Final One Standing: Premier League Preview For 2026/27

This could be one of the most exciting Premier League campaigns in years and Ben Dinnery previews the 2026/27 season ahead of the return of Final One Standing.

Last season produced the tightest league since 1998/99, with just 13 points separating sixth and 16th, and everything points to another hard-fought battle for silverware.

The old hierarchy is already being challenged. Sunderland made an immediate impact following promotion, while Bournemouth, Brighton and Brentford proved that intelligent recruitment and continual improvement can push established clubs out of the European places.

British football also dominated in Europe, with Arsenal reaching the Champions League final and Aston Villa and Crystal Palace lifting continental silverware.

Now the gap could close even further – and Premier League betting markets tend to agree that it could be a campaign to remember.

Smaller clubs are spending wisely and improving, while some traditional heavyweights have serious questions to answer. Liverpool and Manchester United remain vulnerable, while Newcastle, without Eddie Howe at the helm, and several of their big names, have regressed significantly.

That makes this potentially one of the most unpredictable — and difficult — seasons for Final One Standing players.

The margins are shrinking, and the obvious picks may not be quite so obvious anymore. Understanding the data, injuries, team news and underlying performance metrics could therefore be more important than ever.

Maresca Inherits a City Side in Ruins

City supporters may already be missing Pep Guardiola.

The narrative around Enzo Maresca has always been attractive: Guardiola’s former assistant, attempting to recreate elements of his philosophy at Leicester and Chelsea before eventually succeeding him at City.

The reality, however, is considerably less convincing.

His spell at Stamford Bridge should have been viewed as a warning. Despite an enormously talented squad and extraordinary levels of spending, Maresca averaged just 1.74 points per game in the league (Opta)… the worst record of any Chelsea manager to take charge of at least 30 league matches this century!

Now his challenge is arguably even greater.

Two years of questionable recruitment have left the Cityzens’ squad looking like a shell of its former self. Tijjani Reijnders and James Trafford were expensive additions in 2025 but have already moved on. At the same time, Omar Marmoush is also being linked with an exit after struggling to make an impact.

More damaging has been the loss of experience: Rodri has followed the likes of Nathan Aké, John Stones and Bernardo Silva out of the City door, and that is an enormous amount of leadership and quality to replace in such a short period.

The predictive models may still make City strong favourites for another second-place finish, but I am far from convinced. This isn’t simply a managerial change. Maresca has inherited a squad in serious transition, with the foundations of Guardiola’s great side being dismantled around him.

We could be witnessing the beginning of a post-Sir Alex Ferguson-style decline.

Newcastle: Financial Unfair Play?

In recent seasons, Newcastle seemingly have been one of the clubs most capable of disrupting the established Premier League order.

They were difficult to play against, had a distinctive identity, and Eddie Howe was earning plaudits throughout football.

Then came 2025/26.

Some of Magpies’ problems were self-inflicted. Poor tactical decisions and questionable recruitment played their part. But the financial regulations designed to control Premier League spending have also worked against them.

Despite recent success and relatively prudent recruitment, Newcastle have been forced to sell players, making it increasingly difficult to build on their progress.

However, that does not excuse the failures on the pitch.

Newcastle lost momentum after winning the Carabao Cup, struggling to cope with the demands of European and domestic competition. The squad became stretched as key players were lost to the treatment room…

Dan Burn, Fabian Schar, Sven Botman, Tino Livramento and Lewis Hall all had spells out, and that was reflected in the side’s defensive metrics.

Their expected goals conceded increased from 46.33 in 2024/25 — the second-best figure in the Premier League — to 51.32 last season, ranking sixth. Meanwhile, clean sheets collapsed, dropping from third to 16th. Interestingly, though, Newcastle conceded almost the same number of shots: 475 compared with 470.

Opponents weren’t shooting more: they were getting better opportunities.

The departure of Eddie Howe, less than a month before the start of the season, has left the club playing catch-up. The appointment of Red Bull-influenced Matthias Jaissle should appeal to supporters, but he arrives without Premier League experience and with precious little time to implement his ideas.

And then there is the squad.

Bruno Guimarães, Sandro Tonali and Anthony Gordon have gone, while Newcastle are still dealing with the consequences of losing Alexander Isak to Liverpool in the summer of 2025.

Pre-season has done little to ease concerns…

Chelsea’s Financial Gamble

The Blues have spent another colossal amount of money this summer – more than £407 million – but their most important acquisition may be standing in the technical area.

Xabi Alonso arrives with a clearly defined footballing identity, something which Chelsea have lacked for years.

Despite enormous investment, the side’s underlying attacking numbers have deteriorated for three consecutive seasons. Goals have fallen from 77 in 2023/24 to 64 and then 58 last season, while expected goals dropped from 75.27 to 66.53. Big chances created also fell from 95 to just 75.

