The upcoming Premier League campaign has already broken records before a single ball has been kicked in anger this summer.
Nine clubs are set to begin the 2026-27 season under new permanent managers, the highest number ever recorded for the top flight’s opening weekend.
Liverpool, Manchester City, Chelsea, Newcastle United, Bournemouth, Nottingham Forest, Crystal Palace, Fulham, and Ipswich Town have all made managerial changes ahead of the new campaign.
Liverpool appointed Andoni Iraola after Arne Slot was sacked, while Manchester City turned to Enzo Maresca following Pep Guardiola’s resignation after a trophy-laden spell at Etihad Stadium.
Chelsea turned to Xabi Alonso after Liam Rosenior’s ill-fated term came to an end, with Bournemouth appointing Marco Rose after Iraola’s contract expired and Nottingham Forest hiring Oliver Glasner following Vitor Pereira’s dismissal.
Crystal Palace turned to Pierre Sage after Glasner left at the end of his contract, Fulham appointed Alvaro Arbeloa after Marco Silva’s deal expired, while Ipswich Town named Gary O’Neil as successor when Kieran McKenna resigned.
Newcastle United are also expected to appoint Matthias Jaissle after Eddie Howe stepped down, completing the historic total of nine new permanent bosses.
The previous record came in 2016-17, when eight clubs began the campaign under new management, a summer that included Guardiola’s arrival at Manchester City and Antonio Conte’s appointment at Chelsea.
Conte went on to win the title in that first season, and the feat of lifting the trophy as a debut-season manager remains one of football’s rarest achievements.
Arsenal’s Mikel Arteta, appointed in December 2019, is now the Premier League’s longest-serving manager despite having been in charge for less than seven years, illustrating how dramatically turnover has accelerated.
Only Atletico Madrid’s Diego Simeone, who has led the Spanish side since December 2011, has been in charge of a club for longer across Europe’s five major leagues.
Manchester United boss Michael Carrick, who became the club’s permanent manager in May after taking interim charge in January, illustrates just how quickly things have changed, with only 10 Premier League managers having been in post longer than him.
Carrick is also United’s seventh permanent manager since Sir Alex Ferguson retired in 2013, a statistic that underlines the extraordinary instability at Old Trafford over more than a decade.
One fascinating subplot this season concerns whether the traditional new manager bounce will survive contact with a division where so many sides are simultaneously adapting to new ideas.
The opening weekend is expected to feature three fixtures between clubs under new managers, including Fulham against Chelsea, Manchester City versus Bournemouth, and Liverpool travelling to Newcastle.
Liverpool’s start is particularly unusual, with Iraola’s first six Premier League matches all coming against teams under new permanent managers, including Forest, Ipswich, Fulham, Bournemouth, and Manchester City following Newcastle.
For the first time since 1985-86, England’s top flight will begin without Sir Alex Ferguson, Arsene Wenger, Jose Mourinho, Jurgen Klopp, or Guardiola occupying a dugout, having collectively won 26 of the league’s 34 titles.
Research discussed in the Financial Times, drawing on findings from Soccernomics by Simon Kuper and Stefan Szymanski, argues that player quality and spending remain stronger predictors of results than managerial changes alone.
Sports consultancy Twenty First Group says coaches often succeed or fail according to the environment they inherit as much as their own abilities, adding important context to the upheaval sweeping through the division.
Since the Premier League began in 1992, only six managers have won the title in their first season in charge, the most recent being Slot, who led Liverpool to the championship in his maiden campaign in 2025-26.
With almost half the division beginning the campaign under new leadership, the Premier League enters one of its most unpredictable and fascinating seasons in recent memory.
