Arsenal dominance to come? How next season’s Premier League title race could unfold

Arsenal's first Premier League title in 22 years has cemented the Mikel Arteta era. The manager, who took charge in 2019, has been the driving force behind a complete rebuilding of the club — reshaping the squad, the mentality and the philosophy of a side that went from bystander to champion under his leadership.

The 2025-26 season began with enormous expectation following major investment and the assembly of England's strongest squad. It ended with the trophy lifted with a matchday to spare, confirming the depth and quality this group genuinely possesses.

For 2026-27, the mood around Arsenal is more optimistic still. Their two main domestic rivals are facing difficult periods of transition: Liverpool are under pressure and laden with questions, while Manchester City are navigating major upheaval. Chelsea, a potential dark horse, remain deeply uncertain. Tottenham Hotspur — if they avoid relegation — and Manchester United, despite their third-placed finish, are not yet ready to make that step. The stage is set for Arsenal to go even further.

Manchester City in the midst of a major rebuilding process

Pep Guardiola's confirmed departure from Manchester City marks the end of a dominant era, but the rebuilding process at the club has in truth been under way for some time. Many of the iconic figures from the most successful years have already moved on — Kevin De Bruyne, Ederson and Ilkay Gundogan among them. This summer will also bring the confirmed exits of Bernardo Silva and John Stones, with Nathan Ake and Mateo Kovacic potentially following.

Half of the starting lineup that featured in the decisive final stages of this Premier League season consisted of players who arrived at the club within the past 18 months. This is a new generation still learning how to win in sky blue, even as the Premier League title has been missing from the Etihad since 2024.

The arrival of Enzo Maresca,verbally agreed as Guardiola's successor, introduces its own layer of uncertainty. Maresca produced strong work at Leicester City and Chelsea, but inheriting a project of this scale is an entirely different challenge. The transition could go spectacularly well, as Arne Slot's immediate title triumph at Liverpool demonstrated following Jurgen Klopp's departure, even if Liverpool have since collapsed. Or it could demand significant time to settle, which the City Football Group are expected to allow given Maresca's tactical alignment with the outgoing boss.

Liverpool face pressure and unanswered questions

After winning the Premier League in his first season in England, Slot endured a wretched campaign this time around. He has made errors almost everywhere — from questionable tactical decisions to controversial press conference remarks, including questioning the loyalty of supporters and the deeply damaging public fallout with Mohamed Salah in the closing months of the season.

A real sense of rupture was laid bare when Salah took to social media following a 4-2 defeat at Aston Villa. 'Us crumbling to yet another defeat this season was very painful and not what our fans deserve' — he wrote. 'I want to see Liverpool go back to being the heavy metal attacking team that opponents fear and back to being a team that wins trophies. That is the football I know how to play and that is the identity that needs to be recovered and kept for good. It cannot be negotiable and everyone that joins this club should adapt to it.'

Several current Liverpool squad members were reported to have liked the post.

Liverpool's hierarchy, however, intends to keep Slot in post through to the end of his contract next season. He will be expected to unlock the potential of the two most expensive signings in English football history who have yet to truly deliver at Anfield: Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz.

The club will also need further additions. Beyond the Salah departure, Andrew Robertson is leaving, and the squad is short of attacking options. Another year of uncertainty and transition awaits in the north of England.

Chelsea: Alonso appointment could go either way

The decision to appoint Xabi Alonso is an exciting one for Chelsea. The manager who made a lasting impression at Bayer Leverkusen, winning the Bundesliga unbeaten in 2023-24 and ending Bayern Munich's domestic dominance, arrives with his reputation intact despite a brief and underwhelming stint at Real Madrid, where a notoriously difficult dressing room made his task almost impossible.

Alonso has also been appointed with the title of 'manager', a role that extends beyond tactical preparation and matchday decisions to include involvement in transfer planning and wider club operations. He is the first person to hold that position since BlueCo's takeover in 2022.

An squad full of young talent in need of development also suits Alonso's approach, he was, after all, the man who drew the very best out of Florian Wirtz at Leverkusen. The concern is whether Chelsea can retain their few genuine leaders. Enzo Fernandez and Marc Cucurella have reportedly shown interest in moves to Real Madrid and Barcelona respectively. Losing either would be a significant blow and would leave the group even more inexperienced.

The chaotic ownership model, with Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali making key decisions, also represents a structural problem. Alonso's intensive, forward-thinking philosophy requires time and consistency, neither of which can be guaranteed at Stamford Bridge. Playing without Champions League football this season will ease the schedule, allowing a full focus on the Premier League, the same situation that allowed Antonio Conte to win the title in 2016-17. That was, of course, a very different era at Chelsea.

Arsenal ready to maintain and build on their standards

While the questions pile up for their main rivals, Arsenal are in a position of growing certainty. The weight of expectation that came with not having won the title for two decades is gone. The 'bottlers' and 'chokers' jibes that accompanied every stumble have been silenced by the trophy. Things will simply flow more easily at the Emirates from here.

Transformation within the squad could, however, require some time and adjustment next term. The Daily Telegraph has reported that the club may need to make at least one significant sale to balance the books after heavy recent investment, even as they have assembled England's most complete squad, with genuine depth in every area.

Jakub Kiwior's permanent move to Porto should help ease the financial picture, but further departures are on the horizon. The Times has identified Ben White, Gabriel Martinelli, Gabriel Jesus, Leandro Trossard and Christian Norgaard as players whose futures are under review.

Any rebuilding will not be limited to departures. Sky Sports News suggests that new attacking, midfield and full-back reinforcements are all being targeted. Julian Alvarez of Atletico Madrid is one name in the mix, aided by his existing relationship with sporting director Andrea Berta, who oversaw the Argentine's arrival at Atletico from Manchester City.

A forward of that calibre — or similar — is needed. Arsenal's attack was plagued by inconsistency this season from virtually all its members: Martinelli, Trossard, Bukayo Saka, Viktor Gyokeres, Noni Madueke, Martin Odegaard and Eberechi Eze all had spells where they failed to deliver at the required level.

Ultimately, the recovery of those individual players' best form will matter more than any number of new signings. Arteta also has lessons to draw from: the highly physical, set-piece-heavy, low-risk football that pushed Arsenal to the top of the table began to haunt them when their performances collapsed in April and attacking alternatives seemed to dry up entirely. The run of wins over Newcastle, Fulham, West Ham and Burnley — with the Fulham result the most memorable — showed what this team looks like when it plays with more offensive intent. Now that the title has been secured with relative conservatism, perhaps that bolder approach can return.

Arsenal could yet make history in an entirely different competition on 30 May, when they face Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League final. They will not be favourites, but they are entirely capable of becoming European champions for the first time in the club's long history.