Since its inception at the start of the 1992-93 season, the Premier League has become the biggest and most popular league in the world. It is also one of the most competitive, as several of England’s elite strive to become top dogs every season. Manchester United dominated the early years, but the Red Devils have not lifted the trophy since 2013. In recent times, United’s noisy neighbours have enjoyed major Premier League title success, with Manchester City winning it four times.
Whilst many fans may bemoan the supremacy enjoyed by the elite in English football, the fact is that compared to many other major European leagues, things are actually relatively open. Yes, the likes of Man United, Man City, Chelsea and Arsenal have won the vast majority of EPL titles. However, when we look at Italy, we see that only three clubs have won Serie A since 2002; in France PSG look set to claim an eighth title in nine years; and in Spain the 70 titles of Real, Barca and Atleti dwarf the 19 claimed by all the rest.
That said, the Premier League is hardly an unpredictable competition where all 20 sides fancy their chances each year. Indeed, Liverpool only claimed their first title ever in 2019-20 and over the years, far, far more clubs have played in the top tier of English football than have won it. And that is our focus here!
Who Has Won the Premier League?
Before we examine the clubs who have never won the Premier League, we will take a look at the teams who have. Despite not tasting title success since the end of the 2012-13 season, Man United remain the most successful club in Premier League history, winning it on 13 occasions. As we touched on, the Red Devils dominated the early years under the exceptional Sir Alex Ferguson, finishing top in eight of the opening 10 Premier League seasons.
Chelsea have picked up five Premier League titles, with the last of those coming in 2017 when Antonio Conte was at the helm. The Blues’ first championship was under Jose Mourinho in 2005. Man City have won four titles, winning in 2012, 2014, 2018 and 2019. At the time of writing, City are virtually nailed on to win the 2020-21 Premier League. Arsenal have three title wins, while Blackburn Rovers, Leicester City and Liverpool have all picked up one win each.
Premier League Winners
| Club | Titles | Last Win |
|---|---|---|
| Manchester United | 13 | 2012/13 |
| Chelsea | 5 | 2016/17 |
| Manchester City | 4 | 2018/19 |
| Arsenal | 3 | 2003/04 |
| Blackburn Rovers | 1 | 1994/95 |
| Leicester City | 1 | 2015/16 |
| Liverpool | 1 | 2019/20 |
As the table above shows, the Premier League winner’s club is small and select. United have won 13 out of the 28 completed campaigns to date (ahead of the conclusion of the 2020-21 season). That is just under 50%, meaning an awful lot of sides have missed out.
Which Clubs Have Played in the Premier League and Never Won It?
In total, 49 clubs have featured in the Premier League since it began in the early 90s. Incredibly, only seven of those 49 have gone on to lift the Premier League trophy. Six sides have been ever-presents – Man United, Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur and Everton. Both Newcastle United and Aston Villa have missed three seasons, while Man City have spent five years away from the top tier.
At the other end of the spectrum, Swindon Town, Barnsley and Blackpool have only spent one season in the Premier League. Oldham Athletic, Cardiff City, Bradford City and Huddersfield Town have had two years in the big time.
Out of the six Premier League ever-presents, only two of those have never won the title. At the end of the 2020-21 season, Spurs and the Toffees will have played well over 1,000 games each in the Premier League, with Tottenham in fifth position in the all-time league table, while Everton are a place behind in sixth. They will have had 29 cracks of the whip and come up short, often well short, 29 times.
