The Premier League’s managerial merry-go-round has officially spun off its axis. Nine of the league’s 20 clubs will kick off the 2026-27 campaign with a different manager than the one who finished last season, a level of turnover not seen on opening weekend since the competition’s inception in 1992.
According to data analysts Opta, the only top-flight seasons that started with a comparable wave of new faces in the dugout were 1888-89 and 1946-47. One was the literal birth of league football. The other followed a six-year suspension caused by a global war.
The departures that reshaped English football
The most seismic exit belongs to Pep Guardiola, who left Manchester City after a decade that redefined what dominance looks like in English football.
Liverpool also made a significant change, parting ways with Arne Slot. And Eddie Howe’s departure from Newcastle United set off a search that ended on August 5, 2026, when Matthias Jaissle was confirmed as his replacement, the final piece of the summer’s managerial puzzle.
