Arsenal's midfield is now arguably the strongest in the league. Following Rodri's departure to Barcelona from Manchester City, Arsenal capitalised by bringing in Bruno Guimarães from Newcastle. Guimarães, who recorded 46 line-breaking passes last season, slots next to Declan Rice, Martin Ødegaard, and Mikel Merino. Their pre-season results have been a mixed bag, however. While they secured a decisive 4-1 victory against Girona on August 1, 2026, and later blanked Manchester City 3-0 in the FA Community Shield in Cardiff on August 16, they also suffered defeats. A 3-1 loss to Real Betis in Dublin on August 5, 2026, and a 3-2 defeat by Borussia Dortmund at the Emirates on August 9 highlighted defensive gaps. A major concern is the absence of William Saliba, who is sidelined with an injury until November, leaving their backline vulnerable.

Over at Manchester City, the managerial exit of Pep Guardiola has forced a tactical reset. With Enzo Maresca stepping in, the squad faces a steep learning curve, especially after losing key figures like Bernardo Silva and the aforementioned Rodri. City have brought in Elliot Anderson and are reportedly pursuing Enzo Fernández to rebuild the midfield. Maresca recently noted that several core players, including striker Erling Haaland, were late returning to training, with up to nine first-team regulars absent for early tactical sessions.

Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur have taken aggressive approaches to squad building. United moved on from Casemiro and Rasmus Højlund, installing Joshua Zirkzee as their starting forward alongside Marcus Rashford on the left. They also added Andrey Santos and Youri Tielemans to the midfield, and are reportedly targeting David Raum from Leipzig. Spurs, meanwhile, have spent heavily—over £237 million—dropping £100 million on Sandro Tonali and £85 million on Mateus Fernandes. Spurs remain undefeated in five friendlies, though they are still hunting for a clinical finisher, with American forward Folarin Balogun seemingly on their radar to complete their attacking puzzle.

Elsewhere, Crystal Palace faces a grueling schedule after qualifying for the Europa League via their Conference League triumph. They have brought in Dwight McNeil and Takehiro Tomiyasu but lost Maxence Lacroix, who moved to Chelsea. Chelsea themselves have brought in Morgan Rogers and Lacroix, hoping that an absence of European football this season will allow them to bounce back domestically. Meanwhile, Newcastle United, hindered by financial constraints and the loss of their manager, could face a difficult campaign ahead after seeing three main starters exit the club.