The Premier League is undergoing a shift in managerial faces, with clubs across the league already preparing for new managers to lead them into the 2026/27 season.
Manchester United are expected to make Michael Carrick’s appointment permanent, while Chelsea have already announced the signing of former Real Madrid coach Xabi Alonso.
Tottenham Hotspur, whose fate in the Premier League still hangs in the balance, will be hoping Roberto De Zerbi can help revive their fortunes next season, while Manchester City will be looking to continue Pep Guardiola’s success following reports of the Spaniard’s possible exit from the club.
Which clubs could benefit from new managerial appointments?
Xabi Alonso
Chelsea need a quick change in fortunes, especially after an abysmal season that has seen them fail to secure a Champions League spot for next season and lose the FA Cup final for the seventh consecutive time.
Alonso’s appointment will be a breath of fresh air under the BlueCo regime, as he boasts experience across different leagues.
Alonso’s style of play will suit Chelsea. His knowledge of elite football, including his ability to work with both young and experienced talent, will greatly benefit the Blues.
His exploits at Bayer Leverkusen also shouldn’t be forgotten, as he went unbeaten in the league during the 2023/24 season and won the domestic double.
Alonso often operates with three defenders at the back, though his tactical flexibility means he is equally comfortable deploying a back four when the game demands it.
At Leverkusen, his side distinguished themselves not by rigidly following a system, but by exploiting space intelligently and tailoring their approach to the specific strengths of the personnel available to them. That adaptability will be crucial at Chelsea, where squad depth and profile vary significantly across positions.
The former Liverpool midfielder must be properly backed in the summer to bring in his own players and will look to ensure consistency in the club’s talent.
Michael Carrick
A Manchester United legend, Michael Carrick has successfully turned United’s fate around, taking them back to the Champions League after an abysmal season under Ruben Amorim, accumulating more league points since he took charge than any United manager in recent memory. This run also earned him a Premier League Manager of the Season nomination.
His understanding of the club and ability to properly profile players have been his greatest strengths, proven by the resurgence of Kobbie Mainoo after the midfielder was almost out of the club under Amorim.
Carrick’s transitional style of play also saw United gather the most points in the league since the time he became the club’s manager. If properly backed, Carrick could transform United into title hopefuls next season.
Roberto De Zerbi
Roberto De Zerbi’s time at Brighton & Hove Albion and Marseille has proven him to be a high-intensity, possession-based manager who works well with young attacking talents.
While Tottenham Hotspur’s main focus will be to avoid relegation, the club knows that a home win against Everton would ensure safety and help them prepare for the future.
Talents like Archie Gray, Mohammed Kudus, Lucas Bergvall, and Xavi Simons will greatly benefit from De Zerbi’s attacking pattern.
His high-risk, high-reward style of play when building up involves drawing opponents towards defenders on the ball before using quick passing routines to find free players facing forward, allowing them to progress the ball quickly into attack.
Spurs will be hoping the Italian can help restore pride if they can avoid relegation this season.
Enzo Maresca
Enzo Maresca has continuously grown tactically, from winning the Championship with Leicester to guiding Chelsea to a Club World Cup triumph.
According to reports from Journalist Fabrizio Romano, Maresca is expected to replace Pep Guardiola, who is expected to leave Manchester City at the end of the season.
Maresca, very much a coach of the Guardiola school, is almost the same age as the Catalan was when he arrived at City in 2016, and the two men even bear a physical resemblance.
The Italian has often been compared to Pep Guardiola for his fluidity and general approach, tweaking his style depending on the opponents his team faces.
Maresca, who became a relative success at Leicester and Chelsea, will be saddled with the responsibility of instilling belief in the players while managing world-class talents such as Rodri, Erling Haaland, and Gianluigi Donnarumma.
Maresca is not just deeply familiar with working in an elite environment; he is deeply familiar with this particular elite environment.
Maresca spent a season coaching the club’s elite development squad to the Premier League 2 title before returning to the Etihad Stadium from a failed first foray into head coaching at Parma to become Guardiola’s assistant in 2022-23, the season which yielded the club’s first treble.
These clubs will be hoping to properly address their shortcomings ahead of next season if they are going to compete properly, especially against an Arsenal team that understands itself and has overcome the hurdles of lifting a trophy.