The contest for the best kit in the Premier League is one which divides fans every single season, with a chance for legends to be born before a ball is even kicked. Not all of sides have revealed their new threads for the upcoming season but we’re seeing some trends develop already, with patterns and 90s style bus seat designs making a huge return. Here’s a roundup of the best and the worst kits for the upcoming season, all of which I’ll be grading like your university essays!
Marks: 75, First
Feedback: This is an absolutely stunning home kit. I loved the geometric pattern on last season’s away kit and it looks great again on this season’s home kit. The white neckline and sleeves offset the red nicely and the details on the bottom of the sleeves are a really nice small detail. I just wonder whether Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang will be wearing it next season?
Marks: 63, 2:1
Feedback: This design is very much what you’d expect from an Aston Villa home kit. However, while this design is simple it is executed well. The pinstripes are a really nice small detail which keeps the shirt from being too plain. As usual the lion on the back of the neckline offsets the claret wonderfully and the club badge looks better than ever with the added detail on this season’s kit. There’s a lot to like about this offering from the Villains.
Marks: 63, 2:1
Feedback: This is a pretty standard Brighton home kit, with a couple of details which save it from being incredibly dull. I’m a massive advocate for collars on football shirts and in my opinion every shirt should have one, so that’s a big tick from me on this shirt. I’m also a bit of a pinstripe lover so the white pinstripes are also a nice feature. However, the yellow side stripe really lets the kit down although it’s only a small thing. I just don’t think the shade goes at all well with the blue. This is a fairly solid kit from Brighton but there’s nothing massively exciting.
Marks: N/A
Feedback: Burnley haven’t revealed their kit for the upcoming season yet
Marks: 71, First
Feedback: After experimenting with patterns on last season’s home shirt, Chelsea have kept it nice and simple this time around. Sponsors do make a big difference and although they aren’t strictly design features, the 3 logo is actually a very nice sponsor and doesn’t detract from the shirt’s clean aesthetic. The darker shades of blue on the neckline and the bottom of the sleeves also make for a nice contrast.
Marks: 80, First
Feedback: This is definitely a marmite kit. You either love it or you hate it. I’m a big fan of this kit, so much so that it’s probably my favourite of the kits revealed so far. The light blue is in a lovely tone and isn’t just bright enough to stand out but not so bright that it blinds you when you look at it. The colour also blends nicely into the club badge. Then there’s the dark blue colour flecks which give the shirt a real 90s vibe. So what if it looks a bit like a bus seat? This is exactly like your favourite vintage football shirt and is already a classic in my eyes.
Marks: 59, 2:2
Feedback: Admittedly when I saw first saw the Palace home kit I really liked it! The thicker stripes are a nice change and the fact that they stop at the chest area creating a small upside-down V on the shoulders felt like a really fresh changeup for the Eagles. Unfortunately, what lets Palace down is that all the kits are the same design. There’s nothing particularly wrong with any of the individual shirts and in fact all the variations are quite strong. However, having the same design on every kit is just boring and shows very little in the way of creativity.
Marks: 59, 2:2
Feedback: Everton probably have one of the best kit histories in the top flight and their Umbro offerings from the last couple of seasons have been great. This season… not so much. The blue just looks far too shiny and there’s not enough white to balance it out. Additionally, although I’m a big fan of pinstripes, they don’t look great at an angle. I might be being harsh here but this Everton shirt just isn’t doing it for me for whatever reason and I’d go as far as to say that it looks like a counterfeit Glasgow Rangers shirt.
Marks: 52, 2:2
Feedback: Pretty much everything I’ve just said about the the Toffee’s home kit also applies to this away kit. Except this is worse because the choice of yellow on this shirt is really not my cup of tea. The blue T shape around the neckline is also more of a distraction than it is a design feature.
Marks: N/A
Feedback: Fulham haven’t revealed their kit for the upcoming season yet.
Marks: N/A
Feedback: Leeds haven’t revealed their kit for the upcoming season yet.
Marks: 62: 2:1
Feedback: Leicester were so close to being a Champions League team last year but just missed out right at the very end. That feeling of just missing the mark is also prevalent on this kit, it’s so close to being great but it lacks an x-factor to make it interesting. The gold on the sleeves contrasts nicely to the blue on the rest of the kit but apart from that there’s nothing much to look at on this shirt and the neckline isn’t the strongest in my opinion.
Marks: 75, First
Feedback: After a campaign where they made almost every other team look silly on the pitch Liverpool have made their first major signing of the new season. No, it’s not Thiago Alcantara, it’s Nike. This shirt is simple but effective, the shade of red used is classy and understated but still a unique enough colour to remain interesting. Then there’s the hints of teal on the neckline and sleeves, which have been a controversial accent colour for football fans but I have to say I’m a fan. It’s something different and works well with the red- unsurprising for anyone familiar with colour wheels. Reds fans can only hope that they don’t get the usual disgusting away kit this year because this home kit is something special.
Marks: 76, First
Feedback: Puma have delivered another great home shirt for the Citizen’s as they look to regain their Premier League dominance. The pattern is intricately designed and draws inspiration from mosaics created by the artist Mark Kennedy which are situated in Manchester’s Northern Quarter. As usual the sky blue colour is fantastic and the small hints of white on the torso and the back of the neckline complete the look.
