The Premier League is gearing up for an exciting season, teeming with fresh faces both on the benches and the field. Here’s why this season’s kickoff is drawing so much anticipation…
LIFE AFTER PEP
Manchester City stands at the cusp of a new era as Enzo Maresca steps into the managerial role. With Pep Guardiola’s legacy still in the rearview mirror, all eyes are on Maresca to see how he will shape the team’s strategy and maximize player performance.
The ghosts of past transitions hover ominously, as Manchester United and Arsenal famously struggled after the exits of their long-serving managers, Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger. City is eager to avoid a similar fate.
Signs so far have been encouraging—Maresca demonstrated his prowess with a commendable 60% win ratio during his stint at Chelsea, accumulating an average of two points per match until his departure in January 2026.
Enzo Maresca might find himself on edge after his team fell to Arsenal in a lopsided Community Shield matchup.
But last Sunday’s 3-0 drubbing at Wembley by champions Arsenal showed the job he has on his hands. And it wasn’t all smooth sailing at Stamford Bridge. The fans turned against him as they didn’t enjoy his patient football and pressure piled on when the Blues endured disappointing runs.
His playing style focused on slow and intricate football, similar to Guardiola’s. And the City hierarchy had always earmarked him as the man to step into the shoes of a genius.
But can he restore the club to the top after two years without lifting the Premier League – and without Rodri and Bernardo Silva, who have both departed? We shall soon see…
NINE-FIGURE SIGNINGS
Gone are the days of nine-figure transfers being a novelty. There have been three £100+ million transfers this summer already, meaning there are now nine players who have commanded such a fee from a Premier League club.
Elliot Anderson impressed at the World Cup and was set to become the most expensive player in British history, but his deal has since been surpassed by Morgan Rogers’ £117m move from Aston Villa to Chelsea.
Sandro Tonali was the first £100m+ signing of the summer as he joined Roberto De Zerbi’s Tottenham, despite interest from Man City.
And we could be set for an even bigger move, if Liverpool can seal a switch for £145m-rated Bradley Barcola from PSG. The Frenchman is viewed as Mohamed Salah’s replacement, so he certainly has some big boots to fill.
Seeing the new signings suit up for their new teams will be brilliant for their supporters, but they will have some expectations to live up to
Elliot Anderson is one of a number of players to have been signed for huge money this summer
BAD NEWS FOR THE TIME-WASTERS…
This may not excite everyone, but many who were on the receiving end of time-wasting tactics will be pleased. The Premier League announced changes to the laws which will be implemented during the upcoming season.
The biggest change will see a trial introduced to prevent tactical goalkeeper time-outs. It aims to prevent goalkeepers feigning injury to allow outfield players to speak with the manager or slow down the momentum of a match.
As part of the trial, if the game is stopped – or the restart is delayed – for an injury to a goalkeeper, his manager will have 10 seconds to nominate another player to leave the pitch for one minute after play has restarted. If no player has been selected within 10 seconds, the captain must leave the field.
Pro Ref, the organisation that manages match officials for the Premier League, says the trial ‘is designed to address occasions where goalkeeper injuries have been used to disrupt momentum, slow the game down or create opportunities for tactical instruction’.
A manager is unlikely to opt to lose a defender or midfielder for a minute, so in theory when a goalkeeper appears to need treatment, it will be for real.
There will also be a 10-second time limit for players to leave the field when substituted. If the time limit is exceeded, the substitute cannot enter until the first stoppage after one minute has elapsed.
HOW WILL DE ZERBI WORK OUT?
Tottenham have shown a lot of faith in De Zerbi, going on a summer spending spree to avoid another embarrassing campaign.
There was a point last season when it looked like Spurs would actually get relegated, but De Zerbi helped steer them to safety when he was appointed with seven games to go.
Last season, the Italian’s goal was simply to survive. This time, having enjoyed a full pre-season to implement his beliefs and system into the players – and signed Sandro Tonali, Mateus Fernandes, Marcos Senesi, Andrew Robertson and Jan Paul van Hecke, it must be different. The pressure is on.
In a recent pre-season press conference, he said: ‘It’s important to change the habits, because our habits in the last two seasons have been not good in terms of results.’
How Tottenham fare this season under Roberto de Zerbi will be fascinating to watch
RECORDS TO BE BROKEN…
Every season, there are numerous records to be broken and landmarks for players to reach. This season will be no different.
Last year, the focus was on James Milner chasing the all-time appearance record and Max Dowman becoming the youngest Premier League goalscorer.
In 2026-27, Haaland could join Mohamed Salah and Thierry Henry as the only players in history to win four golden boots if he finishes as the league’s top scorer again.
Danny Welbeck (90), Ollie Watkins (91), Chris Wood (92) and Callum Wilson (95) could all join the Premier League 100 Club, while Jordan Pickford only needs two more clean sheets to reach 100 shut-outs.
EUROPEAN FACTOR
Almost half of the teams in the league will be booked with midweek European fixtures alongside Premier League matches. Nine sides are participating in either the Champions League, Europa League or Conference League.
It’s no secret that these matches take their toll on the players, causing a shake-up in the league. The fatigue of opponents who qualify for these European competitions provides an opportunity for the underdogs to pull off a shock result and climb up the table.
Earlier in the year, Arsenal dropped points to newly promoted Sunderland days after beating Slavia Prague 3-0 in the Champions League. Chelsea experienced similar struggles, losing 2-1 to Sunderland at Stamford Bridge three days after thrashing Ajax 5-1.
The Blues won’t have to worry about the European factor this season, as they failed to qualify for any of the three UEFA competitions, having finished tenth in the Premier League in 2025-26. The same goes for Tottenham.
Manchester United on the other hand, are back in Europe. They qualified for the Champions League after finishing third so their calendar will be fuller this campaign. Will it help or hinder them?
Morgan Rogers and Co could benefit from not having to play in Europe this season
UNDERDOG SPIRIT
When Burnley, Leeds and Sunderland were promoted, almost everyone wrote them off immediately. Burnley and Leeds had been considered yo-yo clubs for some time, while Sunderland hadn’t experienced top-flight football in nine years. And the previous two seasons, all three promoted clubs had gone straight back down.
Although Burnley did go down, finishing 19th on 22 points, Leeds and especially Sunderland proved the doubters wrong. Daniel Farke led Leeds to a 14th place finish while Sunderland pulled off a miracle and qualified for the Europa League.
Across the last 10 seasons, 16 of the 30 promoted teams have gone down. Now Hull, Ipswich and Coventry are back in the big time, they too have been written off before a ball has even been kicked. But when the whistle is blown and the ball starts rolling, anything can happen.
In a bid to stay up, both Hull and Ipswich have recruited heavily, with the former signing tricky forward Leon Bailey to bolster their attacking options.
Although Coventry haven’t made as many signings, they arguably completed the best business by tying down manager Frank Lampard. The Englishman signed a deal keeping him at the club until 2029. The Sky Blues have also completed the permanent signing of Carl Rushworth from Brighton, following a very successful loan spell between the sticks.
Matching Leeds’ 14th place finish would be considered a success, but there will be a sliver of hope for these teams that maybe, just maybe, they can emulate The Black Cats’ incredible achievement.
