Premier League 2026-27: Phil McNulty’s Club-by-Club Season Forecast
BBC Sport's chief football writer Phil McNulty has put his neck on the line with his annual club-by-club predictions for the 2026-27 Premier League, and if you're already tinkering with your FPL draft, this is required reading.
How will your club fare? Phil McNulty's Premier League predictions
With nine new managers in the dugout and Arsenal eyeing back-to-back titles for the first time in 22 years, the fantasy fallout is everywhere — from Liverpool's post-Salah rebuild to Chelsea's surprise veteran pivot. Let's get into where McNulty sees the table finishing and what it means for our squads.
Arsenal hold the crown, City in transition
McNulty backs Mikel Arteta's side to retain the crown, pointing to quality everywhere and the confidence of being champions. The Community Shield demolition of Manchester City — with Bruno Guimaraes and Christos Tzolis immediately looking like top-tier additions — should have every FPL manager circling those two names. If Guimaraes is on set pieces and getting into the box, he's a premium-price pick before the August international break, full stop.
City, meanwhile, are starting a new era under Enzo Maresca after Pep Guardiola's exit, with Rodri, Bernardo Silva and John Stones all gone. £116m Elliot Anderson is already through the door, Ayyoub Bouaddi is expected to arrive from Lille, and yes, Haaland is still Haaland. The floor is still high; the ceiling is the genuine question.
Liverpool, Chelsea, United — and the differential watch
McNulty slots Andoni Iraola into the Liverpool hot seat after his Bournemouth work, framing this as the start of the post-Salah era. The good news: Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak now know what Anfield is all about, and potential arrivals like Bradley Barcola and Rio Ngumoha could lift the ceiling. Young centre-backs Jeremy Jacquet and Giovanni Leoni, plus Spain winger Victor Munoz, are flagged as potential breakout types worth a stash on your watchlist.
Chelsea under Xabi Alonso is described as "a bit of a punt" in McNulty's view, but Morgan Rogers and Maxence Lacroix are outstanding additions, and the surprise Henderson-Welbeck veteran combo is "clearly designed to police the dressing room and set the tone." With no European distractions, the fixture run stays clean and the rotation risk drops — quietly one of the more appealing blanks-free schedules in the top flight.
Manchester United under Michael Carrick, finally freed from the Amorim shadow, are tipped for a Champions League return and a trophy. From a fantasy angle, the cleanest read of the lot.
What we're noting in our drafts
Nine new managers means nine new systems, nine new first-XI battles, and roughly forty new differential options we didn't have on our spreadsheets last August. The promoted sides and the early tactical tweaks from the new bosses are where the template-breakers live — keep your pre-season notes open, because the early-season points are won in the margins.