Arsenal put a 3-0 hammering on Manchester City in the Community Shield last weekend. If that wasn't a statement of intent, nothing is. The Gunners begin the new season as defending champions, heavy favorites, and frankly, the most complete squad in England right now.
Mikel Arteta kept the spine that won the title by seven points last season — Timber, Saliba, and Rice all in the best XI — and then added Bruno Guimarães from Newcastle and Christos Tzolis from Club Brugge on top of that. Gyökeres, Saka, and Martinelli combined for 43 goals across all competitions in 2025-26. The frontline isn't a problem. The squad depth is now genuinely frightening.
The bigger question isn't whether Arsenal can retain the title. It's whether anyone is actually equipped to stop them.
Nine new managers, and none of them are Pep
Pep Guardiola is gone. After a decade at City in which he won everything there was to win, the Spaniard stepped down and has been replaced by Enzo Maresca — a manager with a Championship title with Leicester and a UEFA Conference League and Club World Cup with Chelsea on his CV, but also someone who resigned from Stamford Bridge in January after falling out with ownership. That's not exactly a confidence-inspiring backstory heading into a title challenge.
City aren't alone in navigating a new era. Nine clubs — nearly half the division — start the season under new management. Liverpool have Andoni Iraola in the dugout. Chelsea turned to Xabi Alonso. Newcastle brought in Matthias Jaissle. All three clubs were in the Champions League last season. All three are now asking their squads to adapt to a new voice from day one.
New managers need time. Arsenal, under Arteta for years now, have none of those growing pains. That continuity alone is worth several points over the course of a 38-game season, and it's the single biggest reason their title odds should be respected, not faded.
The relegation picture is already taking shape
West Ham, Burnley, and Wolves are gone. In their place: Coventry City (managed by Frank Lampard, opening away at Arsenal — brutal draw), Ipswich Town, and Hull City, who won the playoff and bring Canadian international Liam Millar with them.
Seven of the last nine promoted teams have gone straight back down. Burnley managed four wins and 22 points last season before dropping — that's the ceiling for an underprepared promoted side in this league.
But the three newcomers aren't the only ones looking nervously over their shoulders. Sunderland finished seventh last season but scored just 42 goals — one of the worst attacking returns in the division — and did nothing meaningful in the transfer market to fix it. Fulham lost Harry Wilson and Raúl Jiménez without replacing either adequately. Finishing 11th with those two; finishing where without them is a legitimate concern. The teams priced as mid-table safe havens in the relegation market might be worth a second look.
Two players who could define their clubs' seasons
Promise David arrives at Brighton on a season-long loan from Belgian side Union Saint-Gilloise, with a £29.7 million purchase option attached. The 25-year-old from Brampton, Ontario scored 41 goals in 82 Belgian league appearances over the last two seasons and carried that form into a solid World Cup with Canada. Brighton have been in the Premier League for nine straight seasons. They finished eighth last year. They know how to develop attackers — and they know when to buy. If David hits the ground running, that option clause gets triggered fast.
At Aston Villa, the name to watch is Johan Manzambi. The 20-year-old Swiss midfielder cost Villa £59.5 million after they watched him dismantle teams in the Europa League — he was named the tournament's young player of the season — and then score three and assist two at the World Cup, helping Switzerland reach the quarterfinals for the first time since 1954. Villa beat Freiburg in the Europa League final and then immediately went back to buy their best player. That's how seriously they're taking this.
Box-to-box, energetic, only 20 — Manzambi is the kind of signing that pays off over five years, not five months. But at this price, Villa need him contributing now.
