RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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The World Cup is in the rearview mirror, and it's time to welcome back European domestic soccer on a weekly basis. The Premier League will enter its 35th season with the start of the 2026-27 campaign. The first match week will begin on August 21 and end on May 30.
Arsenal enters the season as reigning champions for the first time since 2004. We say goodbye to relegated Burnley, West Ham and Wolves and welcome back promoted Coventry City, Hull City and Ipswich Town to the top flight.
As we get set for another year, let's take a look at what to expect during the 2026-27 Premier League season.
New managers in new places
The end of a season always means changes among the managers. The carousel spun for another offseason with Pep Guardiola saying goodbye to Manchester City after a decade; Arne Slot getting sacked after two seasons in charge in Liverpool; and Andoni Iraola moving from Bournemouth to Anfield to replace Slot . Xabi Alonso, fresh off his 34 games in charge of Real Madrid last season, will lead Chelsea after the Blues went through three managers during the 2025-26 season. Alonso's replacement, Álvaro Arbeloa, takes over at Fulham .
Other new bosses this season include Marco Rose (Bournemouth), Pierre Sage (Crystal Palace), Gary O'Neil (Ipswich Town) and Oliver Glasner (Nottingham Forest).
Coventry City's captain Matt Grimes and his team mates lift the Sky Bet Championship trophy. (Photo by Jacob King/PA Images via Getty Images) Jacob King - PA Images via Getty Images
The new kids
Coventry City, one of the founding members of the Premier League, are back after a 25-year absence. Relegated following the 2000-01 season, the Sky Blues dropped as low as League Two before climbing back up the pyramid and winning the Championship in 2025-26. They are managed by Chelsea and England legend Frank Lampard and have spent since the transfer window opened in order to avoid a relegation fight, with Loum Tchaouna and Aurèle Amenda brought in as record transfer signings. USMNT striker Haji Wright features and has scored 45 times over the last three seasons.
Hull City were gone from the Premier League for a decade and spent most of the past nine seasons in the Championship. They were promoted via the playoffs in May and are looking to stay more than two seasons in the top flight after their previous three times in the Premier League. Sergej Jakirović, who was a finalist for Championship Manager of the Year last season, is in his second year with the club. If there is no further strengthening of the roster, the 49-year-old Bosnian may not be long for the job. Matt Targett and Hidemasa Morita were signed as free transfers and former England international goalkeeper Jack Butland joined from Rangers.
Ipswich Town, another Premier League founding member, didn't last long in the Championship following their relegation after the 2024-25 season. The Tractor Boys earned automatic promotion last season after finishing second and are back for their fourth stint in the top division. Also making a return to the top flight is manager Gary O'Neil, who managed Bournemouth and Wolves before replacing Liam Rosenior at Ligue 1's Strasbourg following Rosenior's departure for Chelsea in January. O'Neil replaces Kieran McKenna, who stepped down following the season. Emersonn, Abdul Fatawu, Daizen Maeda were each brought in to strengthen the front line, while Issa Diop, who started five games for Morocco at the World Cup, will reinforce the defense.
Chelsea FC unveil new signing Morgan Rogers at Stamford Bridge. (Photo by Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images) Darren Walsh via Getty Images
Biggest additions
As they typically do, Manchester City and Chelsea were among the clubs spending piles of cash in the transfer market. Morgan Rogers and Elliot Anderson, both members of England's World Cup squad, each drew over £100 million in transfer fees. Rogers went from Aston Villa to Chelsea for £117 million , while Nottingham Forest sold high on Anderson, netting £116 million from Manchester City.
After nearly falling victim to relegation last season, the Spurs are spending what they can to avoid being in that situation again. Sandro Tonali (£92.5m), Mateus Fernandes (£85m), Jan Paul van Hecke (£52m) and Andy Robertson (free) have joined the North London side.
One of the breakout young stars from the World Cup, Switzerland's Johan Manzambi, joined Aston Villa from Freiburg for £52 million. Manchester United added 22-year-old Brazilian midfielder Andrey Santos from Chelsea for £48 million. The Reds also splashed £35 million to bring Youri Tielemans in from Villa.
The World Cup also helped drive other moves, including Ecuador's Piero Hincapié finalizing a deal to remain at Arsenal from Bayer Leverkusen (£34.5m) and Bosnia's Tarik Muharemović going from Sassuolo to Leeds United (£34.1m).
Marc Cucurella of Spain looks at the World Cup trophy after the FIFA World Cup 2026 Final match between Spain and Argentina. (Photo by Catherine Ivill - AMA/Getty Images) Catherine Ivill - AMA via Getty Images
Biggest losses
Barcelona started their shopping early, spending £69.3 million to bring Anthony Gordon in from Newcastle. Another World Cup star, Marc Cucurella, got a move from Chelsea to Real Madrid (£47.5m) while helping Spain win the tournament .
Others saying goodbye to the Premier League include Leandro Trossard (£15.3m - Beşiktaş from Arsenal), Crysencio Summerville (£55m - Al-Hilal from West Ham), Nathan Aké (£7m - Fenerbahçe from Manchester City), Jack Harrison (undisclosed - New England Revolution from Leeds United), Ibrahima Konaté (free - Real Madrid from Liverpool), Bernardo Silva (free - Real Madrid from Manchester City), Casemiro (free - Inter Miami from Manchester United) and Mohamed Salah (free agent - Liverpool)
Alejandro Garnacho (Aston Villa from Chelsea) and André Onana (Trabzonspor from Manchester United) were among those notables going ou...
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