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Built for Daily Grind
July 28, 2026 10 min read
By Ben MacRae, founder of Goal Kick Soccer (authorized soccer specialty retailer since 2001) and head men's soccer coach, 2023 NJCAA national champions. I spend my falls scouting players for a college roster and my off-season buying shirts from adidas and Puma directly, so I read a squad list twice. Once for who can actually play, once for what people will want on their back. Here's my ranked ten, and the kit that goes with each.
The World Cup ended a few weeks ago and the Premier League is already back the weekend of August 21. If you spent June watching players you'd never heard of and now want to follow one for a full season, this is the list. The ten Premier League players to watch in 2026/27, ranked, with the shirt for each and what it costs.
| # | Player & Club | Why He Made the List |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Erling Haaland, Manchester City | Golden Boot winner entering the first season of the post-Guardiola era. |
| 2 | Alexander Isak, Liverpool | Liverpool's record signing, back from a broken leg with Salah gone. |
| 3 | Bukayo Saka, Arsenal | Scored a hat-trick for England in the third-place playoff against France. |
| 4 | Rodri, Manchester City | Golden Ball winner. Watch how often City lose when he doesn't play. |
| 5 | Bruno Fernandes, Manchester United | Player of the Season, now in Michael Carrick's first full campaign. |
| 6 | Martin Ødegaard, Arsenal | Captained Norway through the World Cup and runs the champions' attack. |
| 7 | William Osula, Newcastle United | Handed the No. 10 shirt after Anthony Gordon's £69.3m move to Barcelona. |
| 8 | Johan Manzambi, Aston Villa | Club-record signing asked to replace a £117m player at 20 years old. |
| 9 | Raya, Merino & Zubimendi, Arsenal | Three World Cup winners in one title-defending squad. |
| 10 | Sandro Tonali, Tottenham | The spine of Roberto De Zerbi's rebuild after leaving Newcastle. |
He won the Golden Boot last season and spent June as one of the most-watched players at the World Cup with Norway. What makes this year different is everything around him. Pep Guardiola is gone after ten years, and Enzo Maresca, who was Guardiola's assistant during the treble season, has taken over on a three-year deal. City open at home to Bournemouth. A striker who scores that many goals in one system is the cleanest test of whether the system was ever the point.
The most interesting question in the league. Isak arrived from Newcastle in 2025 as Liverpool's record signing at around £125m, then lost the season to a broken leg in December and didn't play again until April. Liverpool finished fifth and won nothing. Now Mohamed Salah has left on a free, Hugo Ekitiké is still injured, and Andoni Iraola has replaced Arne Slot after taking Bournemouth to sixth and their first European qualification. Isak leads a rebuilt attack essentially alone, for a new manager, in a squad that just spent heavily and got nothing for it. He scored 62 in 109 at Newcastle. Nobody knows which version turns up.
Scored three in one afternoon against France in the third-place playoff, and comes back to a club defending its first league title in 22 years. Arsenal open at home to Coventry City, up after a 25-year absence. Saka is the player I'd point a young winger toward, and not for the goals. Watch what he does in the ten yards before he receives the ball.
Golden Ball winner as Spain took the World Cup, which surprised nobody who has watched him control a game. Here's the coach's version of why he matters: track City's results in the matches he doesn't start. It's the most reliable single-player pattern in the league, and it's about to be tested by a manager who didn't build the side around him.
Voted Player of the Season, and now the constant in Michael Carrick's first full campaign in charge. United open away at promoted Hull City. He is the one United player whose output hasn't depended on which manager is standing on the touchline, which is either reassuring or damning depending on your view of the last five years.
Captained Norway through the tournament and sets the tempo for the champions. Ødegaard is the reason I tell midfielders to watch Arsenal rather than the highlight reels. Most of what he does won't make a clip, and all of it is why the shape holds.
Newcastle sold Anthony Gordon to Barcelona for £69.3m and Sandro Tonali to Tottenham, then handed the vacant No. 10 shirt to Osula after a strong finish to last season. Squad numbers aren't sentimental at that level. A club gives a young forward the 10 when it intends to play him. Watch whether Eddie Howe backs that up in August.
