Premier League: Key talking points heading into the new 2026-27 season

EXPLAINERPremier League: Key talking points heading into the new 2026-27 seasonMan City, Liverpool and Chelsea all have new faces in the dugout as Arsenal attempt to defend title for first time in 90 years.The 2026/27 Premier League season is set to kick off on August 21 as champions Arsenal host newly promoted Coventry.It has been a busy preseason for many clubs, albeit truncated for some by the World Cup, and as always there are a number of tantalising questions as the new season begins in all its hope and anticipation.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4La Liga: The key talking points for Real Madrid before the 2026-27 seasonlist 2 of 4Can Barca do a ‘three-peat’ or will Real bounce back? La Liga returnslist 3 of 4La Liga: Five key talking points heading into Barcelona’s 2026-27 seasonlist 4 of 4Palestinian club football to restart in September after Gaza war suspensionend of listAl Jazeera outlines the five most compelling storylines ahead of the opening game.Arsenal defend Premier League title for first time since 2005The Gunners go into the campaign as Premier League champions for the first time since their Invincibles era, bringing a different kind of pressure for Mikel Arteta’s squad. The last time the Gunners retained a league title was in 1935.They will also be looking to go one better in Europe after reaching the Champions League final for the first time in 20 years last season, only to lose to PSG.While Leandro Trossard has left for Besiktas, Arsenal have generally kept their squad intact and added to it with some promising signings – buying Bruno Guimaraes from Newcastle, Christos Tzolis from Club Brugge, Illan Meslier on a free transfer, and making Piero Hincapie’s loan permanent. Guimaraes captained Newcastle and adds real leadership, steel and depth to the middle of the pitch.Arsenal had the best defence in the league last year and the best record from set pieces – maintaining these attributes will be key.Perhaps one area of uncertainty remains up front, where a convincing out-and-out striker remains elusive, despite the flashes of promise shown by Viktor Gyokeres and Gabriel Jesus.New faces in the dugoutsManchester City have appointed Enzo Maresca to replace Pep Guardiola, ending a glittering decade under the Catalan. Maresca previously worked as Guardiola’s assistant during City’s treble-winning season and now inherits the job of reinventing a team built entirely around one man’s philosophy. His fortunes may depend significantly on whether City can hold on to key midfielder Rodri amid interest from Barcelona and Real Madrid.