F365’s 2026/27 season predictions: Man Utd win title, Newcastle relegated, Leeds for Europe, Glasner sack

Man Utd will win the title thanks to their ‘steal’ POTY, with pre-season forecasts for Newcastle, Leeds, Alvaro Arbeloa and Bruno Guimaraes.

These are some particularly juicy pre-season predictions, which will from this point henceforth be enshrined to laugh at over the next few months.

 

As is traditional, tell me who will win the league.
Sarah Winterburn: Only the unhinged (this will clearly be positioned just above Johnny’s predictions) would predict anybody other than Arsenal after a summer of stability and no little strengthening through the signing of Bruno G. No team will come within 10 points.

John Nicholson: Manchester United. Not so radical – they were the best team in the league under Carrick. Them’s the facts.

Matt Stead: Arsenal. Phase five is upon us.

Dave Tickner: Said Arsenal last season with little confidence. Saying it this season with my full chest. They were unlucky to come up against those Pep Man City sides when Mikel Arteta first got things right, so now’s the time to really cash in on being the only settled, sorted team among a whole mob of year-one, foundation-stage rebuilds.

Ian Watson: Arsenal. Too much uncertainty around everyone else.

Jason Soutar: I have the same feeling about Chelsea as I did last season and that ended… badly. So I will go with Arsenal.

Lewis Oldham: Arsenal. Stronger with their signings so far and also stable with few unknowns, unlike the chasing pack.

Michael Lee: Arsenal. Been fishing all summer for reasons not to back them and settled on ‘they won’t win it unless they evolve’. The Community Shield soon humbled me, plus their rivals are all shades of shambolic.

Nestor Watach: Arsenal. It felt like only their own neurosis could stop them and now they have that monkey off their back. Everyone else being such an unknown quantity recalls the early years of Pep Guardiola’s Man City dynasty.

Samuel Bannister: Arsenal have to be the favourites, but it’ll be close. I can see parallels with PSG and the Champions League for them – a club that had their eyes on a certain trophy for so long and once they finally cracked it, managed to back it up. And Bruno Guimaraes is the kind of signing you retain titles with. Plenty of proven Premier League quality to make sure they don’t sit still.

 

And the rest of the top four, in order. Which nobody ever gets right.
SW: Should we change this to top five? Anyway, I am going Chelsea (a long way behind), Liverpool and Man City. And I will give you the bonus of Manchester United in fifth.

MS: Cobham Current Gen, Manchester City, Liverpool.

JN: Chelsea, Manchester City, Aston Villa.

DT: Fair f*cks if anyone at all gets anywhere close with this infamously impossible question this year. There’s usually at least a fairly obvious ‘most likely’ top four and still nobody ever gets it right. This year could be anything. Chelsea, Liverpool, City. With almost zero confidence.

IW: Not a clue. If I must: Man City, Chelsea, Tottenham. Ask me again in 10 minutes and the answer will be different.

JS: Chelsea, Man City, Spurs.

LO: Man City. Chelsea. Liverpool. City will probably miss out on the title by a similar margin to last season, Chelsea will do a Manchester United without European football and Liverpool will just pip the Red Devils to fourth.

ML: Chelsea, Manchester City, Liverpool. Could see Spurs sneaking in with a fair wind, but this usually tends to be more predictable than not.

NW: Manchester City. Liverpool. Manchester United. Plus Chelsea in fifth, as that’ll probably get Champions League again. Boring, but we’re overdue a correction and it closely aligning with wage outlay once again.

SB: Liverpool, Manchester City, Chelsea. Isak under Iraola will improve Liverpool from last season and Wirtz will be better too. City will have question marks over them but will carry some momentum from the tail end of the Pep era. And a Europe-free Chelsea should make the most of no distractions.

 

Three picks for relegation please.
SW: Sorry but Ipswich, Coventry and Hull City. Fulham and Crystal Palace intrigue me but I can’t make a case for any of them being worse than that trio.

MS: Hull are gone. Coventry put up a far, far greater fight but they, too, will drop. But Ipswich survive after initiating the Leeds Protocol by signing a load of six-footers. Sunderland get xG’d.

JN: Hull as an obvious one, then Newcastle and Crystal Palace to have new manager collapses.

DT: The promoted teams. You can fear for your Fulhams, your Palaces or even your Newcastles all you want. There isn’t a Sunderland or a Leeds in this promoted crop. It’s just Burnleys.

IW: Ipswich, Hull, Coventry.