Villa broke their own club record for the 20-year-old Swiss midfielder, signing him from Freiburg, the club Villa had just beaten in the Europa League final. He scored three times at the World Cup. Now he has to replace Morgan Rogers, who left for Chelsea for £117m, in a Champions League season. That £117m broke a record Manchester City had set only three weeks earlier when they paid Nottingham Forest £116m for Elliot Anderson. Two English 23-year-olds above £110m inside a month tells you where the market went this summer, and it leaves a 20-year-old to fill the gap at Villa Park.
Three World Cup winners in one squad, all of whom went straight from lifting the trophy with Spain into a title defense. I'll say the quiet part: a group that played deep into a summer tournament usually starts the season sharp and finishes it empty. Arsenal should be very good until about February. Ask me again after that.
Left Newcastle for a Spurs side that only avoided relegation on the final day, where Roberto De Zerbi is midway through a rebuild that also brought in Andy Robertson and Mateus Fernandes. Tottenham were the most chaotic watch in the league last season. Tonali is the signing meant to fix that, which makes him the most useful barometer of whether any of it is working.
Everything below is counted stock as of today, not a catalog feed. Where a size run has gaps I've said so, because there is nothing more annoying than clicking through to find your size gone.
Saka's Shirt
adidas Men's Arsenal FC 26/27 Home Jersey
$99.99
The only true current season kit in this post, marking 20 years at the Emirates. Full run in stock, small through XL.
Shop Arsenal 26/27
Youth Match Kit
adidas Youth Arsenal FC 26/27 Home Jersey
$79.99
Same 26/27 shirt cut for kids. Youth medium through youth XL, though the YXL is down to two.
Shop Youth Arsenal
Warmup Pick
adidas Men's Arsenal Pre-Match Jersey
$59.99
The Labrum London collaboration the squad warms up in. Lighter than a match shirt, which makes it the better August option.
Shop Arsenal Pre-Match
Title Souvenir
adidas Youth Arsenal Premier League Champions 25/26 Tee
$30.00
For young Gunners who want the title on a shirt. Deepest youth stock on this page at 33 units.
Shop Champions TeeTraining tops, jackets and warmups are in the full Arsenal soccer gear range.
Isak's Shirt
adidas Men's Liverpool FC 25/26 Home Jersey
$70.00
The shirt Isak wears at Anfield, from adidas's return to the club. Small through XL, though XL is down to two.
Shop Liverpool Home
Deepest Stock
adidas Men's Liverpool FC 25/26 Away Jersey
$70.00
White away shirt and our deepest Liverpool line at 25 units, small through 2XL. The safer pick if you are between sizes.
Shop Liverpool Away
Youth Home
adidas Youth Liverpool FC 25/26 Home Jersey
$53.00
The junior version of Isak's shirt. All three youth sizes in stock, 22 units total.
Shop Youth Liverpool
Everyday Wear
adidas Men's Liverpool FC DNA Graphic T-Shirt
$30.00
Cotton tee for fans who want the crest without the jersey price. XL is out, the rest are in.
Shop Liverpool TeeAnthem jackets, scarves and the club ball are in the Premier League range.
Haaland's Shirt
Puma Men's Manchester City Replica Home Jersey
$60.00
Regular fit sky blue, which is the one to get if you will wear it to a watch party rather than play in it. Small through 2XL, but only two or three of each size left.
Shop Man City HomeBest Value
Icon Men's Manchester City Pullover Hoodie
$24.99
Officially licensed hoodie and the deepest single item on this page at 154 units. Small through XL, though XL is thinning.
Shop City Hoodie
Warmup Pick
Puma Men's Manchester City Prematch Jersey
$34.99
What the squad wears into the Etihad before kickoff. Lightweight and moisture wicking, small through 2XL.
Shop City Pre-Match
Under $20
PUMA Men's Manchester City Ftblculture Tee
$14.99
Cheapest club item on this page. Good filler for a birthday or a stocking, small through 2XL.
Shop City TeeBeanies, training tops and more sky blue in the Manchester City jerseys and apparel range.
