Premier League 2022/23: home and away jerseys rated
Who will wear it best?
Kit reveals are an important ritual for a new season. Here’s my rating of the home and away jersey of all 20 Premier League teams.
Arsenal
The home jersey is a throwback to the 90s. The lightning trimmed polo collar and white Adidas stripes accentuate the clean design. 4.5/5. The Away jersey has complementary black and gold colour palette but the tonal AFC print can seem a bit distracting and cryptic. 3.5/5.
Score: 8/10
Aston Villa
Villa sport cleaner claret and blue home jersey compared to last season. I’m not sure what value the chevron pattern adds. 3.5/5. The away jersey has clean design with subtle stripes and contrasting collar and cuff trims. The perfectly inverse colour palette (claret on blue) is so logical for an away kit. 4/5. The caption below the Cazoo logo (Search Drive Smile) is good marketing.
Score: 7.5/10
Brentford
The Bees reused their jerseys from last season — huge kudos to them. I’ll also recycle my rating from last season. 3.5/5. The away jersey harks back to their 1980s away kit. The well-placed logo, ribbed collar and darker lettering and cuffs make it very presentable. 4.5/5.
Score: 8/10
Bournemouth
While the jagged stripes on the home jersey are jarring there is a symmetry to it. Logos and crest are also neatly placed. 3.5/5. The away jersey with seaside theme, palm tree silhouette, neon-blue-purple colour scheme, and neatly integrated logos and crest is a piece of art. ⭐5/5.
Score: 8.5/5
Brighton and Hove Albion
The home jersey innovates on traditional stripes while seamlessly blending in the sponsor logo, and using yellow colour to distinctive effect. 4.5/5. The away jersey’s crimson-orange colour contrasted with dapper black collar, cuff trim and pinstripe pattern, is just splendid. What a beauty. ⭐5/5.
Score: 9.5/10 🏆
Chelsea
The slim-fit home jersey pays tribute to Ted Drake. It has a buttoned collar referencing the lion rampant badge (introduced by Drake), and a subtle pattern throughout. The collar seems like a snare though. 4/5.
Score: 4/5
Crystal Palace
The graffiti or “brushstroke” patterned home jersey looks like a mashup of Barcelona (2013) and PSG’s (2018) jerseys. The white logos, crew-neck collar and cuffs provide a clean contrast (and respite) from the chaotically bright background. 3.5/5. The away jersey’s central strip is eye-catching but having seen a similar pattern in PSG jerseys, the novelty wears out fast. 3.5/5.
Score: 7/10
Everton
Prince Rupert’s Tower inspired embossing and spunky Stake logo font add variety and vibe to Everton’s home jersey. 3.5/5. The “rose-bloom pink” away jersey is inspired by their 92/93 away kit’s all-over design, and the Tower roof. It’s different and taps artistically into history. 4.5/5.
Score: 8/10
Fulham
A crew-neck Adidas template this time for the home jersey. Clean design with a Thames inspired collar and cuff contrast. Looks similar to West Germany’s 1986 jersey. 4/5. The away jersey has good colour palette but the Craven Cottage brick-work inspired pattern could’ve been subtler. 4/5.
Score: 8/10
Leeds
A clean, cogent design for the home jersey using the traditional club colours of white, yellow and blue. 4.5/5. The latter colours combine in a “tie-dye explosion” pattern in their away jersey which is a nod to their 70s jersey. Different, unconventional but an acquired taste nevertheless. 3.5/5.
Score: 8/10
Leicester City
In a nod to their 70s/80s side, the home jersey has a retro polo collar and neckline, which sometimes looks smart and sometimes juts out oddly. The white tipped cuffs and gold crest are notable. 4/5.
Score: 4/5
Liverpool
The home jersey has a clean well-contrasted design and a beautiful crimson colour, but the lack of trims and detailing makes it look a bit basic. 3.5/5. The away jersey has an innovative “iridescent” style that integrates well with the black crest, logos and cuffs. An “out-there” jersey with a swirly twist. 3.5/5.