JS: Fulham. You have to fear for them, you really do. Ipswich. Rubbish. Hull. Proper rubbish.

LO: Hull City and Ipswich Town are certainties, but I feel Coventry City will be okay with their momentum under Frank Lampard and Fulham will finish 18th.

ML: Sunderland, Coventry and Hull. I feel Ipswich have made tidy signings. Plus, Sunderland will be sidetracked by Europe and drastically overachieved last year.

NW: The three promoted clubs. A return to the grim and concerning emerging norm. It’s hard to see Coventry, Ipswich or particularly Hull bucking the trend like Leeds or Sunderland last season, or a eventually-down-the-plughole situation like a West Ham or Wolves.

SB: Ipswich, Hull and Coventry. Last season stopped the trend of the promoted teams all going straight back down but I fear it’s a step too far for them this time again. Coventry to give it the best shot (I’ll tip Crystal Palace as the existing Prem side to come closest to danger), but they’ll still fall short.

 

Which club will be a pleasant surprise?
SW: Not ‘pleasant’ as a Huddersfield Town fan but I think Leeds United have bought well and could be top eight this season.

MS: Bournemouth and Crystal Palace both finish in the top half.

JN: Leeds United to finish sixth. Good new goalkeeper, centre-back, midfielder and striker.

DT: Always feel this is a delightfully quaint question, a relic of a bygone age where it was possible – encouraged, even – to be happy for a team that isn’t your own. The only actual way teams can be a ‘pleasant surprise’ now is when a Spurs or Man United are alarmingly and hilariously sh*te. Happily for us all, that’s a fate that could befall almost any of the Big Six/Seven/Eight outside Arsenal this season, given the uncertainty that abounds everywhere you look.

But to take the question in the spirit it was intended, you’re probably looking at one of the You Fear For Them clubs turning out to be Absolutely Fine. To do what Brentford did last season, essentially. Palace, because we reckon they’ve got a better manager in than clubs who feel like they’re in a similar boat like Fulham or even Bournemouth or even Newcastle.

Also reckon Chelsea are genuine title contenders for an extended period of time this year, but even with handsome, bearded Xabi Alonso and his handsome beard in tow it’s still just far too much of a stretch to label that ‘pleasant’. And you can argue about the surprise, to be honest. With no Europe to worry about and another summer of vast spending, they should be title contenders really.

IW: Leeds will be surprising if not pleasant.

JS: Chelsea will be a surprise with a top two finish but that’s not exactly ‘pleasant’, is it? Coventry and their 15th place will be a nicer story.

LO: I don’t think Coventry City will finish as high as Sunderland, but they will survive. But I’ll go with Leeds United. All of their signings look really strong and I think they could sneak into the top ten.

ML: Chelsea finishing second would stretch the definition of ‘pleasant’. None of the three Bs qualify after last year. Leeds are Winning the Window, but always seem to do better with lower expectations. So let’s go with Forest getting back into Europe again.

NW: Leeds. They were excellent in the latter half of last season and it appears their summer business has improved Daniel Farke’s squad considerably. A push for the Conference League isn’t unthinkable if everything clicks as it might.

SB: Newcastle. Can’t be as underwhelming as last season, can it? Seems to be a lot of negativity on them at the moment with the players they’ve lost but they’ve brought in some interesting young replacements who might help them move forward. Admittedly, I hadn’t heard of some of those said new young players a couple of months ago, but I still think they’ll get back in the top half.

 

Who will win the Golden Boot?
SW: Daft question. Erling Haaland will win it. Second? Alexander Isak.

MS: Erling Haaland will, silly.

JN: Can’t see why it wouldn’t be Erling Haaland again, though I think Benjamin Sesko will come a good second.

DT: The Goalbot 3000 will, as is standard, have this wrapped up with his traditional ’12 goals in the first nine games’ start on his way to an overall tally nudging 30. But he’s also prohibitively odds-on, which is no fun but must at the very least mean there’s each-way value elsewhere. Especially with Alexander Isak an unconvincing second favourite after such a tough first season at Anfield.

It only needed 16 goals to get an each-way place last season and that feels within the compass of a vast number of players. Don’t hate Matheus Cunha at a three-figure price here, while 80/1 Cody Gakpo could be a fun little runner if you’re willing to take the requisite gamble on a) him making his move to Spurs to be their starting striker and then b) not making a b*llocks of moving to Spurs to be their starting striker.

IW: Erling Haaland.

JS: Who else but Erling Haaland?

LO: Erling Haaland but Alexander Isak will run him close.

