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Arsenal Are Top of the Betting Charts — But the Handicap Market Says Anyone’s Got a Shout

More than 50,000 outright bets are already in for 2026/27, and the Gunners have never been shorter to finally get their hands back on the trophy. We dug into where the money’s going across the title race, the top four, the drop zone, the Golden Boot — and the wildcard handicap market that keeps throwing up shocks.

Arsenal Backed Like Never Before to Retain the Title

Over 50,000 wagers have already landed on the Premier League Outright market, and 34.4% of them have gone the same way — on Arsenal. It’s the clearest sign yet that punters think last season wasn’t a one-off.

bet365’s Steve Freeth said: “Arsenal have finally ended years of being second best by securing the Premier League trophy. Our customers clearly believe that, much like London buses, you wait ages for one only for a second to follow; the Gunners are currently the most backed selection in the outright market.”

Team% of SlipsOdds
Arsenal34.4%6/4
Man City23.4%11/4
Man United13.8%6/1
Liverpool8.9%5/1
Chelsea8.6%9/1
Tottenham4.3%20/1

See here for the latest Premier League outright insights and news.

Top Four Race: Chelsea Getting Backed Big Under Alonso

The scrap for the top four is shaping up to be one of the tightest in years, and Xabi Alonso’s Chelsea are the fans’ pick to be there in May — over 1,700 of the 8,631 bets placed on the market have landed on the Blues.

Team% of SlipsOdds
Chelsea20.32%10/11
Man United18.65%4/7
Man City14.61%2/7
Arsenal12.39%1/8
Tottenham10.89%3/1
Liverpool10.13%4/9

See here for the latest Premier League outright insights and news.

Hull City Backed to Go Straight Back Down

It’s a familiar story for a promoted side — Hull City are priced at just 1/4 to make an immediate return to the Championship, and they’re carrying almost 30% of all relegation market bets.

Team% of SlipsOdds
Hull City28.29%1/4
Ipswich Town15.81%4/6
Newcastle United13.13%20/1
Man City10.87%12/1
Sunderland5.71%11/4
Coventry City5.29%8/13

Haaland Odds-On to Make It Four Golden Boots Out of Five

No surprises at the top of the Golden Boot market — Erling Haaland has claimed the award in three of his four seasons at the Etihad, and 61.83% of all top goalscorer bets have gone his way.

Player% of SlipsOdds
Erling Haaland61.83%4/6
Alexander Isak6.00%9/1
Benjamin Sesko4.25%20/1
Joao Pedro4.20%16/1
Viktor Gyokeres3.96%20/1
Cole Palmer3.85%40/1

Forget the Table — the Handicap Market Says Anyone Can Win It

Fancy something different? The Premier League Handicap market gives every one of the 20 clubs a puncher’s chance, and recent history backs that up.

“Forget world-class players, wage bills and profit and sustainability, history has shown us that any of the 20 clubs can win the Premier League handicap, which is why it’s so popular. Sunderland were the latest side to win with a significant head start, following in the footsteps of Nottingham Forest +47, Aston Villa +32, Brentford +46, West Ham +44 and Sheffield United +52 over the last seven years, with Liverpool +7 sandwiched in between them in 2022 and Manchester City being the last side to win off scratch in 2018. Furthermore, three of the top four teams in the table last season were given starts of 38 or more (Brentford +38, Leeds +43) while Manchester United were given +21. Arsenal start on zero this season with Manchester City and Liverpool given starts of +3 and +7 respectively. Last season’s big underachievers were actually Wolverhampton Wanderers who, despite being given 39 points, still finished bottom, one point behind Arne Slot’s Liverpool.”— Steve Freeth, bet365

How it works: each club is handed a points total at the start of the season — essentially a head start. That handicap gets added to their actual points tally at the end of the campaign, and whoever comes out top wins the market. The team you back has to finish above every other side once the head starts are applied. Here’s how last season’s final handicap table shook out:

TeamHandicapPointsTotal
Sunderland+5254106
Manchester United+217192
Brentford+385391
Leeds United+434790
Bournemouth+325789
Arsenal+38588
Aston Villa+226587
Fulham+335285
Everton+334982
Manchester City+37881
Brighton+275380
Crystal Palace+334578
Nottingham Forest+324476
West Ham United+353974
Burnley+512273
Chelsea+125264
Newcastle United+154964
Tottenham+224163
Liverpool06060
Wolves+392059

See here for the latest Premier League handicap news.

Fan Verdict Arsenal look the real deal at the top of the outright market, but with Man City and Liverpool starting the handicap market on next to nothing, that’s the one we’d keep half an eye on for a surprise name climbing the table by May.

Done Deal Watch: Bet365 Transfer Specials

Plenty of ins and outs still to be sorted before the window shuts. Here’s where the money’s sitting on some of the summer’s biggest names (odds obtained 08:30, 28/07/2026):

  • Adam Wharton (club on 01/09/2026) — Crystal Palace 4/6, Chelsea 7/2, Liverpool 6/1, Man City 14/1, Man United 14/1
  • Ayyoub Bouaddi (club on 01/09/2026) — Man City 1/4, Lille 4/1, Arsenal 10/1, Real Madrid 12/1, Man United 14/1
  • Darwin Nunez (club on 01/09/2026) — Any MLS Team 5/4, Besiktas 4/1, Galatasaray 8/1, Fenerbahce 10/1, Liverpool 10/1
  • Dusan Vlahovic (club on 01/09/2026) — Juventus 5/6, Napoli 5/1, Besiktas 11/2, Barcelona 9/1, Man United 12/1
  • Junior Kroupi (club on 01/09/2026) — Bournemouth 10/11, Barcelona 9/4, Man City 13/2, Tottenham 7/1, PSG 8/1
  • Gabriel Jesus (club on 01/09/2026) — Arsenal 8/11, AC Milan 5/1, Palmeiras 8/1, Fenerbahce 10/1, Besiktas 12/1
  • Gabriel Martinelli (club on 01/09/2026) — Arsenal 4/6, Atletico Madrid 7/2, Juventus 7/1, Roma 9/1, Any Saudi Arabian Team 10/1
  • Jadon Sancho (club on 01/09/2026) — Any Qatari Team 2/1, Borussia Dortmund 3/1, Atletico Madrid 6/1, Any Saudi Arabian Team 8/1, Roma 10/1
  • Julian Alvarez (club on 01/09/2026) — Atletico Madrid 1/3, Barcelona 3/1, Arsenal 5/1, PSG 16/1, Real Madrid 40/1
  • Marcus Rashford (club on 01/09/2026) — Man United 1/2, Aston Villa 5/1, Chelsea 5/1, Tottenham 8/1, Arsenal 9/1
  • Rafael Leao (club on 01/09/2026) — Fenerbahce 4/6, Galatasaray 7/2, AC Milan 7/1, Any Saudi Arabian Team 14/1, Man United 14/1
  • Rodri (club on 01/09/2026) — Real Madrid 2/7, Man City 5/2, Barcelona 12/1, PSG 16/1, Atletico Madrid 80/1

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