving Liverpool the ball and preseason has thrown up the question of whether these players are even fit enough to hound with Iraola’s preferred intensity. According to the man himself, the answer is “no.”

Fun fact: After being approached about a potential transfer to Anfield while he was captain of his boyhood side Athletic Club in January 2014, Andoni Iraola wrote a letter to Liverpool to explain why he was rejecting their offer.

Manchester City

How Will New-Look Midfield Come Together?

Elliot Anderson with his hands on his hips. — Elliot Anderson is part of a very expensive midfield rebuild at Manchester City. | Chris Brunskill/Fantasista/Getty Images

Manchester City are not only going into a new season without Pep Guardiola, but they will also be without the key players from the area of the pitch he valued above any other: midfield.

Bernardo Silva, Rodri and Tijjani Reijnders could even be followed out of the exit door by Nico González. At least two of that quartet featured in every Premier League match last season. That is a remarkable level of upheaval for a club which also parted ways with the manager it has had for the past 10 years.

Elliot Anderson, Ayyoub Bouaddi and potentially Enzo Fernández would be a talented, if exceedingly expensive, trio. Yet, they all possess wildly different profiles to the assortment which Guardiola had to work with and lack the experience of their predecessors.

Maresca, despite looking like a sketch of Guardiola someone has done from memory, promised that he would not be a “copy and paste” of his former boss. There will be no issue there. Anything that he would want to have replicated has already been deleted.

Fun fact: Manchester City’s distant and divisive owner Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, deputy prime minister of the United Arab Emirates, attended Santa Barbara Community College, the same alma mater as Katy Perry.

Manchester United

Can Michael Carrick Be a Real Manager?

Everyone knows the stat that Manchester United collected more points than any other Premier League team across the 17 games which Michael Carrick oversaw. There’s no questioning those results, which were achieved against the likes of Arsenal, Manchester City and Liverpool, but the context of those performances is a key factor.

Carrick was operating in entirely unique circumstances for a manager of a modern club. There were no cup games or European fixtures to contend with, just one Premier League match each week, if you were lucky. There was such a large gap between fixtures for one point last season they went on a mini training camp in Dublin.

More than a century has elapsed since United had played so few matches in a season. Carrick will now have to balance all the tactical and technical headaches which he managed last season along with the myriad of additional demands which come with more games in more competitions. Even if their inexperienced manager is up to the task, is United’s squad deep enough to cope with the added demands?

Fun fact: Old Trafford was the first soccer stadium in England to have corporate hospitality boxes, inducting the first prawn sandwich brigade in 1965.

Newcastle United

Can Relegation Be Avoided?

Matthias Jaissle is arriving from Saudi Arabia. | Yasser Bakhsh/Getty Images

“The problem with being a manager,” former Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers once mused, “it’s like trying to build an aircraft while it’s in flight.”

Newcastle have had their motor ripped out and both wings snapped while changing the pilot of a plane that only appears to be veering in one direction.

Of Newcastle’s five most frequent starters last season, three have been sold (Sandro Tonali, Bruno Guimarães and Anthony Gordon)—a transfer strategy which convinced Eddie Howe to also fumble for the exit. Matthias Jaissle and the brood of youthful replacements share a level of promise without any confidence of actual quality.

“Change can be good,” club captain Dan Burn argued. “Can” is the operative word in that half-hearted sentiment.

Fun fact: Newcastle captain Dan Burn only has nine digits after losing the ring finger on his right hand after a fence-climbing accident as a 13-year-old.

Nottingham Forest

How Will the Club’s Two Alphas Mesh?

Evangelos Marinakis (left) and Oliver Glasner. — Evangelos Marinakis (left) and Oliver Glasner will both be vying for control. | Dan Mullan/UEFA/Getty Images (Marinakis), Jon Hobley/MI News/NurPhoto/Getty Images (Glasner)

Two of the most combustible main characters from the Premier League soap opera now find themselves fighting for the same spotlight at the City Ground. Oliver Glasner repeatedly proved how misleading his librarian look is with a series of sharp-tongued public outbursts at the expense of his former employers Crystal Palace last term, while Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis bolstered his well-earned reputation for ruthlessness by cycling through four different managers in the same season.

The last of those coaches, Vítor Pereira, didn’t make it through the summer, with his reward for avoid relegation getting replaced with Glasner. To add an extra dollop of spice, Glasner was manager of the Palace team which was dumped out of the Europa League last season thanks to successful lobbying from Marinakis.

Fun fact: Only one of the previous 18 permanent Nottingham Forest managers has celebrated a second anniversary at the club. Good luck, Glasner.

Sunderland

Will the Strain of Europe Be Too Much?

Sunderland manager Régis Le Bris has already done his homework about the strain of continental competition. “It’s going to be different because, on average, a team who starts in Europe is supposed to lose 10 points in the league,” he reasoned.

If those metrics hold true, Sunderland would be in line for 44 points next season, a tally that would still see them safe in every previous Premier League campaign. Yet, it would be fair to assume that a side which was playing in England’s second tier two years ago may feel the pinch of playing in the Europa League more than the average club.

Fun fact: Régis Le Bris is a keen surfer and spends his down time at home in Lorient, France riding waves. “I won’t be trying it in the North Sea, though!” he has warned.

Tottenham Hotspur

Have Spurs Backed the Right Horse?

When Tottenham were chasing Roberto De Zerbi during the dark days of last season’s relegation battle, reports in Italy claimed that he would be given a level of control over the club akin to Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United. Those claims inspired snorts of derision at the time, but the way that Spurs have ripped up the squad to have it rebuilt in De Zerbi’s image suggest he has some sway.

The expense has been eye-watering—and eyebrow-raising. Is Sandro Tonali worth $133 million? Can West Ham actually believe they got $112 million for Mateus Fernandes?

Tottenham clearly needed a rebuild after successive 17th-place finishes but is committing so heavily on a manager who hasn’t made it to the second year of his past three managerial postings a recipe for sustainable success?

Fun fact: Roberto De Zerbi joined Tottenham in March but has already been in his post longer than nine other Premier League managers.

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