Ahead of the 2026-27 English Premier League season, we preview which teams and players whose stocks are worth buying, holding, and selling.
We’re just about two weeks away from the return of the most popular league in the world, when reigning title holders Arsenal will kick off against newly promoted Coventry City in the opening game. With every cycle, the prediction pieces will come out in droves, but this year, we’ve decided to mix it up.
We’ll do away with the traditional “who’ll get top four, who goes down,” and instead we’ll focus on who you should be investing in, which stocks you should hold, and where you need to sell. For each category, we’ll give you both players and teams to keep your eyes on, so make sure you check in for our midseason and end-of-year updates.
Welcome to the Premier League Stock Exchange.
BUY: Tottenham Hotspur
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Starting off with what I think is the most straightforward decision. Spurs finished 17th last season, one of the worst seasons in the club’s history; is there really anywhere to go but up?
Luckily though, that’s not the only rationale. Roberto De Zerbi, for all his man-management flaws, is a PL-proven tactician, and had a full summer to build out his team in the transfer window to mold it in his image. Huge midfield additions in Mateus Fernandes and Sandro Tonali are the headlines, and with no European football to contend with, Spurs could fire themselves right back up the PL table.
Prediction: 6th place
HOLD: Kobbie Mainoo
Photo by Molly Darlington/Getty Images
Saying it’s been an up-and-down 12 months for Kobbie Mainoo would be an understatement. At the beginning of last season, Ruben Amorim refused to utilize the talented midfielder, nearly leading to him leaving Manchester United in January. However, since Michael Carrick took charge, he’s been unplayable for his club and got himself back into the England squad for the 2026 World Cup.
Unfortunately for Mainoo, he experienced a very similar feeling this summer. As the only player in Thomas Tuchel’s squad to not play a single minute, the perception on Mainoo as a player has once again been tainted in my opinion.
But for those who watched his breakthrough and have seen his growth as a player since, you know that under Carrick (and with an improved midfield group), he’s poised to make an immense leap this season. His stocks may still be too expensive to buy, but it’s certainly not the time to sell.
SELL: Sunderland
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This one is painful for me. I was a Sunderland believer from day one last season, and they were undoubtedly the surprise package of the season, qualifying for a European spot when many had them going down.
But it’s those same heights that I think will be their undoing; the European schedule is a ruthless gauntlet, and to this point, they haven’t made sufficient additions to their squad to deal with the increased demand.
I’ll be selling high on Sunderland; I think they’re in for a rough PL season.
Prediction: 14th place
SELL: Declan Rice
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Arsenal’s midfield engine has now logged 60-plus games in all competitions for back-to-back seasons, and while he’s always been a physical monster, the tread on the tires can take a toll on even the best players. Throughout England’s FIFA World Cup campaign, you could tell he was struggling, having to be substituted off on multiple occasions.
Whereas I don’t believe Rice will fall off a cliff this season, one of two things will happen. Either Mikel Arteta continues his trend of being averse to rotation, and Rice is unable to maintain his lofty standards throughout, or his minutes are managed much more carefully, and the addition of Bruno Guimarães will allow him to take a back seat in the middle of the park.
BUY: Leeds United
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Three top signings in James Trafford, Harry Wilson and Tarik Muharemović, combined with the fact that Leeds have retained most of their core from last season, leads me to believe that they’re in for steady growth this season under Daniel Farke. Wilson was Fulham’s best player, and one of Leeds’ biggest issues last season was between the sticks, which they’ve solved with Trafford, who looks to be England’s heir to Jordan Pickford.
After their brilliant second half of the season, Leeds are a very safe stock investment for 2026-27.
Prediction: 10th place
HOLD: Arsenal
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The Champions enter this season with midfield steel added in former Newcastle captain Guimarães, and even though a marquee left wing signing seems to have evaded them, to me they’re still odds-on favorites to walk away with the title.
The only hesitation comes from the minutes issue (see aforementioned sale of Rice stock). William Saliba is set for an extended period on the sidelines, and it’s unclear if more additions are coming for this Arsenal squad. If the season were to start today, though, I’d still have my money on them, so I’ll be holding.
Prediction: 1st place
Other Stock Market Picks 📈📉
📈 BUY
Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images
Mamadou Sangare, Brentford: Super signing, an elegant box-to-box midfielder with tenacious tackling and sumptuous technique.
Iliman Ndiaye, Everton: Some might be low on Ndiaye as his performances post-AFCON dropped off, but he’s still Everton’s main man.
➡️ HOLD
Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images
Ismaila Sarr, Crystal Palace: Sarr will continue to soar for the Eagles after a superb World Cup Campaign.
Manchester United: Michael Carrick’s side are probably still a few signings away from mounting a league challenge, but the midfield additions will keep them in the Champions League places.
Prediction: 3rd place
📉 SELL
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Bournemouth: With their first-ever European campaign on the horizon, the Cherries will have to put up a best-ever season to match their PL campaign from last year. Without Andoni Iraola, freshly minted as the Liverpool boss, they’re in for a tough time.
Prediction: 12th place
Virgil Van Dijk, Liverpool: My bets are on this being the season where we truly see the fall off begin for one of the greatest defenders of this generation. VVD is now 35 and will be going into this season with three new center backs alongside him, and he’ll have his hands full building chemistry with this group.