Marks: 80, First
Feedback: City have gone pattern-mad! You can’t really blame them though because it’s really working in their favour. This away shirt is even more firmly rooted in the fabric of the city, or rather it’s metal as the pattern takes inspiration from the bridges over Manchester’s canals. The black and dark blue contrast nicely meanwhile the rose gold which features on the club badge and sponsor is a classy complimentary colour.
Marks: 68, 2:1
Feedback: United are finally looking like a good team again and this season they have a great kit to play in too. The colour flecks of black and yellow are an interesting choice for the Red Devils, who tend to play it safe with their home kits but they work well. Like the Chelsea away kit I’m getting bus seat vibes from this shirt but once again I don’t see that as a negative thing. I can only imagine how much United fans would want one of these with “Sancho” on the back if the young Englishman were to sign on at Old Trafford.
Marks: 62, 2:1
Feedback: Newcastle fans might be ready to burn their black and white striped shirts after the frustration of their failed takeover and this shirt probably isn’t going to make that feeling go away. There’s nothing really wrong with it but there’s not much to get excited about either, which strikes a parallel with the Magpies’ squad for the upcoming season. One big detractor is the sponsor. The toon army were spoiled in the 90s with the Newcastle skyline peaking through the blue star of the Brown Ale logo arguably making for the best sponsor of all time. However, the same cannot be said for this sponsor which is easily one of the uglier ones in the league.
Marks: 60, 2:1
Feedback: Sheffield United had an unexpectedly outstanding first season in the Premier League under Chris Wilder. This home shirt on the other hand is nothing to shout about. Similarly to Newcastle, there’s nothing that I hate about it but there’s also nothing that I really like about it. Hopefully the Blades can sign an exciting player so at least there’s an established name you can have on the back.
Marks: 76, First
Feedback: Southampton were one of the surprises of last season managing to turn their fortunes around after a dismal start to the season. They’ve followed that up with a really strong home kit, which is probably the best shirt from a club outside the big 6 this year. The sash is a really unique choice as a kit design and it really works for the Saints. Meanwhile the red and white accents on the back of the black shorts are an underrated detail.
Marks: 57, 2:2
Feedback: As good as Southampton’s home kit is, their away kit is pretty ugly. The navy, royal blue and yellow combination is an odd concoction and doesn’t really work for me. Also, if you’re going to use colours which are a big contrast from your club badge then you should alter the colours of it, as the red and white of the Southampton badge doesn’t do these colours any favours.
Marks: 60, 2:1
Feedback: This is just the home kit but with the colours reversed. I’ve lowered the grade for this third shirt accordingly as I much prefer the white sash on the red background and recycling the same design is just a bit lazy.
Marks: 45, Third
Feedback: Spurs fans look away now. It’s been pretty easy to make fun of Spurs recently. Last season was pretty dismal for the lilywhites after Poch was sacked and Mourinho was appointed. Then, to add insult to injury Nike come out with this. The new Spurs home shirt looks like a bad photoshop that I’d do in the music section, with a pattern that I can only assume was taken from Drake’s 2015 album with Future What a Time to be Alive. Then there’s the navy hoops around the shoulders which are strangely reminiscent of swimming armbands. Hopefully they can keep Spurs fans spirits afloat for the upcoming year and the impeding Amazon documentary.
Marks: 59, 2:2
Feedback: Thankfully Spurs’ away kit is much better than their home kit. The olive green is an odd choice but it works ok on an away kit in my opinion. I’m also a big fan of the neon sponsor. The orange side portions let the shirt down unfortunately as the combination of olive and orange looks a bit like a bad Air Max 95 colourway.
Marks: 68, 2:1
Feedback: This pains me to say as a Stoke fan but I have to admit that I quite like the West Brom home shirt. The baggies have gone with a barcode style striped pattern on the shirt which is really unique and eye catching. The varied thickness on the stripes sets the shirt apart from the other stripy offerings in the Prem this season.
Marks: 56, 2:2
Feedback: You can probably tell by now that I don’t like it when clubs recycle the same design for an away or third kit so that’s already a negative mark. Then there’s the colours. Ordinarily I’m a fan of green and yellow- although admittedly that’s only because I have a soft spot for Norwich’s kits from the 90s- but this just doesn’t work for West Brom. In fact it’s quite sickly.
Marks: 65, 2:1
Feedback: West Ham kits are usually like pizza or fish and chips, even when they’re bad they’re still pretty good. This is another classy shirt from Umbro who continue to smash the Hammers’ kits out of the park. It’s simple but it’s great, claret and blue look as good as ever and the slightly rejigged club badge to incorporate the 125 year commemoration is a lovely small detail.
Marks: 70, First
Feedback: This away shirt takes the classic West Ham colours and injects a little bit of design in the form of two thick horizontal stripes. Like the home shirt it’s classic and understated and is a good example of how to deliver two unique designs using one colour-pallet. This shirt is exactly like your favourite striped t shirt, timeless.
Marks: 68, 2:1
Feedback: Wolves were so close to Europe last year only to be denied at the last second but they’re clearly a side on the rise. The Wanderers only need a couple more pieces to compete with the established top 6. Similarly, this kit is so close to getting a first but just misses the mark. Wolves have a really strong colour which works in their favour and the black sleeves look good too. Unfortunately, the pattern is a bit boring in comparison to the other patterned options in the Prem and the West Midlands side easily have the worst looking sponsor.
