The key factors determining the Premier League’s early 2026/27 favourites?

The Premier League is back and here we assess the runners and riders for the title this season and which teams could challenge.

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It is that time of year again. The world of football in the UK is ready to explode into life, with leagues open and down the country returning after a long summer of international football. While the World Cup had its fair share of thrills and spills, nothing beats club football, and the Premier League looks set to have one of its most thrilling seasons of all time.

The Big Six - or however many clubs now belong to the club - are breaking transfer records left, right, and centre. Clubs experiencing their first forays into Europe - or first in a long while - are preparing to find out whether their squads can cope with the rigours of dual focus. Newly-promoted teams are assessing if they will be strong enough to survive amongst the big boys.

So, with the Premier League in the early stages of the season, who are the favourites and what is it that’s driving experts and fans alike to back them in great numbers?

For Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal, as has been the case for a number of years now, consistency appears to be what is keeping them high in the consideration. At one online casino in the UK that offers sports odds, they are currently favourites to go back-to-back.

After the Spaniard’s first title as manager in 2025/26, the club has largely been conservative in the market. Piero Hincapie’s loan move is now permanent, and Christos Tzolis has arrived from Club Brugge. Aside from a mooted blockbuster move for Vinicius Junior, Arsenal appear to be sticking and not twisting.

The now Pep Guardiola-less City are second favourites to win their first Premier League title since 2024. They may still have edged Arsenal as favourites had it not been for the Spanish legend’s departure, but they may also have dropped further down the list had it not been for their early transfer business.

It may only be one player that stands out, but getting Elliot Anderson for a record-breaking English fee means that Enzo Maresca now has one of the World Cup’s breakout performers on the books. His performances for England have shown that he can go toe-to-toe with the likes of Declan Rice, which is key given Rodri’s potential departure and increasing injury issues.

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For the red side of Merseyside, it’s not a transfer on the player front that has them third-favourites to reclaim the title that they so timidly surrendered last season. They may not be expected to romp to a title with ease, but their new manager could be what they need to reinvigorate them.

Arne Slot has been replaced of FourFourTwo, overseeing both the magazine and website. James is an NCTJ qualified journalist and began his career as a news reporter in regional newspapers in 2006 before moving into sport a year later. In 2011 he started a six year stint on the sports desk at the Daily Mail and MailOnline. James was appointed editor of FourFourTwo in December 2019. Across his career James has interviewed the likes of Franco Baresi, Sir Alex Ferguson, David Beckham and Michael Owen. James has been a Fulham season ticket holder since the mid-1990s and enjoys watching them home and away, through promotion and relegation.