Sport
Could an outsider mount an unexpected Premier League title challenge?
The Premier League will be a very different place this season. Pep Guardiola is no longer Manchester City manager. Liverpool have replaced Arne Slot with Andoni Iraola. Chelsea also have a new manager in the shape of Xabi Alonso with Michael Carrick starting his first full season as Manchester United boss.
There’s also Roberto De Zerbi at Tottenham Hotspur who now has the freedom to reshape the North London side in his own image after saving them from relegation last season, not to mention Matthias Jaissle who is expected to officially take over from Eddie Howe at Newcastle United this week.
Arsenal are the only elite-level side heading into the 2026/27 Premier League campaign with any degree of certainty. Last season’s champions have kept together the bulk of their title-winning squad with Mikel Arteta still at the helm of a team almost certain to be in contention again this term.
Otherwise, the top end of the Premier League table could be more open than has been the case for a long time, potentially opening the door for an outsider to mount an unexpected title challenge. The 2026/27 season could be ripe for another Leicester City to come from nowhere and upset the established order.
Picking an outsider to replicate the greatest underdog tale in Premier League history is obviously difficult, but Leeds United are entitled to feel good about their summer business. Harry Wilson has made the move to Elland Road from Fulham with highly rated Bosnian defender Tarik Muharemovic joining and James Trafford expected to sign from Manchester City.
Brentford have landed highly rated midfielder Mamadou Sangare when many expected the 24-year-old to join a more illustrious club from Lens this summer. Sangare could be a significant upgrade on Jordan Henderson who departed to join Chelsea while Jaidon Anthony could be a very shrewd addition from Burnley.
Bournemouth could be competitive again. The Cherries lost Iraola to Liverpool over the summer, but moved quickly to hire former Borussia Dortmund boss Marco Rose as his replacement. Rose will seek to build on the foundations that have been left for him with Bournemouth still renowned for being one of the best run clubs in the division.
Aston Villa might fancy their chances of sustaining a title challenge having kept pace with Arsenal and Manchester City for much of the 2025/26 campaign. However, Unai Emery is facing a significant rebuild of his squad following the exit of Morgan Rogers and Youri Tielemans with Lucas Digne potentially on his way to Paris Saint-Germain.
The Villa Park club acted quickly to bring in Joao Gomes from Wolves and Johan Mazambi from Freiburg after the Swiss attacker caught the eye at the 2026 World Cup. Alejandro Garnacho joined from Chelsea amid questions over the Argentine’s commitment and work ethic.
Emery could feasibly bed in his new signings over the course of the season, but Aston Villa will have Champions League fixtures to clutter their schedule. Will Villa have the depth to sustain a Premier League title challenge while competing at the top level of the European game?
Newcastle United could be classed as outsiders having never won the Premier League. However, Eddie Howe’s shock resignation so close to the start of the season has put the Magpies on the back foot, as has the loss of Sandro Tonali with Bruno Guimaraes and Lewis Hall also interesting rival clubs.
Last season made clear how the gap in quality between the Premier League’s elite and its middle class has narrowed. It’s not beyond the realms of possibility that an outsider could make the leap to challenge some of the favourites with so many teams starting under a new manager or facing a rebuild.
