The Premier League kicks off its 2026-27 season on August 21, so here’s a roundup of where the key clubs stand after their preseason business. One theme runs through all of it: this is a midfield-controls-everything era, and who upgraded their midfield versus who bled it dry is doing a lot of the work in deciding who stays in the title race.
Arsenal: the best double-pivot in the league, but the injury cloud won’t lift
Defending champions Arsenal spent big this summer, bringing in Bruno Guimarães from Newcastle to pair with star man Declan Rice — a double pivot that’s elite defensively and just as good on the ball. Bruno Guimarães completed 46 progressive passes past the defensive line last season, top-five in the league. Add captain Martin Ødegaard and Mikel Merino into the mix, and with Rodri gone from Manchester City to Barcelona, the Gunners arguably now have the strongest midfield in the Premier League.
But they’ve only gone 2-2 in preseason, largely because starting centre-back William Saliba has been out injured — and he’s expected to be out until at least November. How quickly Arsenal’s back line can gel without him will heavily shape their start to the season. Bottom line: on paper, as long as they avoid an injury crisis, the Gunners remain serious title contenders.
Manchester City: Pep stayed, but the midfield took a big hit
Pep Guardiola is staying at City, but while World Cup Golden Ball winner Rodri hasn’t officially been announced as leaving, it’s widely assumed his move to Barcelona is a done deal. That’s a real blow to City’s midfield — they’ve brought in Elliot Anderson and are reportedly still pursuing Enzo Fernández, but neither is likely to replace Rodri’s experience and ground coverage in the short term.
After opening preseason with a loss to AC Milan, City beat a K League All-Star XI and Atlético Madrid in a row, with new signing Omar Marmoush impressing against Atlético. But new head coach Enzo Maresca revealed that 8-9 players, including starting striker Haaland, still hadn’t officially reported for preseason training — worth watching whether that affects their start to the season. Bottom line: losing Rodri is a serious blow to City’s midfield, and whether the new coach’s tactics and midfield can fill that void will be their biggest test this season.
Manchester United: midfield overhaul, attack finally settling down
United’s midfield is also getting a major reshuffle — Casemiro is out, replaced by Andrey Santos and Youri Tielemans, reshaping the Red Devils’ engine room. Up front, with Rasmus Højlund gone, Joshua Zirkzee has locked down the starting centre-forward spot, and paired with Marcus Rashford on the left, that should be United’s most stable attacking core this season. United are still reportedly planning to bring in a left-back, with RB Leipzig’s David Raum said to be the target.
In preseason, United have gone unbeaten in four straight. With transfer business still ongoing, it’s too early to judge their season, but whether the new midfield finds chemistry will determine their ceiling.
The rest: Chelsea’s favorable schedule, Newcastle’s relegation worries, Tottenham’s spending spree
After a disastrous season, Chelsea brought in Morgan Rogers and Maxence Lacroix and have looked decent in their last two preseason games, though their situation with Enzo Fernández remains unresolved. The good news: no European football this season, so a favorable schedule gives them a real shot at bouncing back.
Newcastle, hamstrung by financial constraints, lost three key players and even saw their manager walk away in frustration — this could be a relegation battle for them this season.
Tottenham are this summer’s biggest spenders, dropping over £237 million on new signings, with most of the upgrade going into midfield — £100 million for Sandro Tonali and £85 million for Mateus Fernandes. They’ve gone unbeaten in five preseason games too. But their attack’s finishing efficiency still isn’t convincing; reports say they’re in talks with American forward Balogun, who could be the final piece of Tottenham’s attacking puzzle if the move goes through.
Crystal Palace earned a Europa League spot by winning the Conference League, but didn’t spend big this summer — just Dwight McNeil and Takehiro Tomiyasu via trade and free transfer — while losing key defender Maxence Lacroix. With a squeeze on both fronts (domestic and European football), it’s hard to be optimistic about their season.
My take: midfield decides everything, and it’s obvious who upgraded and who bled out
Line all seven clubs up and this season’s Premier League midfield arms race becomes very clear: Arsenal reinforced properly, Tottenham spent big to upgrade — those are the winners of this round. City and United were forced into a rebuild, and whether they stabilize depends on how quickly their new midfields gel. The injury list (Saliba especially) and how fast new signings integrate are the variables most worth tracking over the next few months.