Premier League Forum: How good are the promoted teams? Who are the new stars? Will De Zerbi or Carrick be most worried?
Quick summary
A forum piece assessing the three newly promoted teams ahead of the 2026-27 Premier League season, evaluating their squads, standout signings, and which manager faces the toughest relegation fight.
Full article
Attributed to original sourceA place to discuss the main talking points on the opening weekend of the Premier League
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What happened
This Athletic editorial roundtable examines the quality of the three clubs promoted to the Premier League for 2026-27, identifying their key new signings and assessing survival prospects. Roberto De Zerbi and Michael Carrick, both managing promoted sides, are singled out as the managers most likely to feel relegation pressure. The piece weighs the depth of each promoted squad, the impact of summer reinforcements, and the tactical challenges of adapting to top-flight football. It serves as an early-season survival guide, highlighting which promoted clubs look best equipped to stay up and which face the steepest learning curve.
Chance analysis
The promoted-clubs conversation is one of the most reliable barometers of a new Premier League season, and this forum zeroes in on the managers most exposed. De Zerbi and Carrick both arrive with distinct tactical identities — De Zerbi's possession-heavy pressing and Carrick's structured, transitional approach — but question marks over squad depth and top-flight experience are the real concern. Identifying the standout summer signings among the promoted sides gives an early read on which clubs invested smartly in Premier League-ready talent versus those gambling on potential. The relegation dynamic between two high-profile managers adds a compelling narrative thread to track through the opening months of the campaign.
Promoted teams enter 2026-27 viewed with varying degrees of concern, with De Zerbi and Carrick's sides flagged as the most vulnerable to relegation.