Premier League Winning Clubs & Seasons
- 29 Seasons
- Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester United
- 24 Seasons
- Manchester City
- 18 Seasons
- Blackburn Rovers
List Of Cubs Who Have Never Won the Premier League
- 29 Seasons
- Everton, Tottenham Hotspur
- 26 Seasons
- Aston Villa, Newcastle United
- 25 Seasons
- West Ham United
- 22 Seasons
- Southampton
- 16 Seasons
- Sunderland
- 15 Seasons
- Fulham, Leicester City, Middlesbrough
- 13 Seasons
- Bolton Wanderers, Leeds United, West Bromwich Albion
- 12 Seasons
- Crystal Palace
- 10 Seasons
- Stoke City
- 9 Seasons
- Coventry City, Norwich City
- 8 Seasons
- Charlton Athletic, Sheffield Wednesday, Wigan Athletic, Wimbledon
- 7 Seasons
- Birmingham City, Burnley, Derby County, Portsmouth, Queens Park Rangers, Swansea City, Watford, Wolverhampton Wanderers
- 5 Seasons
- Bournemouth, Hull City, Ipswich Town, Nottingham Forest, Sheffield United
- 4 Seasons
- Brighton & Hove Albion
- 3 Seasons
- Reading
- 2 Seasons
- Bradford City, Cardiff City, Huddersfield Town, Oldham Athletic
- 1 Seasons
- Barnsley, Blackpool, Swindon Town
Tottenham Hotspur: Spurs Go Close Under Poch
In Premier League history, only Man United, Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool – who have all won the title – have picked up more points than Tottenham. In the early years, Spurs were a mid-table team, with their highest position in the first decade being seventh in the 1994-95 campaign. However, Martin Jol changed things for Spurs when he took over in November 2004, guiding the London club to fifth place in his first full season in charge. Tottenham secured successive fifth-place finishes before Jol’s sacking in October 2007.
Harry Redknapp had a successful spell in charge at White Hart Lane, bringing UEFA Champions League football to the white side of north London, but Spurs did not really turn into genuine title candidates until Mauricio Pochettino took over. Pochettino was extremely popular, guiding Tottenham to a third place at the end of the 2015-16 season.
Tottenham went even closer the following year, finishing runners-up to Leicester City and for large parts of the campaign looking like they could be real contenders. The Lilywhites pushed again in the 2017-18 campaign, again looking good for many months before falling away and they could only manage another third position. Jose Mourinho, who took Chelsea to the title on three occasions, is currently in charge at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Can he be the man to turn Tottenham into genuine Premier League title contenders once again? The signs do not look great at the time of writing but with Mourinho, you just never know.
Everton: Moyes Takes The Toffees Into Europe But New Era Dawns?
Everton have been champions of England on nine occasions, though the last of those triumphs was way back in 1987, following on from their title success in 1985. At this time they were the best team in England and possibly the world but English sides’ ban from European competition hit them hard.
In the Premier League years, the Toffees have competed in every campaign (no side has featured in the top season more often, including in the pre-Premier League era) but have yet to lift the trophy. Everton struggled in the early years, finishing 17th on two occasions, but the Merseyside outfit did manage a sixth-place finish under Joe Royle at the end of the 1995-96 season.
Everton’s best Premier League campaign was under David Moyes in the 2004-05 season. The Toffees finished fourth behind Chelsea, Arsenal and Man United, collecting 61 points along the way. In doing so, they booked their place in the third qualifying round of the Champions League. Unfortunately, Everton failed to build on that and have never reached those dizzy heights again, though they did accrue 72 points in 2013-14, finishing fifth.
With a new owner in Farhad Moshiri and a world class manager in Carlo Ancelotti, hopes are high at the club that they can once again challenge. Moshiri has delivered significant transfer resources and with a new stadium potentially ready for the 2023-24 campaign, there is belief that Everton are on the up. Will this new era be able to drive a genuine title challenge? Time will tell but there is certainly a long, long way to go.
Newcastle United: Magpies a Real Force in the Early Years
Newcastle United have been involved in 25 of the 28 Premier League seasons. The Magpies have dropped into the EFL Championship a couple of times but jumped straight back to the top tier on both occasions. In modern times, Newcastle’s best Premier League finish was a fifth place under Alan Pardew in the 2011-12 season. However, though it may surprise younger readers, in the early years, United pushed for the title a few times.
After winning promotion from Division One as champions, Newcastle’s finished third in their first Premier League year (1993-94). Two years later, the Magpies pushed Man United close in the race for the title. Unfortunately for Kevin Keegan and his men, they finished four points behind the Red Devils. Many people believe that Keegan’s side should have won the Premier League that year, and Keegan’s famous “I’d love it” Ferguson rant lives on. The Magpies had a lead of 12 points in January but they let it slip and their manager was never quite the same again.
