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.
ALSO READ | Who will seize control of the post-Pep Premier League era?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.ArsenalThe 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.Matchweek 3 ✅ pic.twitter.com/IIM66YqJSU— Premier League (@premierleague) September 7, 2026ChelseaChelsea 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.
