With the new Premier League season now underway, Jamie Carragher and Gary Neville have shared their predictions for how the 2026/27 campaign will unfold from the title race and top-four battle right through to relegation, top scorer and the standout new signings and managers to keep an eye on. Here’s a full breakdown of where the two pundits agree, and where they see things very differently.
Title Winners: Both Pundits Back Arsenal
Both Carragher and Neville are fully behind Arsenal to retain their Premier League crown. Carragher explained that his earlier belief Manchester City could challenge for the title was almost entirely tied to Rodri remaining at the club with the Spaniard’s future now uncertain, he no longer sees City as genuine contenders. Neville went further, insisting Arsenal are clear favourites given the quality already in their squad across defence, midfield and attack, with no obvious weak point holding them back.
Top Four: Chelsea’s Lack of European Football Seen as a Major Advantage
Carragher expects Manchester City, Chelsea and Liverpool to complete the top four, though he acknowledges City are the stronger squad on paper the deciding factor, in his view, is the boost a lack of European commitments can give a team, pointing to Manchester United’s experience last season as a comparable example. He does not see Liverpool as genuine top-two contenders or title challengers in their current form.
Neville instead predicts Chelsea, Manchester City and Manchester United to fill the top four. He believes Chelsea’s absence from Europe will allow them to accumulate points at a rapid rate over a lighter 45-match schedule, avoiding the injury toll, travel demands and mental fatigue that come with continental football and, if Enzo Fernandez stays alongside Moises Caicedo and Chelsea’s front three, he expects that advantage to edge them narrowly ahead of City. Neville admits he cannot separate Manchester United and Liverpool for fourth place, though he leans towards City being better positioned than either currently unconvincing side.
Fifth and Sixth: Spurs’ Spending Under Scrutiny
Carragher tips Manchester United and Tottenham to round out the top six. Neville, meanwhile, opts for Liverpool and Brighton, questioning where Tottenham’s heavy summer spending has actually translated on the pitch despite the excitement around new arrivals Savinho and Omar Marmoush. He rates Brighton highly for their consistency and organisation, suggesting that well-drilled sides like Brighton and Brentford could outperform teams still finding cohesion despite greater individual talent.
European Contenders: Brentford Earn Carragher’s Praise
Carragher is a big admirer of Brentford’s style of play and believes their lack of European commitments this season could work strongly in their favour in the race for continental qualification. He rated their win over Tottenham as the standout performance of the week. Neville’s pick for a surprise European push is Tottenham themselves.
Relegation: A Split Verdict on the Promoted Clubs
Carragher predicts Ipswich, Hull and Sunderland to go down. His reasoning for including Sunderland centres on the physical toll of combining European football with a Thursday-Sunday schedule, and he draws a comparison with Sheffield United’s rapid rise and fall under Chris Wilder suggesting Sunderland’s underlying numbers last season were closer to a relegation battle than their final league position suggested, even if he stops short of calling their survival lucky.
Neville takes a starker view, predicting all three promoted clubs Coventry, Hull and Ipswich to be relegated together. He admits he does not have the same confidence in the newly-promoted sides that he held heading into last season, based on what he has seen from them so far.
Relegation Risk: Palace and Fulham Flagged as Vulnerable
Carragher singles out Crystal Palace as a side to watch nervously, pointing to a difficult pre-season including an opening defeat at Everton in which they were unlucky not to take something from the game. Between a new manager unfamiliar with the Premier League, key player departures and continued European commitments, he believes Palace could be in for a scare this season.
Neville instead flags Fulham as a relegation risk, citing their open, high-risk approach and split centre-back setup on show against Chelsea as a gamble that could cost a young squad points over the course of the campaign.
Top Scorer: Unanimous Backing for Erling Haaland
Both pundits are in full agreement here, tipping Manchester City’s Erling Haaland to finish the season as the Premier League’s top scorer.
Impact Signing: Fernandes and Guimaraes Get the Nod
Carragher’s pick is Tottenham’s Mateus Fernandes, who impressed him during his time at West Ham last season enough, in his view, that he expected interest from clubs even higher up the table than Spurs.
Neville has few doubts over his own selection, naming Arsenal’s Bruno Guimaraes as this summer’s outstanding piece of business. He argues that while Arsenal’s starting XI has almost no drop-off to their backup options in any outfield position other than Declan Rice, Guimaraes’ arrival effectively removes that risk by providing genuine cover and competition in Rice’s role. Beyond the football, Neville rates Guimaraes’ personality and self-belief highly, calling him “the best signing by a mile” and pointing out that his reported £75million fee looks like real value compared with several other deals completed elsewhere in the market this summer.
Player to Watch: Two Contrasting Picks
Carragher’s player to watch is Liverpool’s Jeremy Jacquet, who has made only a handful of senior and pre-season appearances so far but has already caught his eye. Carragher believes this could be the first season a young defender alongside Virgil van Dijk is required to take real responsibility, rather than simply playing off the Dutchman’s experience.
Neville’s selection is Chelsea’s Morgan Rogers, though he frames it as much as a challenge as a prediction. Given his reported £120million transfer fee, Neville believes Rogers will need to produce serious numbers in the region of double-digit goals and assists to justify the outlay, and suggests that if he delivers, Chelsea’s push to challenge Arsenal becomes far more realistic.
Manager to Watch: Jaissle and Alonso Named
Carragher has been impressed by Newcastle’s new head coach Matthias Jaissle, describing him as a young, fiery character who has already shown promising signs since taking charge at a major club, following a strong recent performance.
Neville rates Chelsea’s Xabi Alonso as the manager with the clearest path to eventually challenging Mikel Arteta for the title, provided he gets his recruitment right and resolves ongoing issues at goalkeeper and in defence. Neville considers this campaign a critical one for Alonso, arguing that without European football, anything short of finishing second or a strong third with the squad he has built would raise serious questions and stresses that, as the man with final say on Chelsea’s transfer business, Alonso still has time in the coming days to bring in the reinforcements he needs in key areas.
Frequently Asked Questions: Premier League 2026/27 Predictions
Who do Jamie Carragher and Gary Neville think will win the Premier League?
Both pundits have backed Arsenal to retain the title in 2026/27.
Who is predicted to be relegated this season?
Carragher predicts Ipswich, Hull and Sunderland to go down, while Neville believes all three promoted clubs Coventry, Hull and Ipswich will be relegated together.
Who is tipped to be the Premier League’s top scorer?
Both Carragher and Neville have picked Manchester City striker Erling Haaland to finish as the league’s top scorer.
Which new signing has impressed the pundits most?
Neville rates Arsenal’s Bruno Guimaraes as the standout signing of the summer, while Carragher has been impressed by Tottenham’s Mateus Fernandes.
Final Word
While Carragher and Neville are united on Arsenal’s title credentials and Erling Haaland’s goalscoring prowess, their predictions diverge sharply elsewhere particularly over the fate of the three promoted clubs and who will complete the top six. With Chelsea, Newcastle and Tottenham all facing pivotal campaigns under new-look squads and coaching setups, this season looks set to test both pundits’ judgement as much as it does the clubs themselves.