Even so, Newcastle were at it again the following year, although this time they actually finished further behind Man United. Nevertheless, they pipped Arsenal and Liverpool to second place on goal difference. Newcastle have never reached those heights again, though Bobby Robson did guide United to fourth and third in the 2001-02 and 2002-03 seasons, respectively. Nowadays, Newcastle are fending off relegation more often than not, and their title challenges in the early stages of the Premier League are now just a distant memory.
Aston Villa: Villans Take the Silver Medal in Inaugural Season
Like Newcastle, Aston Villa have also participated in 25 of the 28 Premier League seasons. Villa have played a big part in the Premier League’s early history, with the Midlands club currently in ninth position in the all-time table. The Villans have racked up almost 1,000 games in the Premier League.
In the first PL season, Aston Villa were a real force to be reckoned with under Ron Atkinson. After finishing in seventh spot in Division One the season before, not many people had Villa down as title challengers. In truth, Man United ran away with the league in the end, but Aston Villa certainly kept them on their toes for much of the campaign. Atkinson’s men won half of their 42 league games, going on to secure second place with 74 points to their name.
| Position | Team | Won | Drawn | Lost | GD | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Manchester United | 24 | 12 | 6 | +36 | 84 |
| 2nd | Aston Villa | 21 | 11 | 10 | +17 | 74 |
| 3rd | Norwich City | 21 | 9 | 12 | -4 | 72 |
At the end of the 2015-16 season, Aston Villa dropped out of the Premier League for the first time, finishing bottom on just 17 points. They spent three years in the Championship before gaining promotion as play-off winners in 2019. In their first year back, Dean Smith’s men survived by the skin of their teeth but they fared much better the following year.
West Ham United: Hammers 10th In All-time Table
West Ham United were not part of the first Premier League season, as they were promoted as Division One runners-up at the end of the 1992-93 season. The Hammers spent 10 consecutive seasons in the top flight before being relegated in 2003. After two years in the second division, West Ham were back in the big time for the 2005-06 season. Since then, the Londoners have spent just one year away from the Premier League.
West Ham have never been title contenders, though they have flirted with the European places on one or two occasions. Despite being the 10th most successful club in Premier League history, their highest league position was fifth at the end of the 1998-99 campaign. With Harry Redknapp in the dugout, West Ham picked up 16 wins to take fifth position and a qualification place for the Intertoto Cup third round.
All-time Premier League Table
| Club | Matches | Points |
|---|---|---|
| Manchester United | 1076 | 2234 |
| Arsenal | 1076 | 2011 |
| Chelsea | 1076 | 1997 |
| Liverpool | 1076 | 1948 |
| Tottenham Hotspur | 1076 | 1654 |
| Everton | 1076 | 1476 |
| Manchester City | 886 | 1450 |
| Newcastle United | 958 | 1316 |
| Aston Villa | 962 | 1258 |
| West Ham United | 920 | 1137 |
*Correct as of the end of the 2019-20 Premier League season.
Other Notable Mentions
After several years away from the top flight, Leeds United won promotion with Marcelo Bielsa at the helm at the end of the 2019-20 Championship season. The Yorkshire club were one of the founding members of the Premier League, finishing fifth in 1994 and 1995. Their best finish was third in the 1999-00 season. David O’Leary’s men were top in January but fell off in the latter months, eventually finishing behind Man United and Arsenal.
Southampton were part of the Premier League furniture until their relegation at the end of the 2005-06 season. The following years were miserable for the Saints, as they even spent two years in EFL League One. However, after winning promotion back the top tier in 2012, Southampton have been ever-presents in the Premier League. Under Ronald Koeman in 2016, the Saints finished in sixth.
At the end of the 2020-21 season, 49 clubs have participated in the Premier League since in all began back in 1992. Man United’s record of 13 Premier League titles will take some overhauling, but rivals Man City are slowly but surely chipping away at their record. Liverpool finally picked up their first title in 2020, while Leicester would love to add to their 2016 title. In the upcoming years, will we see a new name etched on the famous Premier League trophy? Everton, Spurs, West Ham and Leeds will all dare to dream, whilst we could see another side rise from the depths to seal glory and “do a Leicester”.