ML: Haaland. Sometimes a spade is a spade. But questions will start to be asked whether City would play better as a team without him.

NW: Erling Haaland. Three in four since he arrived and there isn’t really another Premier League goalscorer in the same stratosphere. Has it felt this obvious ever before?

SB: Has to be Haaland.

 

Which new signing will have the greatest positive impact?
SW: Mamadou Sangare is such a massive upgrade on Jordan Henderson at Brentford so he is an option. But in terms of bigger clubs, I think Sandro Tonali will make Tottenham tick and 17th will become a heady seventh.

MS: By definition, James Trafford. Even if last season Lucas Perri received a mention in this section so all new Leeds goalkeeper signings are now automatically cursed. Jeremy Jacquet should also be a vast upgrade on whatever Ibrahima Konate became.

JN: Morgan Rogers feels like the player Chelsea actually need right now.

DT: Christos Tzolis, because, as a simple creature, we always base all our thoughts on the last thing we’ve seen and the last thing we saw was the Community Shield.

IW: Bruno Guimaraes will be great for Arsenal but James Trafford should make a huge difference to Leeds just by not being dicey as f***.

JS: I really like all three of Leeds’ first few signings. Trafford, Wilson and Muharemovic. Them as a collective are my pick.

LO: Sticking with the Leeds United hype, I’ll go with James Trafford. He’s a colossal upgrade on what came before and could finish the season as England’s No.1.

ML: Judging by the discourse, it’ll be Jordan Henderson for pointing and putting the cones out. But I think United will regret not stumping up for Mateus Fernandes.

NW: Tarik Muharemovic has looked extraordinarily good for Leeds in pre-season. Replacing Pascal Struijk ought to be easier said than done, but the Bosnia international looks capable of taking Leeds to another level. Expect him to be linked to Champions League clubs within a year.

SB: I do think they may have paid over the odds for him, but James Trafford will give Leeds the security they’ve been craving in net. It’s a big upgrade for them and could be the perfect platform for him.

 

And which one will turn out to be a massive flop?
SW: I think to be deemed a massive flop you have to have cost quite massive money and that means Elliot Anderson. He’s a runner and a worker but that’s not enough at Manchester City’s level. Not for that frankly ridiculous money.

MS: Gonzalo Garcia. Fulham never do well when spending more than £20m on a player.

JN: Tradition ensures this will be someone Tottenham have signed for a lot of money who has been good at another club. Sandro Tonali fits the bill.

DT: Any of the huge midfielder fees could fall into this category, but our post-Community Shield jerking knee (see above) tells us Elliot Anderson is the most egregious of the many, many eye-watering overspends in the middle of assorted Premier League parks.

IW: Alejandro Garnacho. And I fear for Morgan Rogers with that price tag.

JS: Ronald Araujo is bobbins. Proper bobbins. Can also see Victor Munoz being rubbish. Sorry, Liverpool fans.

LO: Andrey Santos. £50m feels like A LOT.

ML: Elliot Anderson. Not because he’s a bad player, but £116million is extortionate and he may have joined City at just the wrong time.

NW: Morgan Rogers. The second most expensive signing in Premier League history. Really?

SB: He won’t be helped in how he’s judged by the price tag, so Elliot Anderson will be up against it from the get go at Manchester City and I doubt he’ll be convincing enough.

 

Who will be the biggest bloody bargain?
SW: I suspect there might be a few of these but Youri Tielemans for £35m is a steal.

MS: Harry Wilson will continue the proud Leeds tradition of freebies reaching double figures for goals. Sean Steur sets in motion a controversial nine-figure move a couple of years down the line to fund Newcastle 3.0.

JN: Harry Wilson on a free is great business for Leeds and a perfect fit.

DT: Free transfers always feel like a cheat here, but I think Harry Wilson to Leeds can still count because they so obviously wanted him for a reasonable fee last year and have now finally managed to snaffle him for nothing after his best ever season.

IW: As freebies, Harry Wilson or Xaver Schlager.

JS: Harry Wilson at Leeds. So many honourable mentions, though, like Tzolis and Senesi.

LO: Christian Norgaard. A great pick-up by Everton after he was superb for Brentford in 2024/25.

ML: James Trafford. Might be Leeds’ record signing, but he’ll save them a lot of points.

NW: An initial fee of just £16million seems crazily low for Hayden Hackney, given how bonkers the market has otherwise been this summer. Lesser players have moved for twice that.

