Nine Premier League clubs will have new managers when the season kicks off on Friday, but few will feel the heat quite like Enzo Maresca, Andoni Iraola and Xabi Alonso. The flurry of changes mean Manchester United boss Michael Carrick, who only arrived at Old Trafford in January, is already the league’s 10th-longest-serving manager. Maresca, Iraola and Alonso will face the fiercest scrutiny as they embark on daunting jobs at Manchester City, Liverpool and Chelsea.
Not since 1946/47, the first campaign after World War II, has there been so much managerial churn before the start of an English top-flight campaign.
The Spaniard caught Liverpool’s eye after his exploits at Bournemouth, where he improved the club’s league position in each of his three campaigns. A sixth-place finish last season ensured the south coast club qualified for Europe for the first time in their history. The Italian is embarking on a third stint at the club, having previously held the positions of elite development squad lead coach in 2020/21 and assistant coach in 2022/23 — City’s treble-winning season. After that, he masterminded Leicester’s return to the Premier League before switching to Chelsea, where he won the UEFA Conference League and Club World Cup during a turbulent 18-month stint. But on the evidence of City’s lacklustre 3-0 loss to Premier League champions Arsenal in the Community Shield on Sunday, Maresca faces a huge task to win the club’s first league title since 2024. Dutchman Slot was shown the door just 12 months after leading the Reds to a record-equalling 20th English league title, following an alarming slump in form last term.
