2022-23 kit ranking: Which club’s jerseys are this season’s best?
With the 2022-23 Premier League season upon us, clubs in England’s top flight have spent the past few weeks unveiling their new selection of playing kits for the campaign to their fans.
As always, inspiration has been sourced from far and wide, with some teams delving into their past in search of design ideas, some to the future, and some by simply staring out to sea — Southampton, we’re looking at you!
Here’s a guide to all the home, away and (where applicable) third alternate jerseys that each Premier League club has available for this coming season. Some clubs cut it pretty fine before unveiling their kits as they have been hit by the delays in manufacturing and distribution caused by stringent COVID-19 restrictions in Asia. According to reports, there are mass delays in global manufacturing and shipping, especially in countries where many replica football shirts are made such as China and Vietnam. This has left some clubs unable to make their kits available for fans to buy before the season begins.
We’ve complied each team uniform that has been released for the Premier League’s 30th season and ranked each club’s effort by their collective output, from the worst in show to best in class.
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– O’Hanlon: Ranking the Premier League’s best players (E+)
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Home: This latest version of Wolves’ famous gold-and-black jersey is almost entirely indistinguishable from last season’s home shirt. Much like their football, it’s almost impossible to get excited about.
Pre-order 👉 https://t.co/rWZCoWK0ze pic.twitter.com/nvVamRp7x3
Away: The away kit’s turquoise design with a gold webbing might look like a tribute to the upholstery on Wolverhampton’s public buses, but the geometric print is inspired by the angles and architecture of Molineux stadium.
Home: This fairly ordinary template kit from Adidas is elevated slightly by the retro oversized collar and golden club crest — a reminder that the Foxes were champions of England not so long ago (2015-16.)
Away: Yet to be released.
Making a statement 🦊#lcfc // @adidasUK // #CreateIconic pic.twitter.com/DPO09vpvAh
Third: Giving off faint “county cricket” vibes, the Foxes’ new third shirt is predominantly white with pale golden sleeves. The maroon trim is a nod to the away kit worn by Brendan Rodgers’ side during the 2020-21 season when they lifted the FA Cup for the first time in their history.
Home: Leeds claim that this kit (still not available to buy) is inspired by their 1972 FA Cup-winning kit, though the resemblance is very tenuous. It’s pleasant enough, but what we’re essentially looking at here is a plain template kit in white, blue and yellow.
🔥 New season, fresh look! pic.twitter.com/l2yasfkYWL
Away: Leeds’ traditional away colours of yellow and blue have been given a contemporary makeover, though you could question just how modern and cutting edge a splotchy tie-dye shirt really is in 2022.
Home: There’s a limit as to how much kit producers can meddle with the traditional format of Villa’s claret and blue, and 2022-23 is no exception. Still, the subtle chevron pattern is a nice touch, and it is nice to see a proper raised club crest on the chest rather than a cheap vinyl transfer.
Away: Standard stuff from Villa once again. Their away kit bears a strong similarity to last season’s design, just with a light blue base replacing the white.
Home: Despite the launch being delayed by several weeks because of global supply issues, Fulham have unveiled their new home kit just in time. However, the results are fairly predictable. A white shirt with black stripes are standard, though the red wave pattern on the collar and cuffs (inspired by the neighbouring River Thames) at least offers a little extra.
All the details. 😍
Including a detailed modern interpretation of the Craven Cottage brickwork panelled across the front of the body. #FFC pic.twitter.com/13vMi4sZY2
Away: Fulham’s turquoise-and-navy away kit is inspired by the brickwork of the Grade II-listed Craven Cottage building that sits in the corner of their stadium. The concept is endearing, but the garish effect looks like a generic goalkeeper kit rather than a tribute to their unique home.
Home: Bucking the usual trend, Brentford have confirmed their 2021-22 home kit will be rolled over into a second season to both lessen its environmental impact and pass savings on to their fans. A wonderfully considerate gesture on both counts.
Away: The Bees have launched a new away kit and confirmed they will also be keeping it for two seasons. The jersey itself is light blue with a darker “marl” pattern running through it, and capped off with dark blue trim inspired by the geometric patterned shirts worn on the road during the late 1980s and early ’90s.
Home: A more traditional design to echo kits of the past as a nod to the club’s 130th year of existence, though the modern shade of baby blue of the sponsor logos feels out of place and doesn’t match the blue on the club crest.
Away: One of many Premier League shirts to be inspired by the club’s home stadium, Newcastle’s blue away kit features a golden linear print that mimics the roofline of the Leazes Stand at St James’ Park.
Third: Newcastle have fleetingly played in white-and-green away kits before, notably in the 1999-00 season and then again in 2005-06. The club have returned to those colours — the same as on the national flag of Saudi Arabia — ahead of their first full season under the ownership of the Saudi-backed PFI, although no official reason has been given for the style choice.