SB: The market seems so inflated this year it’s hard to sense where bargain territory really is. £35m for Youri Tielemans seems shrewd to me for his quality, but Man Utd might not get much resale value out of him so does it count? If not, I’m trying not to get too swayed by his Community Shield performance but Christos Tzolis at Arsenal. Worse wingers than him will go – or have gone – for more than £34m this summer.

 

Who will be named the PFA Player of the Year?
SW: Not sure anybody would have picked Bruno Fernandes last year so this is tricky to predict but plumping for Guimaraes as he could unlock some creativity in the champions.

MS: World Cup hat-trick scorer Bukayo Saka.

JN: Elliot Anderson looks to be peaking. Young player will be Brian Madjo.

DT: Declan Rice. Being able to play fewer games this season in a better-stocked Arsenal midfield will actually increase the overall impact he can make after ending the World Cup as football’s weariest human.

IW: Declan Rice. Assuming he’s had a holiday.

JS: David Raya.

LO: Typically a player from the champions. So by that math, I’ll go Bruno Guimaraes after he had a good World Cup, should be a great foil for Declan Rice.

ML: David Raya.

NW: There was no one outstanding individual at Arsenal last season. It could be similar this season, but Declan Rice is capable of being the headline-grabber.

SB: Same as my pick for the Golden Boot, presuming he scores a bucketload to get it. Erling Haaland.

 

First manager to leave their Premier League job?
SW: Alvaro Arbeloa at Fulham. It just doesn’t feel quite right.

MS: Feels like the most futile prediction of all after this summer. Sod it – David Moyes.

JN: Sergej Jakirovic.

DT: Sticking with a proven formula and going for Oliver Glasner, because Mr Marinakis. No further explanation is required. It’s just playing the percentages; Nottingham Forest change manager more often than anyone else, even in an era when almost everyone is changing their managers all the time.

There are loads of obvious contenders here, but at most other clubs the relevant decision-makers are at least slightly restricted for a reasonable period of time by a reluctance to be seen to make a crassly early call on a manager. Mr Marinakis, whatever you may think of him, has no such qualms.

IW: Too many newbies to pick an obvious early darter. Matthias Jaissle ought to benefit from low expectations around Newcastle; Diet Pep could be under pressure early at City; but I worry about Fulham, so let’s say Alvaro Arbeloa. And when he gets his Fulham statue, he can thank me.

JS: The bloke from Hull. He is doomed.

LO: Alvaro Arbeloa after a poor couple of months.

ML: Sergej Jakirovic. I’m looking forward to Hull’s owner becoming a Main Character and starting some Greece-Turkey beef with Marinakis.

NW: Sergej Jakirovic has the expendable vibe of a bit-part character you instantly forget in the first 10 minutes of a horror film. And Hull’s owner doesn’t strike as the patient, cool-headed sort.

SB: Regis Le Bris is in the ‘you fear for’ territory for me. Could be the victim of second season syndrome at Sunderland. If anything, he almost did too well in their first season back up and might be under more pressure as their ambitions accelerate.

 

Pick the Champions League winner.
SW: Barcelona. That’s why they bought Rodri.

MS: Pretty simple guess.

JN: PSG will be hard to beat again. It’d be great if it was Como, though.

DT: Arsenal have gone QF-SF-RU in the last three seasons, so there’s obviously only one way this season’s Big Cup can go. That’s right, we’re tipping them for the Premier League-Champions League double; anything less and they are nought but gigantic Fraud McBottlejobs.

IW: Real Madrid.

JS: Arsenal. The science tells us so. Quarter-final exit in 2024, semi exit in 2025, final defeat in 2026. Winners in 2027…?

LO: Would love it to be Jose Mourinho’s Real Madrid, but think PSG again. They’re too good.

ML: Barcelona, if they sign a proper centre-back to play alongside Cubarsi. Otherwise, PSG again.

NW: Barcelona. Rodri is the missing piece for them playing with the total control and domination that served Spain so well at the World Cup.

SB: PSG to make it three in a row. You can see something’s finally clicked for them in Europe and they know how to manage themselves for the big occasions. The three-peat is on.

 

In five words, tell us what you are most excited about this season.
SW: So very many new managers.

MS: An offside penis; not Richarlison.

JN: Montrose In Scottish League One.

DT: Neverending moral panic about corners.

IW: Tottenham Hotspur making Tickers smile.

JS: Keys and Gray’s podcast returning.

LO: Rotherham United maybe winning more.

ML: No VAR in the Championship.

NW: New managers; uncertainty, unpredictability, chaos.

SB: Roma back in the UCL.