Arsenal Take On Life as Champions in a Premier League With Four Real Contenders

Just a few months ago, Arsenal lifted the trophy they had chased for 22 years. Now they have to carry it on their backs. That's how the 2026-27 Premier League season kicks off: with the Gunners as defending champions for the first time in two decades, and with the rest of the league's giants reshuffling pieces to try to knock them off the throne.

This campaign has a different feel to it than recent years. There is no single powerhouse dominating the narrative, but rather four clubs going through very different processes. Manchester City are starting their first season without Pep Guardiola on the touchline. Chelsea spent big in the market again and handed the keys to Xabi Alonso. And Liverpool are trying to rebuild after a title defense that fell well short of expectations, with Andoni Iraola now leading a new cycle. In the middle of it all, Enzo Fernandez and Alexis Mac Allister are once again the Argentines drawing the most attention.

Arsenal: From Chasers to Champions

Mikel Arteta has something almost none of his direct rivals can claim: continuity. The manager is still there, the core of the squad remains intact, and the club strengthened from a position of strength rather than urgency. The arrival of Bruno Guimaraes from Newcastle deepens a midfield that already had Declan Rice, Martin Zubimendi, Martin Odegaard and Mikel Merino, and Christos Tzolis was added to bring more attacking variety.

The champions were, above all, a team that was difficult to break down: they allowed just 27 goals in the entire Premier League and drew a massive advantage from set pieces. William Saliba's injury is the season's first gray cloud for a team that built much of its success from the back. The challenge now is different: after so many years chasing the target, Arsenal can afford to loosen up a bit and add more attacking flair without losing the solidity that took so long to build.

City: Life After Guardiola

Some managers leave behind an era. Pep Guardiola left City after an extraordinary decade, and Enzo Maresca has inherited one of the most demanding jobs in European soccer: carrying forward a project that defined a generation. Guardiola wasn't the only one to go. John Stones and Bernardo Silva joined a list of departures that already included Kevin De Bruyne, Ilkay Gundogan, Ederson, Kyle Walker and Manuel Akanji.

Maresca at least knows the club from the inside: he was part of Guardiola's coaching staff and has already managed in the Premier League. One of the key bets of this new cycle is Elliot Anderson, signed from Nottingham Forest for 116 million pounds, brought in to renew a central midfield that for years relied on Rodri as an irreplaceable piece. The Spaniard's future is in fact one of the hottest topics around the club right now: the Ballon d'Or winner from the 2026 World Cup is being courted by several of Europe's top clubs. On the other side of the ball, Erling Haaland remains the attacking focal point, surrounded by Phil Foden, Rayan Cherki, Jeremy Doku, Antoine Semenyo and Omar Marmoush, while Ruben Dias, Josko Gvardiol, Marc Guehi and Gianluigi Donnarumma hold down the defense.

Chelsea: Xabi Alonso and the Toughest Puzzle to Solve

Of the four contenders, Chelsea offer the fewest certainties. They finished tenth last season, missing out on European competition once again, and went hard in the transfer market in an attempt to change course. Morgan Rogers arrived from Aston Villa for 117 million pounds as the marquee signing, but he wasn't the only addition: Maxence Lacroix, Marco Palestra, Geovany Quenda, Valentin Barco, Emmanuel Emegha, Danny Welbeck and Jordan Henderson also came in.

In that picture, Enzo Fernandez looks like a key piece for balancing the team. One possible lineup imagines a back three of Reece James, Lacroix and Levi Colwill, with Palestra and Chavarria as wing-backs, and Moises Caicedo alongside Enzo in midfield, freeing up the Argentine to push into more advanced areas. Xabi Alonso has already shown in previous jobs how much he values midfielders who can operate at different heights on the field. Chelsea's added advantage is not having to split their energy with European competition: for a new manager, full weeks of training can matter more than people realize.

Liverpool and Iraola: Getting Mac Allister Back

If Arsenal are arriving from a position of stability, Liverpool sit at the opposite end. After winning the 2024-25 Premier League with authority, the Reds turned in a poor title defense: they finished fifth, lost 12 matches and conceded 53 goals. Arne Slot paid for that collapse with his job, and Andoni Iraola arrived at Anfield after three strong seasons at Bournemouth.

Iraola's style is easy to recognize: high pressing, quick recovery of the ball and vertical attacking play. To translate that approach, he needs Liverpool to be strong again through the middle of the park, and that's where Alexis Mac Allister comes in. The Argentine, who was decisive in the 2024-25 title alongside Ryan Gravenberch, couldn't reproduce that level the following campaign. His ability to receive the ball under pressure and speed up circulation is exactly what a team looking to play fast again needs.

Liverpool will also have to learn to live without Mohamed Salah. Florian Wirtz is taking on greater creative responsibility after his first year in England, Alexander Isak is the main attacking reference, and Hugo Ekitike is still recovering from a torn Achilles tendon. At the back, Jeremy Jacquet arrived following Ibrahima Konate's departure, and Ronald Araujo was brought in to add experience alongside Virgil van Dijk, though injuries and squad depth remain a question mark for the entire season.