Home: Spurs’ home kit, on the other hand, barely makes any impact. The white jersey with navy and neon yellow trim is clean and sleek but is unlikely to live long in the memory. One minor potential point of interest is the cuff taping, which reverses to reveal the word “Spurs” written several times in different typefaces.
Away: Designed to look “bold on the road,” the Spurs’ 2022-23 away kit is predominantly blueish/purple with neon “Volt” flashes on the neckline and sleeve cuffs. It’s a shame that Premier League floodlights aren’t UV, as this shirt has a faint glow-in-the-dark quality under certain lights.
Home: Brighton haven’t gone back very far to find inspiration for their new kit — this kit is “bringing back feels” of 2018-19 — the club’s second season in the Premier League. This new version has some lovely warm yellow trim to set it all off.
Away: A simple, contemporary design in bright crimson with contrasting black trim. The crimson is also lent a faint “shimmer” effect by the different gradients of colour used across the torso. It’s actually very similar to the away kit that England’s women had in their locker (though never wore) for Euro 2022, which is fitting given that the Lionesses’ stunning 8-0 group-stage win over Norway and thrilling quarterfinal triumph against Spain were both hosted at the Amex Stadium.
Home: Forest return to the top flight after 23 years, and their home kit is given a little local flavour with a print design inspired by the Victorian ironwork on nearby Trent Bridge. The precise tone of red is a homage to Giuseppe Garibaldi, who helped to unify Italy in the mid-1800s. Garibaldi had a lasting influence on the people of Nottingham following his visit to the U.K. in the 1860s, shortly after which a group of local amateur footballers adopted his colours for their new club. That club soon went on to become Nottingham Forest, and they still play in Garibaldi Red.
Away: The Brazil-esque colours of yellow, blue and a tinge of green return to a Forest away kit for the first time since 2006-07. Again, the trim is laced with the Trent Bridge ironwork motif to create an overall design that really makes an impact.
A thing of beauty. 😍
🌳🔴 #NFFC | #PL pic.twitter.com/QfVFeka3X6
Third: Should it be required, Forest will be calling on a dark blue third kit that is another with a strong “bus seat” aesthetic thanks to an abstract light blue and coral pattern with the exact same brushstroke-effect zig-zaggery favoured by coach manufacturers since the 1980s.
Home: The Cherries have overhauled their traditional red-and-black stripes to create a striking “double zig-zag” design that the newly promoted side hope will provide them with a jolt of energy.
Away: There are totally tropical vibes from Bournemouth’s breezy “Jacaranda purple” and “Baja blue” away kit, which features dappled sunshine and hazy pastel palm leaves that, as the clubs says, is “inspired by our seaside surroundings.” It’s all very summery, which is certain to look out of place for roughly 75% of the English football season.
Third kit x Everyone Together 👏
Our third kit is inspired by our award-winning campaign Everyone Together, which aims to tackle prejudice and promote understanding ❤️ pic.twitter.com/MT57R70wKZ
Third: Bournemouth’s third kit is a tonal, monochrome design that comes bearing the tag line “Everyone, Together.” The absence of colour is a deliberate visual metaphor for an in-house campaign designed to promote unity, equality and understanding among all people within the club’s wider family.
Home: Saints have abandoned their traditional red-and-white stripes in favour of a large central block of red on a white background, inspired by similar kits worn by the club during the 1980s. A geometric graphic worked into the flanks is a visual reference to the large angular stanchions that form the the outer framework of the roof at St Mary’s.
Away: If the home kit is something a little different for Southampton, then the away kit represents a total sea change — quite literally. The marine design is inspired by Southampton docks, the waters of the Solent and the rolling seas off the south coast of England.
Completing the set ✅ pic.twitter.com/zpwbgKk03E
Third: With the sea neatly covered, Saints’ third kit is supposedly inspired by the skies with the dark khaki colour taking inspiration from the RAF planes that were first flown out of Southampton. The first test flight of the Supermarine Spitfire took place at the local airfield in March 1936, although the Saints barely got off the ground that season, finishing 17th in the old Second Division.
Home: The club’s famous blue contains a geometric knit pattern inspired by Prince Rupert’s Tower, the small stone building found on Everton’s club crest. A silhouette image of the tower also appears on the nape of the neck, while the white of the round collar and flank patches add some depth.
Away: Hummel have tried something a little different with the Toffees’ new away kit, a slinky pastel pink number covered in a repeating blue diamond motif — again inspired by the angle of the roof on Prince Rupert’s Tower — that lends the design a trippy effect.
Home: The Reds’ new home kit is fundamentally just a plain red-all-over football kit, but the webbed knit of the fabric offers some delicious extra texture. And fans can celebrate the fact that Mohamed Salah will still be around to wear it after the Egyptian star finally agreed a new contract that will see him remain at Anfield for another few years at least.
Away: Inspired by the local dance music scene during the 1990s, as well as some of the famous nightclubs of the era. The trippy, iridescent “ripple” graphic is intended to resemble strobing laser lights being distorted across a hazy dance floor. It’s like a big night out in kit form.
