The 2026/27 Premier League season is almost here, and most of the talk throughout preseason has centered on the big boys. Arsenal head into the new campaign as the defending champions after finally ending their 22-year wait to claim the title, snapping a streak of three straight near misses to finally get over the line. And rather than resting on their laurels, the Gunners have strengthened heavily in a bid to successfully retain their crown.Arsenal fans deserve this — Bovada (@BovadaOfficial) May 18, 2026In recent days, the North London outfit completed a £75m deal to snap up Newcastle captain Bruno Guimarães, with the Brazilian joining Greek winger Christos Tzolis as a new arrival at the Emirates this summer. Arsenal had also been plotting a move for Real Madrid superstar Vinicius Jr., but the electrifying winger instead penned a new deal to remain at the Bernabeu. Despite missing out on him, a player that would have taken Mikel Arteta’s side to another level, online betting sites still make the defending champions the team to beat in 2026/27.The latest Bovada soccer odds ahead of the new campaign make Arsenal the clear 6/4 favorites to retain the title, well ahead of 3/1 second-favorites Manchester City. But while expectations at the Emirates are at an all-time high, elsewhere in the English top-flight, some teams are attempting to fly under the radar and upset the odds. Here are two teams in particular that we will be keeping a close eye on between now and May 2027.Tottenham Hotspur While their arch-rivals Arsenal have been enjoying a return to the summit in recent times, Spurs have had to endure a miserable couple of years. After being top-six regulars across the majority of the last two decades, Tottenham have had to endure back-to-back 17th-placed finishes in the Premier League, their worst efforts in almost half a century.The first of them came in 2024/25 under Ange Postecoglou, but relegation was never truly a threat as the bottom three were cut adrift at the foot of the table that year. Plus, the big Aussie manager did manage to lead the club to its first piece of silverware in 17 years as Spurs beat Manchester United in the 2025 Europa League final in Bilbao. There was no such joy or European respite in 2025/26.Spurs flirted dangerously with the drop zone last term, finishing just two points clear of West Ham United and avoiding relegation by the skin of their teeth. But the appointment of highly rated former Brighton and Marseille manager Roberto De Zerbi did plenty to raise the spirits of the white half of north London. The Italian led his new side away from the trap door, and he has since made a slew of marquee moves in the transfer market to leave fans dreaming of a rise back up the table.The headliner is without question the £100m swoop for Newcastle midfielder Sandro Tonali, with Spurs beating out both Manchester United and Arsenal to his signature. Mateus Fernandes has arrived after winning the Player of the Year award with West Ham last season, while De Zerbi has significantly strengthened his defense as well. The club paid some £52m to secure the signature of Brighton’s Jan Paul van Hecke, while both Marcos Senesi and Andrew Robertson arrived on free transfers in two of the best value-for-money deals of any club this summer.The result is that Spurs are now looking up the table at European qualification once again. The bookies give De Zerbi’s men a 9/10 shot to finish in the top six this season, but after their summer transfer activity, 3/1 odds on a top four finish certainly look tempting.Leeds Leeds United returned to the Premier League after two years away, and the storied club looked in real danger of an immediate return to the Championship. A run of six defeats in seven in the autumn saw the Yorkshire outfit fall into the relegation zone, ramping up the pressure on manager Daniel Farke. Then, the German boss managed to turn things around, twice reeling off seven-game unbeaten runs to steer his club away from the drop zone.The Whites ultimately finished 14th, eight points clear of the trap door. Names such as Lukas Nmecha, Brenden Aaronson, Dominic Calvert-Lewin, and Ethan Ampadu ensured that Leeds already had a spine stacked with talent, and manager Farke is clearly of the same opinion. Rather than upheaval, he has opted for continuity this summer, building upon the foundations laid last term rather than signing a slew of players that could disrupt the dressing room harmony.Fulham captain Harry Wilson arrives on a free transfer in one of the steals of the summer. England international goalkeeper James Trafford has also joined the club in a club record £40m deal from Manchester City, finally providing Leeds with a reliable shot stopper between the sticks. The addition of highly rated Torino defender Tarik Muharemović only strengthens that core, and Farke’s side will now be dreaming of potential European qualification for the first time since the fateful days of the early 2000s.The post Outsiders That Could Upset the Odds in the Premier League Next Season appeared first on SoccerNews.