A New Era, A Familiar Face
When the 2026/27 Premier League season kicks off, three of the division's most-backed sides will do so under new management. City, Liverpool and Chelsea all turned to fresh hands over the summer, yet only one of those appointments comes with the kind of inside knowledge that tends to smooth a transition.
Enzo Maresca is not a stranger to the corridors of the CFA. He has been at the club twice before — first as Elite Development Squad manager, where he guided the under-23s to the PL2 title in 2021, and later as part of Pep Guardiola's backroom staff during the Treble-winning campaign. The players know him. By all accounts, they like him. That matters.
The move for Maresca was planned well in advance, and the City hierarchy have no doubt they have employed the right man to continue the club's title-winning spree. Whether that spree resumes this season is another question entirely.
The Arsenal Question
Reigning champions Arsenal sit atop most sportsbooks' lists, and it is easy to see why. Their starting XI is among the best in Europe. But the path to last season's crown was not exactly a procession. It took three seasons of serious challenging before they finally won their first title since 2004, and even then they only crept over the line after City dropped points away at Everton.
City, for their part, were nowhere near their best last season and still carried a genuine title chance into the final weeks. That same undercooked side still collected the FA Cup and the Carabao Cup. The thought of what a fully functioning version might do is enough to keep the summer optimism bubbling.
Lessons From Liverpool
Liverpool's recent trajectory offers a cautionary tale for anyone assuming the champions will simply carry on. After winning the title in 2020 under Jurgen Klopp, they finished 17 points off the pace the following season. Under Arne Slot they won again in 2025, only to end the next campaign 25 points adrift.
Andoni Iraola now takes over a side that has repeatedly discovered how hard it is to defend a crown. Chelsea, with Xabi Alonso in charge, are in a similar state of transition. Both clubs are among the favourites, but both are effectively starting over.
And then there is United, also among the favourites. It is a sentence that requires a steady hand to type without smirking.
Vinicius Jr and the Transfer Chatter
There is also the small matter of the Vinicius Jr talk swirling around Arsenal. The Brazilian is frequently linked with moves elsewhere — a couple of seasons ago it was City. Whether he ends up in north London remains to be seen, but one superstar does not automatically solve the depth issues that can decide a 38-game season.
City have a settled squad, a manager who knows the club inside out, and a rival that needed everything to go right to win one title. The bookmakers might have Arsenal ahead, but the evidence points somewhere else.