Arsenal spent three straight seasons finishing second before finally getting over the line last May. Arsenal’s 14th top-flight title, the first of the Arteta era, ended a 22-year wait for the return of the top-flight trophy, that stretched all the way back to Arsène Wenger’s Invincibles.
An ode to that famous team it was not, as Mikel Arteta built that title win on grit rather than spectacle. Arsenal conceded just 27 goals across the campaign: eight fewer (or 23 per cent less) than second-placed Manchester City’s 35 – a club who they then beat 3-0 in the Community Shield this August, with Riccardo Calafiori opening the scoring inside 24 seconds. It extended a run in which Arsenal have still never lost to Manchester City in the fixture’s history.
What bookmakers are expecting
For context, British bookmakers see this title race as pretty clear-cut. Having gone off strong favourites to retain the trophy, a comfortable 3-0 victory over last year’s Championship winners Coventry will only have cemented their position as the ones to beat. With second and third-favourites City and Liverpool both under new management, and neither particularly impressing in their opening fixtures, the temptation might now be to get behind them in the hope that a single week has flattered favourites Arsenal. If you’ve got a stake referral code and are looking for a season-long bet that’s more ‘fingers crossed’ than all-out long-shot, to keep you interested, either could qualify.
At the other end of the table, bookmakers rate all three promoted sides among the likeliest candidates for relegation, a reminder of how difficult life at the top flight has become for newly promoted clubs. Bookmakers got plenty wrong last season though, with the eventual bottom three catching many of the same odds compilers by surprise, so this early market is best read as a guide rather than gospel. After all: in Gameweek 1, Coventry were only beaten away to the reigning champs, and Hull and Ipswich both won.
A season reshaped at the top
Arsenal aside, it’s all-change at the top. Four of the league’s traditional heavyweights are entering the season with a different voice in the dugout to the one that ended the last campaign, which undeniably makes early results harder to predict, and potentially to read, than usual. That includes the biggest name of all: after a decade in charge and 20 major trophies, Pep Guardiola has left Manchester City to be replaced by former Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca.
It could also be the (official) start of a new era for arguably the UK’s two biggest clubs, historically speaking: Liverpool have sacked Arne Slot and turned to Andoni Iraola from Bournemouth, whilst Michael Carrick takes his first full season in charge at Manchester United, after an encouraging interim spell. The latter hasn’t started well, with a 2-0 loss to newly promoted Hull. That won’t have gone down well in India, where Manchester United polled as football fans’ favourite club as recently as 2018.
Meanwhile, Chelsea have appointed Xabi Alonso, fresh from a brief and difficult spell at Real Madrid, to lead one of the youngest squads English football has seen (Chelsea’s average squad age sits at 24.1, nearly a year below second-placed Brentford, according to analysis from GiveMeSport).
Clubs worth watching beyond the usual names
Beyond the traditional top six, Aston Villa and Newcastle show how quickly a promising summer can unravel. Villa’s Europa League triumph and Champions League qualification came at a cost, with Morgan Rogers sold to Chelsea for GBP 117 million and Ollie Watkins left out of a matchday squad short on options up front.
The consequences showed immediately, as Unai Emery’s side were thrashed 4-0 away at Brighton on the opening weekend and reduced to ten men when João Gomes was sent off before half-time. Newcastle’s rebuild has been just as drastic, with midfield engine room Bruno Guimarães and Sandro Tonali both sold this summer alongside several other key departures.
That said, Jaissle’s first game in charge very nearly ended in victory over Liverpool, the club that had signed Newcastle’s own record signing, Alexander Isak, the Magpies leading twice at St James’ Park before Dominik Szoboszlai’s stoppage-time penalty rescued a 2-2 draw. The Guardian’s season preview rates Newcastle’s prospects for 2026-27 as a slide to 17th, down from 12th last time out, a sign of how unsettled this transitional period looks from the outside.
Why this season matters in India
If you’re watching from India, the more consequential story this season might be commercial rather than tactical. JioStar now holds Premier League broadcast rights in India through the 2027-28 season, a three-year deal reportedly worth around GBP 51 million, having taken over from Star Sports following the Disney Star and
Matches stream live on JioHotstar. It’s a modest figure by the league’s own standards, but it signals sustained investment in India as a growth market rather than a one-off rights sale. This is also the first season in which the league bans gambling sponsors from appearing on the front of matchday shirts, following years of pressure over betting’s visibility in the sport, though sponsorship on sleeves and training kits remains permitted.
Either way, it promises to be a season worth following closely from India, not just for the football itself but for how visible that football has become.
Source: www.connectedtoindia.com
