The Premier League’s 2026–27 summer transfer window closed on September 1, with spending records falling for the second season running as England’s top-flight clubs shelled out roughly £3.46 billion ($4.67 billion). Moreover, nine clubs changed managers over the summer, with three of them from the traditional top six: Andoni Iraola, Enzo Maresca and Xabi Alonso now lead Liverpool, Manchester City and Chelsea respectively.
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Gameweek three closed on Sunday (September 6, 2026) with Arsenal edging Chelsea 2-1 at home — the first round of fixtures since the window shut, and so the first real look at these squads in their finished form. Here is how the traditional top six have started their campaigns.
Arsenal
The defending champions have started strongly under Mikel Arteta, who led the Gunners to their first title since 2003-04 in his sixth full season in charge. Arsenal’s business was mostly outgoing: Gabriel Martinelli, Gabriel Jesus, Leandro Trossard and Christian Norgaard all left. Bruno Guimaraes, signed from Newcastle United, was the marquee arrival, with Ezri Konsa, Christos Tzolis and Ilan Meslier also brought in; Piero Hincapie’s loan was made permanent.
The Gunners have won all three of their opening games — against Coventry City, Aston Villa and Chelsea — conceding once and scoring six, with two goals apiece from Kai Havertz, Martin Odegaard and Bukayo Saka. Arteta will hope his side can sustain that form and defend the title, something only Manchester City have managed since 2009.
Chelsea
Chelsea endured an underwhelming season last time out, missing European qualification after finishing 10th, and there was heavy managerial churn before Xabi Alonso’s appointment. The turnover continued into the summer: 11 new signings arrived, including Morgan Rogers, Maxence Lacroix and Emiliano Martinez, while Enzo Fernandez departed in a big-money deadline-day move to Manchester City. Nicolas Jackson, Marc Cucurella and Liam Delap also left, helping the club turn a net profit on the window.
European qualification is the bare minimum expected of Alonso this season. The opening three matches have been high-scoring: Chelsea have scored eight goals, level with Brighton and Hove Albion, but conceded seven — their defensive frailty already exposed. They beat Fulham and Brighton but lost to Arsenal, and have had less of the ball than their opponents in every match so far, with a season-high possession share of just 46%, in the game they lost.
Chelsea’s goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez
| Photo Credit:
AP
The absence of European football will hit revenue, but it frees Alonso to focus solely on the domestic campaign — useful, given he will also be looking to rebuild his managerial reputation after a difficult spell at Real Madrid. The results so far haven’t matched the ambition, and with the window now shut, he has no more excuses.
Liverpool
Liverpool changed manager too, with Arne Slot sacked at the end of last season and Andoni Iraola appointed in his place. The club were slow to add new faces but lost several big names on free transfers. Mohamed Salah’s departure left a gaping hole on the right of the attack that was never directly filled; Bradley Barcola was instead brought in on the left. Andy Robertson, Ibrahima Konate and Curtis Jones also left, while Jeremy Jacquet and Victor Munoz joined permanently and former Barcelona captain Ronald Araujo arrived on a season-long loan.
The season began poorly, with draws against Newcastle United and Nottingham Forest in the first two matches. But the first game after the window closed brought a turnaround: a 2-0 win over Ipswich Town, and a clean sheet. Record signing Alexander Isak showed glimpses of the form that prompted his signing, and Barcola made his Premier League debut.
With the squad now settled, Liverpool fans will hope Iraola can restore some energy and put the club back in title contention.
Manchester City
Manchester City made deadline-day headlines by equalling the British transfer record to sign Enzo Fernandez from Chelsea, part of a summer in which they were the league’s biggest spenders, laying out £458 million in total. Elliot Anderson, Ayyoub Boudadi and Iliman Ndiaye were the other major arrivals. Rodri’s departure to Barcelona leaves a significant gap in midfield — one of the bigger challenges facing new manager Enzo Maresca.
Manchester City’s Enzo Fernandez with manager Enzo Maresca after being substituted
| Photo Credit:
Reuters
City have made a perfect start, winning all three matches: a come-from-behind 2-1 win over Bournemouth, followed by wins over Crystal Palace and Coventry City.
Maresca will be pleased with the start and will want to maintain it as City look to derail Arsenal’s title defence. Erling Haaland needs to sustain his usual scoring rate, and the new arrivals — Fernandez and Anderson especially — will need to prove themselves quickly if Rodri’s absence is to go unfelt.
Manchester United
Manchester United have not won the league since the end of the Alex Ferguson era, and have cycled through several managers since. This year they have turned to former player Michael Carrick, signed on a two-year contract towards the end of last season.
United were quiet in the transfer market: Carlos Baleba, Youri Tielemans and Andrey Santos were the headline arrivals. Casemiro and Rasmus Hojlund left permanently, while goalkeepers Andre Onana and Altay Bayindir moved out on loan.
Manchester United’s Bruno Fernandes looks dejected after Everton’s Ainsley Maitland-Niles scores their second goal
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Reuters
Their start has been shaky. They lost their opener to newly-promoted Hull City, came from behind to beat Ipswich Town in a seven-goal thriller, and were held 2-2 by Everton. Four points from three games leaves them 11th.
Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham survived a relegation battle last season, scraping to safety on the final day by two points. This is Roberto de Zerbi’s first full season in charge, following the mid-season departures of both Thomas Frank and Igor Tudor last term. Turnover has been heavy: Sandro Tonali arrived from Newcastle United, along with Mateus Fernandes, Omar Marmoush and Andy Robertson, while Cristian Romero, Guglielmo Vicario, Richarlison, Djed Spence and others left.
Tottenham Hotspur’s Mykhailo Mudryk and Omar Marmoush
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Action Images via Reuters
The rebuild has started badly. Spurs lost their opening two matches, conceding five goals, before a goalless draw against Nottingham Forest lifted them out of the relegation zone for now. More worrying still: they are yet to score a goal all season. Unless that changes soon, it could be a long campaign for de Zerbi.
Published – September 08, 2026 03:08 pm IST