Clayton, 51, who won the title on debut in 2021, has reached finals night in each of this three full appearances in the showpiece event.
But having been overlooked for the past two editions, Clayton feels he has a point to prove as he returns in 2026.
After his triumph at the PDC World Championship, Luke Littler is the favourite in the darts betting to clinch the Premier League title after finishing runner-up to Luke Humphries in 2025. Welshman Clayton, however, at 40/1, is keen to prove the doubters wrong.
“I’ve moaned enough about not being in it, so I’m back with a smile on my face, and I’ve got some proving to do that I should be in it,” said Clayton.
“If you talk the talk, you’ve got to walk the walk. I’ve said that I should have been in it, now I need to prove why I should be in it.
“I’m looking forward to this. I’m really ready for this. It motivates me, alright, because people don’t rate me, obviously they rate the others more. Let’s see on finals night.”
First up for the man known as the “Ferret” on night one is debutant Josh Rock.
“To be fair, he’s a good lad, he’s full of fun, he’s confident, and he’s a great player,” continued Clayton.
“He’s bouncing, he’s ready to go, but I’ve had the experience, hopefully that will help me through.”
Former darts player Paul ‘The Asset’ Nicholson, when providing his insights into the upcoming Premier League Darts, says that “burst player” Clayton is capable of once again reaching the tournament’s finals night.
“Jonny’s a burst player. His ability to get out of the traps, straight into a game, straight into someone’s face with some 121 checkouts and points to the camera to show them that he’s willing to go from dart one in Newcastle all the way to week 16.
“He’s someone who’s got an engine, and he can programme his calendar well enough to make sure that he’s got enough in the final sprint to make the playoffs again.
“The one thing I didn’t agree with Jonny about was that he was prioritising the Premier League when he was at the Worlds. Do you want to be world champion or do you want to be Premier League champion?
“99% of the world wants to be world champion, and apparently, on some level, Clayton is more focused on being in the Premier League. So by virtue of that, he would like to go and win a second one of them. If he were to win a second, it would eclipse the first one because some of that was behind closed doors.
“Can you imagine what it’s going to be like in Cardiff when you’ve got Jonny and Gezzy [Price] there? That’ll be some party.”
Latest Premier League odds provided by Betway:
2026 Premier League Winner:
Luke Littler – 8/11
Luke Humphries – 5/1
Gian van Veen – 13/2
Gerwyn Price – 14/1
Josh Rock – 14/1
Michael van Gerwen – 14/1
Jonny Clayton – 40/1
Stephen Bunting – 40/1