Score: 7/10
Manchester City
The burgundy trim on the collar and sleeves accentuates the clean design of the light blue home jersey. The central crest and logos look better here compared to previous Puma designs. ⭐5/5. ️The away jersey has a 1969 theme but like then, stripes would’ve looked better than diagonals. 3.5/5.
Score: 8.5/10
Manchester United
The smart polo collar and pinstripe pattern of the home jersey is complicated by the insufficiently contrasted stripes, an ill-fitting sponsor logo and stand out shield crest. A conflicting rather than a cohesive design. 3/5. The away jersey also lacks flow but is saved (somewhat) by the Adidas stripes. 3/5.
Score: 6/10
Newcastle
Traditional stripe design for the home jersey with smart collar and cuff trims. The light blue logo and crest once again offer insufficient contrast. 3.5/5. No such shortcomings however for the very classy navy and gold away jersey, with a sleeve print inspired by the Leazes stand. ⭐5/5.
Score: 8.5/10
Nottingham Forest
Forest have not yet confirmed a sponsor so we don’t know how their jerseys will change with that. A simple and clean design nevertheless for the Garibaldi red home jersey. 4/5. The away jersey is more eye-catching. The Trent bridge ironworks inspired pattern is more prominent compared to the home jersey and the blue trim and lines blend in nicely. 4.5/5.
Score: 8.5/10
Southampton
In a nod to their “reverse coloured” 1980s home jersey has a central red stripe down the middle, making it look like an Ajax jersey. The stanchion graphic and central crest is good and the logo’s accommodated nicely. 4/5. The away kit has a wavy sea-inspired theme with matching yellow trim. The deluge of patterns is intentional but one wonders if less could’ve been more here. 4/5.
Score: 8/10
Tottenham Hotspur
The usual clean white design for the home jersey accentuated by the crew-neck collar and the trims on cuffs, although I’m not so sure about the neon yellow highlights. 3.5/5. The away jersey improves on the bus-seat cover abomination of last season but still looks like something from the mix-and-match bin of a discount store. The central logos detract even further. 2/5.
Score: 5.5/10
West Ham
The claret and blue home jersey is coherent with the crew neck and ribbed cuff giving an extra sporty feel. Not so sure about the “distorted linear” shoulder graphic. 3.5/5. The black away jersey has a smart design though the cuff pattern looks like it’s been added on from a heavy-duty carpet. 4/5.
Score: 7.5/10
Wolverhampton Wanderers
The gold colour and wolf crest ensure give Wolves’ home jerseys a solid aesthetic baseline. Neat design, good adaptation of the sponsor logo to blend in with the jerseys and a stylish V-neck and collar line. 4.5/5. Great colours for the 90s inspired away jersey with the Molineux inspired geometric print further accentuating the design. 4.5/5.
Score: 9/10👔
Themes
While teams entering the season sporting a variety of kit designs, 3 themes have emerged.
- Many clubs have gone for retro-designs paying homage to their past teams or heritage.
- Ecological considerations are becoming important to kit makers. Puma Adidas and Nike have introduced 100% recycled polyester jerseys. Hummel has used the Eco-8 process in its design. Brentford FC have gone furthest and re-used their home jerseys from last season.
- Many kits are being advertised as everyday wear in addition to being replica kit. This reflects the growing trend of football jerseys converging into mainstream leisurewear, or going by Venezia’s breathtaking jerseys last season, into full-blown fashionwear even!
Trivia
- 6 home jerseys (30%) feature stripes. None have hoops.
- Of 14 non-striped jerseys, Blue and Red are the most popular colours (4), followed by white (3), claret/blue (2) and gold (1).
- 8/19 (42%) shirt sponsor logos are betting related. The next most popular category is financial services (5).
- This is the 31st season of the Premier League. To see how sponsors have changed over time, refer to this post.
- To compare this season’s jerseys against last season, refer to this post.
Images sourced from official club stores, kit makers’ websites and the official Premier League website, for the sole purpose of critical review.