Defensively, the trend has been similarly concerning.

Put simply: Chelsea have been creating fewer dangerous opportunities while allowing opponents more!

That is why Alonso is such an intriguing appointment.

His success at Bayer Leverkusen wasn’t built purely around possession — and it wasn’t bought with limitless spending. He developed a system capable of manipulating defensive structures, creating space and exploiting it through movement and line-breaking passes. Perhaps most importantly, he demonstrated tactical flexibility.

That could be transformative for a Chelsea squad overflowing with attacking talent but lacking a coherent mechanism for maximising it.

There are already encouraging signs. João Pedro has scored seven goals and supplied two assists during pre-season, while Cole Palmer has benefited from valuable recovery time after the injury problems that disrupted his 2025/26 campaign.

With Manchester City and Liverpool potentially vulnerable, Chelsea could emerge as Arsenal’s biggest title challengers.

Brighton: The Next Bournemouth?

If one club outside the traditional elite is going to make a significant leap, Brighton would be my pick.

Alongside Bournemouth and Brentford, they have become part of a group of exceptionally well-run clubs that continually evolve rather than simply trying to survive.

Brighton finished 2025/26 with seven wins from their final 12 matches and, from Gameweek 27 onwards, were the fourth-best team in the top-flight.

And crucially, the underlying numbers suggest that wasn’t a fluke.

They generated 18.97 xG over that period, the fifth-highest, while their 26 Big Chances ranked joint-fourth. Defensively, they were even better, conceding just 12.82 xG — second to Arsenal (9.96) — allowing only 87 attempts inside the box. The Seagulls were operating at a very high level at both ends of the pitch.

And rather than standing still, Brighton have invested, splashing the cash on six additions over the summer to the tune of more than £120m.

With a favourable opening schedule, the side could be a solid platform, so don’t be surprised if Brighton become this season’s disruptors.

Liverpool’s Problems Won’t Disappear

Andoni Iraola arguably took Bournemouth as far as he could. But Liverpool is an entirely different challenge.

Problems exist throughout the squad, and the rebuild has not matched the scale of the task. Recruitment has missed too often, and Liverpool have lost much of the quality and experience that once made them formidable.

The defence is an immediate concern. The Reds are desperately light at centre-back, relying on the ageing Virgil van Dijk, an injury-prone Joe Gomez, plus Premier League newcomers Jeremy Jacquet and Ronald Araújo.

Then there is the almost incalculable loss of Mohamed Salah. He wasn’t simply a goalscorer. The Egyptian King was their talisman, and now the side needs several of their expensive attacking investments to start justifying their price tags.

The regression is already visible in the numbers.

Liverpool created a league-high 112 Big Chances in 2024/25, scoring 86 times. Last season, Big Chances fell by 28 per cent, and goals dropped to 63 from 59.77 xG.

Defensively, the decline was just as stark.

Fourteen clean sheets became 10, while the goals against column rose by almost 30 per cent. Liverpool conceded more Big Chances and allowed more chances inside the box.

Iraola therefore inherits a monumental rebuilding job, and it may require something approaching a miracle to see Liverpool pushing for honours.

Promoted Teams: Can Any of Them Survive?

Hull are the promoted side I fear for most.

Their promotion was a remarkable overachievement, not the culmination of a Championship team already operating at Premier League level.

According to Opta, the Tigers’ expected output was just 53.1 points — a total that would have made them the second-worst side in the Championship. Instead, they collected 73 and reached the Premier League through the play-offs.

That gap is enormous.

Ipswich give me considerably more confidence.

Their greatest strength is their defence, and historically this is one of the most important ingredients for promoted clubs trying to survive. Ipswich recorded the Championship’s best xG-conceded figure at 46.57 – remarkably close to their actual total of 47 goals against – and that suggests the defensive performance was sustainable rather than fortunate.

Ipswich also possess something their fellow promoted clubs don’t: recent Premier League experience.

Coventry may be the strongest of the three on paper after storming the Championship, but their opening schedule is brutal.

According to Opta’s fixture-difficulty ratings, they face the second-hardest opening five matches, and for a newly promoted team, that matters. Six summer signings should help, but I remain unconvinced by Frank Lampard at this level…

Reputation alone won’t keep you alive in Final One Standing this season. The gap between the Big Six and the chasing pack is narrowing, promoted teams will provide potential traps, and several established clubs enter the campaign with significant question marks.

That means looking beyond the badge… There will be weeks when the safest-looking selection isn’t the smartest one — and others when backing against one of the biggest names could provide the edge. Survival will come down to recognising the difference. Good luck for 2026/27!

*Odds subject to change – prices accurate at the time of writing*