2021-22 European Club Kit Preview: Premier League (England)

England’s Premier League kicks off on Friday, Aug. 13, with newly promoted side Brentford taking on Arsenal. While some clubs still have kits to release, let’s take a closer look at what has been unveiled so far…

(Includes all kits unveiled as of Aug. 11, 2021)

Arsenal’s home kit is modeled after what they wore winning the double in 2001-02, and their third kit is inspired by away kit designs from the 1990s. The away kit is also registered as an option for goalkeepers to wear this season.

Aston Villa’s away kit marks the 40th anniversary of the club’s European Cup win in May 1982 over Bayern Munich. The white shirt with claret pinstripes mimics the away kit worn by that 1981-82 squad.

This season will be Brentford’s first-ever season in the Premier League. Their home kit by Umbro features their traditional red and white vertical stripes, with the red ones slightly wider than the white ones. The yellow away kit has a large tonal zigzag pattern on the front.

Printing inside the collar of Brighton and Hove Albion’s home kit commemorates their 10th season playing at the American Express Community Stadium.

A tonal pattern on the sleeves puts a modern twist on Burnley’s traditional claret and blue home kit. The club has a new main shirt sponsor in betting company Spreadex Sports. Burnley released their 2021-22 away kit on Tuesday, Aug. 17, leading up to their first away match of the season against Liverpool at Anfield on Saturday, Aug. 21.

Chelsea’s psychedelic home kit, with tonal zigzag and checkerboard patterns, is “inspired by the designs from the OP Art movement – the dynamic blueprint represents energy and vibrancy, synonymous with the new wave that is propelling the club forwards,” according to the club’s website.

The sublimated graphic on Crystal Palace’s third kit is a silhouette of the original Crystal Palace, a structure made of iron and glass to host the Great Exhibition in 1851. The half-blue, half-white half shirt mirrors the colours and design worn by the first Crystal Palace football team in 1861, which was set up by cricket players looking to keep fit during the winter.

The pattern on Everton’s home kit features a “dazzle camo” pattern, used by British warships in World War I, while the third kit is inspired by Everton’s 1958-1961 change kit (the first time the club had worn anything other than a plain white shirt as a change kit). The away kit has a burnt orange sash and is inspired by the 1881-82 Everton squad, which came to be known as “The Black Watch.”

Leeds United’s away shirt features a tonal camouflage pattern similar to that manufacturer adidas has used for other clubs this year, such as Leicester City, Olympique Lyonnais and Union Berlin.

Leicester City surprised fans by unveiling their 2021-22 home kit just hours before their final game of the 2020-21 Premier League season, and then wearing the shirts in that game. The away shirt is mint green with a tonal checker pattern.

Liverpool’s home kits are inspired by the club’s 1964 season, which was when the club first wore red shorts and socks with their red shirts. Manager Bill Shankly said at the time that “red is for danger and red is for power.”

Manchester City’s home kit pays tribute to their 2011-12 season, when Sergio Aguero scored in stoppage time on the final day of the season to seal the club’s first league title since 1968. The shirt features a tonal pattern of digital scoreboard numbers. Printed inside the collar is “93:20,” the time on the scoreboard when Aguero scored. A “10” can also be made out in the numbers, which was Aguero’s number for most of his City career – although he was wearing 16 in 2011-12. Man City is also the only Premier League club to get one of Puma’s third kits on an unconventional template.

Manchester United’s home kit gives a subtle nod to squads of the 1960s in their 2021-22 home kits, made by adidas. The red jersey features tonal vertical stripes down the front, and off-white (or “cloud white,” as adidas calls it) accents.

This is Newcastle’s first season with manufacturer Castore. The home kit features broad black and white stripes and a white grandad collar, drawing inspiration from the kit Newcastle wore from 1995 to 1997.

Norwich City’s home and away kits feature a wing pattern on the sleeves, inspired by the canary in the club crest. The base color of the third jersey is “fluorescent coral.”

Southampton’s home kit is integrated with Augmented Reality technology that fans can scan with their smartphones to unlock exclusive content. The away kit features a tonal fire pattern inspired by a third kit the club wore from 1991 to 1993. The third kit features a graphic with outlines of both Southampton’s former stadium, the Dell, and their current stadium, St. Mary’s. This graphic is also printed inside the collars of the home and away kits.

Tottenham Hotspur is celebrating 100 years of wearing a cockerel crest in 2021, and as such have gone with a very basic home jersey, like those that would have been worn in 1921. The away kit is anything but basic, though, with “an expressive print that represents collective creativity from local minds.”

Watford return to the Premier League in a home kit by Kelme that features black hoops on a yellow base. The hoops fade to yellow as they move up the shirt. The away kit features a tonal swirl pattern on the red base.

West Ham’s away kit for 2021-22 features white and sky blue vertical stripes, with diagonal tonal lines inside the blue stripes. This is a nod to the away kit West Ham wore in 1992-93, when they won promotion back into the Premier League, kicking off a successful run of 10 straight seasons in England’s top flight.

Like Newcastle, this is also Wolverhampton’s first season with kit outfitter Castore. The home kit is predominantly the club’s signature shade of amber, while the away kit features a splatter pattern in grey and amber.