Osula's Shirt
adidas Men's Newcastle United FC 25/26 Home Jersey
$70.00
Black and white stripes with a shepherd's check detail worked into the edges. Full adult run, small through 2XL, and the deepest adult size run on this page.
Shop Newcastle Home
Away Days
adidas Men's Newcastle United FC 25/26 Away Jersey
$100.00
Green and white, a nod to the club's older away kits. Small through 2XL, with 2XL down to one.
Shop Newcastle Away
Youth Home
adidas Youth Newcastle United FC 25/26 Home Jersey
$53.00
The stripes in junior sizing. Youth medium, large and XL all in stock.
Shop Youth NewcastleYouth training jerseys start at $29.99 in the Newcastle United apparel range.
Manzambi's Club
adidas Men's Aston Villa FC 25/26 Pre-Match Jersey
$70.00
Warmup weight fabric, which makes it the more wearable option in an Iowa August. Full run, small through XL.
Shop Villa Pre-Match
Everyday Wear
adidas Men's Aston Villa FC DNA T-Shirt
$35.00
Claret cotton tee. Large and 2XL are gone, so this is a small, medium and XL buy right now.
Shop Villa Tee
Layer Up
adidas Men's Aston Villa FC DNA Track Top
$70.00
Lightweight track top for cooler evenings. Honest warning: small and medium are all that is left in any depth.
Shop Villa Track TopSee what else is left in the Aston Villa collection.
The Neutral Pick
PUMA Stellar Nitro Ultimate Premier League Match Ball
$150.00
The actual ball all ten of these players will play with this season. FIFA Quality Pro, size 5. The answer if you follow the league rather than a club.
Shop PL Match Ball
For Bruno's Side
adidas Manchester United Home Scarf
$35.00
The official 26/27 supporter scarf in red, white and black. One size, 23 in stock.
Shop United ScarfFor Tonali's Side
Icon Sports Tottenham Rally Reversible Fan Scarf
$29.99
Reversible navy and white, officially licensed. The Spurs option, since we do not carry their match kit.
Shop Spurs ScarfAfter 25 years of selling shirts, the pattern is consistent: people overthink the club and underthink the fit. Here's the short version.
Coach's sizing note: Before you buy a youth XL for a 12- or 13-year-old, hold it against an adult small. On most adidas and Puma club kits the two are close in the chest, but the youth XL is noticeably shorter in the body. If the kid is between sizes and still growing, the adult small usually lasts a season longer, and it's often the cheaper of the two.
We've been an authorized soccer specialty retailer since 2001, carrying adidas, Puma, New Balance, Joma, Diadora, Under Armour and Xara. Every product on this page is real stock, counted today, shipping from our warehouse in Spencer, Iowa. Free shipping on parcel orders over $85, and 30-day returns. Not sure whether to size up for a growing player? Send us their height and current shirt size and we'll tell you which one to order.
Official club jerseys, training tops and fan gear from adidas, Puma and Icon Sports. Youth small through adult 2XL, from $14.99.
Shop Premier League GearThe season opens the weekend of August 21, 2026 and finishes on May 30, 2027. Both the opening weekend and the final matchweek were pushed back a week to make room for the 2026 World Cup. The campaign runs 33 weekend rounds and five midweek rounds.
Around 182 players who featured in the league last season or will feature this season played at the 2026 World Cup, more than any other league. That includes Rodri, who won the Golden Ball as Spain took the trophy, and Arsenal's David Raya, Mikel Merino and Martín Zubimendi.
Coventry City came up as Championship winners, ending a 25-year absence from the top flight. Ipswich Town finished as runners-up and Hull City won the playoff. They replace West Ham United, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Burnley, who were relegated.
Authentic jerseys match what players wear on the pitch: a tighter athletic cut, lighter engineered fabric, and a higher price. Replicas use a regular fit with slightly heavier fabric and heat-pressed rather than bonded badges. For wearing to a game or playing rec soccer, buy the replica.
The PUMA Stellar Nitro Ultimate is the official match ball for the 2026/27 season, built to FIFA Quality Pro standard in size 5. The PUMA Stellar Cup is the training-level replica of the same design, which is the practical choice for backyard and park use.