Home: Claret with speckled “graffiti” shoulder panels of white and sky blue, which are an homage to the kit worn by Billy Bonds’ promotion-winning side of 1992-93. The fact that the Hammers were also relegated to the First Division the previous season while wearing that same kit is obviously not a concern.
Away: The club announced this lively design by declaring it is “made for the massive moments.” Black with neon claret-and-blue flashes on the thick sleeve cuffs, the jersey also bears a jaunty graphic that is loosely inspired by the area of East London that used to house the old Thames Ironworks, which had a staff team that would later become West Ham United.
Home: Chelsea’s home kit pays tribute to former manager Ted Drake, who introduced the heraldic “lion rampant regardant” symbol in 1953. Drake’s crest was changed several times during the second half of the 20th Century, only to be reestablished permanently in 2005 as part of the club’s centenary celebrations. Elements of the lion can also be found adorning the pale blue collar graphic.
A message from Marc! 👋 #CucurellaIsChelsea pic.twitter.com/Gm2l7WF5Q7
Away: After weeks of delay caused by global supply issues, Chelsea pulled off a canny marketing ploy by subtly revealing their away kit while welcoming new signing Marc Cucurella to the club. The Spanish left-back delivered his introductory message to Blues fans while wearing the new jersey, which has a pearl white banded pattern with lateral teal stripes (made up of the same rampant lion pattern found on the collar of the home jersey) and simple navy trim.
Home: Palace are never afraid to give their red-and-blue stripes a makeover with diagonal, pinstripe and faded patterns all seen in recent years. The Eagles’ 2022-23 variation gives the stripes a “graffiti” overhaul thanks to a scribble graphic that creates a lively effect. It’s a bit messy, but that’s kind of the point.
Away: The graffiti theme also forms the basis of Palace’s other kits for the new season, with the away jersey featuring a column of red-and-blue squiggles running down the centre of a white background.
Third: A nod back to the so-called “evil sash” away kit of 2013-14, the season in which Palace returned to the Premier League after eight years away and finished 11th under Tony Pulis. It was also the season of the famous “Crystanbul” game at Selhurst Park, when the Eagles pulled off a momentous 11-minute comeback, clawing their way back from three goals down to draw 3-3 against Liverpool in the penultimate game of the season and thus extending their opponents’ long wait for another league title.
Home: The Gunners — No. 1 in last season’s Premier League kit ranking — have once again returned to the well of 1990s nostalgia to produce a new kit inspired by their regalia of old with a retro “lightning bolt” on the collar and big blocks of white on the sleeves.
Away: Back in black with metallic bronze appointments — perfect for chasing that third-place finish. The shirt also bears an all-over print inspired by the large concrete letters that spell out “ARSENAL” and stand on the concourse outside the Emirates Stadium. The club launched the kit with the help of activist Aston Mack, who was pictured wearing a Gunners jersey at a Black Lives Matter demonstration in June 2020.
Third: Completing the set for Arsenal is a third kit, fresh and funky in rosy pink — the first time the club had used the colour as a base for an outfield shirt. There are subtle echoes of the past on display, too, with the “ermine” pattern knitted into the fabric the same as the heraldic motifs found on the club’s old crests before the design was modernised in 2002.
Home: City have plundered heavily from their great golden period of the late 1960s and early ’70s as inspiration for their 2022-23 kit batch, with both the home and away shirts honouring the hallowed side of that era and specifically star player and club legend Colin Bell — “The King of Maine Road.” The home shirt is sky blue with a marron trim and a centralised badge, much like the jersey that Bell and his cohorts wore while winning two league titles, the FA Cup, two League Cups and the UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup between 1966 and 1976.
Away: The red-and-black diagonal stripes are inspired by the City away kit of 1968-1970, the period in which the club won the Cup Winners’ Cup. The design has been revisited several times since, with City wearing a least one variation of their iconic red-and-black stripes at least once a decade from the 1980s to today, either as an away or third strip.
Third: City’s first kit to be unveiled in the Metaverse is, according to Puma, a modern homage to the famous Mancunian worker bee, which has long been a symbol of the city and its industrial heritage. As such, we are treated to a hi-vis yellow number with thick dark bands across the abdomen that in turn are supposed to resemble spray paint — offering a further tip of the hat to local street artists.
Home: A tastefully classic look that evokes the style of those United fan-favourite home jerseys of the early 1990s. The polo collar returns for the first time since 2015, while other aspects of the design — the triangular collar pattern, the shield crest — are reminiscent of some of the kits worn by Eric Cantona in his collar-popping prime, which is never a bad thing.
Away: White has been a popular choice for United’s away kits since the early 1900s, with many designs used over the years. However, this will be the first time the team play in white on the road since 2015-16. This new shirt most closely resembles the vintage kits of the mid-1970s and ’80s, right up to the iconic banded away jersey worn during the great Treble-winning season of 1998-99.