Which Is The Best Premier League Team Over The Last Decade?

Some Premier League clubs have experienced meteoric rises over recent years. The likes of Bournemouth and Nottingham Forest have managed to escape the Championship since 2021 and have gone on to challenge for Europe this season. Conversely, teams such as Southampton, who had been relatively safe and consistent in the top flight, have experienced the opposite and fallen down into the second tier recently. But which teams have been quite consistent in the last 10 years, or at least earned a significant number of points?

10th - Newcastle United

One of two sides in the top 10 to have spent one season in the Championship in the time frame, Newcastle’s recent good form over the last few years has earned them a place at 10th. In the 2015/16 season, they were relegated from the top flight, just two points from safety. After one season in the Championship, they earnt promotion back into the Premier League.

No Premier League team has ever avoided relegation after to failing to win their first 14 games…

Newcastle are currently 9th in the table… pic.twitter.com/AeBqAdH3d9

— Tom Glenwright (@Tom_Glenwright) April 23, 2022

A couple of seasons of mid-table mediocrity followed until Eddie Howe took over as manager from Steve Bruce and he pushed the side into the Champions League. That European finish is what brought Newcastle into this top 10 over the likes of Brighton, who have also had an incredible 10 years in the Premier League.

9th - Leicester City

Like Newcastle, Leicester have also spent one season in the Championship in the last 10 years, having been relegated two seasons ago. The Foxes started off this time frame as unexpected champions back in the 15/16 season above Arsenal in second to win the title. They experienced some seasons in mid-table after that until Brendan Rodgers took charge.

In 2020 and 2021, they finished fifth in the table, once again inflating their points tally in the 10 year table. Their time near the top was short lived however, because two years later, they were getting relegated from the Premier League. They might be back in the top flight now, but they certainly aren’t adding many points to their tally and look set to get relegated straight back to the second division.

8th - Everton

Everton might have never been relegated from the Premier League, but their last 10 years haven’t been particularly exciting. Between 2015 and 2021, Everton were never in a relegation fight, and were barely in the conversation for Europe either, just racking up points at a steady rate in the middle of the table.

Everton are closer to a European spot, then they are to the relegation zone. pic.twitter.com/pzy9AM5VpC

— Everton Extra (@Everton_Extra) November 11, 2023

Since 2021 however, they have been in a constant relegation fight. In the 2022/23 season, they only survived because of a 1-0 win on the final day of the season. They have averaged 46 points per season in the last 10 years, enough to avoid relegation each year on average, and they look like they’ll escape the drop once again, thanks to their recent form under David Moyes.

7th - West Ham United

The Hammers have been anything but consistent in the last 10 years, but have managed to make the list because they have survived in the top flight for all of the last 10 years and even managed a couple of strong seasons in Europe too. Back in 2016, they finished 7th ahead of the likes of Liverpool and Chelsea, with a strong squad under the management of Slaven Bilic.

Since 2020, after four years of mid-table finishes, they have either been in a relegation fight or in Europe. They won the Europa Conference League two years ago and have taken part in the Europa League too thanks to their sixth placed finish in 2021. This season, while relegation looks unlikely, they are down in 15th in the table, so they haven’t added much to their total.

6th - Chelsea

Chelsea have not been at their best in the last 10 years, however they have won the Premier League title in that time frame more times than Arsenal, Manchester United and Tottenham, and the same number of times as Liverpool and Leicester. In 2016, they finished 10th, one of their worst Premier League finishes ever, but they followed that up by winning the title in the next season.

The moment Chelsea won the 2017 Premier League at the Hawthorns 🏆 pic.twitter.com/3ItI3F4SSQ

— Archives (@CFCRetro) August 7, 2024

Between them winning it, and then finishing 12th in 2023, they tended to get top four most of the time. Like West Ham and Leicester, Chelsea have been massively inconsistent in the last 10 years by their own standards. This year, they could finish inside the top four, but the race for Europe is so tight, that they could easily fall down to ninth or even 10th if they don’t maintain a good run of form.

5th - Manchester United

The team that just about misses out on Champions League football in the 10 year table is Manchester United, as it has been so long since they were good. In 2016, they finished outside of the top four, which at the time was a very poor season for them. They followed on by finishing sixth, second, sixth, third and second before it started to fall apart.

Manchester United sit just SEVEN points clear of the relegation zone 😬#MUFC pic.twitter.com/8oQdkeJQ2u

— Match of the Day (@BBCMOTD) December 30, 2024

Last season they finished eight, one of their lowest finishes ever, but managed to get European football by winning the FA Cup. This year, they could do even worse, as they are currently in 13th place in the table on just 29 points. It is very likely that Chelsea will overtake them in the 10 year table soon, as the Blues are just one win behind them.

4th - Tottenham Hotspur

Tottenham have had a very similar 10 years to Manchester United, and they too could be overtaken in the next few weeks by either Chelsea or United as they are just five points clear of the Red Devils. This 10 year period actually started quite well for Spurs, as they finished inside the top three in three consecutive years before slipping outside the Champions League places in 2020.

A couple of years outside the top five followed, including an eighth placed finish two years ago, but last season it looked as if Ange Postecoglou had solved their problems. He led them to a fifth placed finish and back into the Europa League. This season, however, has been one of their worst in history, as they currently sit in 14th, just 10 points off the drop zone.

3rd - Arsenal

The Gunners have been the butt of the joke for a lot of football fans for a while, but they haven’t had seasons quite as poor as Chelsea, Tottenham and Manchester United in the last 10 years. Before their second placed finish two years ago, Champions League football had eluded them for some time, in fact they hadn’t finished inside the top four since 2016 when they also finished second.

Arsenal can still make history.

They’ll become the first club to finish 2nd three seasons in a row in Premier League history😭 pic.twitter.com/IXe6XsDPOp

— Trey (@UTDTrey) January 18, 2025

A few Europa League seasons followed by two seasons outside of European football has meant that the Gunners are nearly 100 points behind second place in the all time table, but recent years have helped them close the gap considerably. In both of the last seasons, Arsenal have finished second, and they could end up being the first side to do that three years in a row in this campaign, as they are six points behind league leaders Liverpool.

2nd - Liverpool

Without a doubt the second best team over the last 10 years, Liverpool have still only managed one league title in that time. Before Jurgen Klopp took over, the Reds were in a bit of a mess. In 2016 they finished eighth behind Southampton, but two fourth placed finishes allowed them to build up their squad to a position where they could challenge for the title.

In 2020, with 99 points, they won the Premier League convincingly with one of the best teams world football has ever seen. While they haven’t yet replicated that title winning season, they have held down a top three spot in every season bar one since then. This year they are on track to win the Premier League, but it is not certain yet.

1st - Manchester City

It comes as no surprise that Pep Guardiola’s juggernaut that is Manchester City has been the best team in the Premier League in the last 10 years, and perhaps ever. This 10 year period started off slowly, with City finishing fourth and then third, but ever since they won the title in 2018, there has been little question as to who is the best team in the league.

🔵⚪️ Brighton make it four defeats in a row for Manchester City in all competitions! 🤯

It’s the first time in the Pep Guardiola era. pic.twitter.com/GyFX770a0p

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) November 9, 2024

They have only not finished first once since 2018, when Liverpool won the league in 2020, but this year has looked quite shaky from the Citizens. They are currently in fifth place, but are just one point ahead of Bournemouth in seventh. There is no doubt that City cannot retain the title this season, as it would take a monumental fall off from the four teams above them, and even then, City would have to win most of their games.