A new Premier League season has begun, meaning English football's 20 top clubs are set to fight it out once again for their shot at glory. There are set to be a number of new faces in the dugouts this season following a remarkable nine managerial changes during the summer.
Arteta's title triumph and new appointments
Arsenal are reigning champions after Mikel Arteta finally got his side over the line to end the club's 22-year wait for a league title. The Gunners boss will be rivalled by a new set of coaches following Pep Guardiola's departure from Manchester City. Former Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca has been appointed as his successor at City and will look to continue Guardiola's legacy.
Elsewhere, Andoni Iraola has replaced Arne Slot as Liverpool manager, while Xabi Alonso has been tasked with transforming Chelsea's fortunes. Newcastle United are entering a new era after parting ways with Eddie Howe, while Oliver Glasner has headed to Nottingham Forest after winning silverware with Crystal Palace. Gary O'Neil has taken over from Kieran McKenna at newly-promoted Ipswich Town.
Managers ranked from 20 to 11
Sergej Jakirovic is ranked 20th after Hull City surpassed expectations by winning the Championship play-offs last season. The Tigers have also been active in the summer transfer window, and Jakirovic has won trophies in Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina. However, there are plenty of top coaches in the division and one of them has to be at the bottom of this list.
Alvaro Arbeloa is 19th. The former Liverpool defender was recently in charge of Real Madrid and hopes to make an immediate impact at Fulham. The 43-year-old has revamped his squad since replacing Marco Silva at Craven Cottage, but he faces a starkly different task from his time with Los Blancos and his lack of managerial experience also counts against him.
Gary O'Neil is 18th. He initially enjoyed success as Bournemouth boss before being controversially replaced by Andoni Iraola in 2023. He later made a positive start at Wolves before struggling at Molineux, followed by a short spell with Strasbourg. Despite his experience of managing relegation scraps, replacing Kieran McKenna at Ipswich Town is a sizeable task.
Frank Lampard is 17th. He returns as a Premier League manager looking for a fresh chapter in the top-flight after leading Coventry City to Championship glory. There were reasons to be positive during his first spell as Chelsea boss, before he subsequently returned and oversaw some dismal results as interim manager. He notably helped Everton survive a relegation battle and will draw on his experience with the Toffees to help Coventry avoid the drop.
Keith Andrews is 16th. The Brentford manager emerged as one of the surprises of the season after taking over from the long-serving Thomas Frank last year. He led the Bees to ninth in the table, narrowly missing out on a European place. While he is under contract until 2032, it remains to be seen whether Andrews can build on his early success this term.
Daniel Farke is 15th. Before last season, the Leeds United boss had faced problems when stepping up to the Premier League from the Championship. However, a tactical tweak during the recent campaign resolved those issues and Farke will be aiming to take his Leeds side even higher up the table this year.
Michael Carrick is 14th. A difficult manager to place in this list, given his success last season. Carrick won 12 of his 17 games in charge and could be the perfect long-term Manchester United manager. However, he was initially appointed on an interim basis, having previously underachieved at Middlesbrough, meaning the jury is still out on the United boss.
Matthias Jaissle is 13th. The German coach emerged as the shock contender to succeed Eddie Howe at Newcastle United but has achieved success throughout his coaching career. After winning Austrian Bundesliga titles at Red Bull Salzburg and consecutive AFC Champions League titles with Al-Ahli, Jaissle will back himself to flourish in the Premier League.
Pierre Sage is 12th. Placing him this low down could look foolish at the end of the season. He arrives at Crystal Palace after winning the Coupe de France with Lens and achieving an impressive second-place finish in Ligue 1. The 47-year-old could thrive instantly as a Premier League coach but faces a huge task in emulating his predecessor's success at Selhurst Park.
Regis Le Bris is 11th. Like one or two on this list, he faces the task of following up on an incredibly successful season. After leading the newly-promoted Black Cats to seventh place last term, Sunderland are now preparing to play European football due to Le Bris' coaching nous.
Managers ranked from 10 to 1
David Moyes is 10th. It is easy to overlook his achievements after decades of managing in the top flight. The Everton boss quickly ended the club's perpetual fears of relegation upon his return to the Toffees. A Europa Conference League-winning coach with West Ham, Moyes will have one eye on earning a European place this season.
Fabian Hurzeler is 9th. The young Brighton manager is preparing for a European campaign after leading the Seagulls to eighth place last season. While he has the potential to be higher on this list as his career continues, he faces stiff competition among the Premier League's best coaches.
Marco Rose is 8th. Bournemouth acted decisively when naming him as Andoni Iraola's successor. Having won trophies with Red Bull Salzburg and RB Leipzig, the 49-year-old could continue the Cherries' recent success as his side prepare for a Europa League campaign.
Roberto De Zerbi is 7th. He has been bullish about his desire to get Spurs competing at the top end of the table after achieving Premier League survival. Having previously been admired for his work at Brighton, De Zerbi has been heavily backed in the transfer market and could realise his ambitions at Tottenham.
Andoni Iraola is 6th. Able to consistently reinvent his Bournemouth teams and imprint an attractive style of play on the south coast, despite continually losing key players, Iraola was rewarded with the Liverpool job this summer. However, he lacks trophies to bolster his CV, unlike others on this list. The Spanish coach will look to breathe new life into a squad that underperformed last term.
Oliver Glasner is 5th. While his decision to leave Crystal Palace for Nottingham Forest came as somewhat of a surprise, that should not detract from his ability to win trophies consistently. He guided Palace to their first-ever major silverware in the 2025 FA Cup final and followed it up by winning the Europa Conference League last season.
Enzo Maresca is 4th. The new Manchester City boss has the difficult job of replacing Pep Guardiola in the dugout. However, he is arguably the ideal appointment, given his past ties to the club and winning record as a coach. Maresca secured both the Europa Conference League and Club World Cup during his time at Chelsea and will expect to clinch more silverware this season.
Xabi Alonso is 3rd. While not as experienced as others on this list, he holds the distinction of masterminding Bayer Leverkusen to their first-ever Bundesliga title, remaining unbeaten in the league, and also winning the DFB Pokal. Alonso did not have the same impact during his short stint at Real Madrid, but he is undoubtedly a supremely talented coach looking to make his mark in the Premier League.
Mikel Arteta is 2nd. He can feel aggrieved not to be top of this list after ending Arsenal's wait to lift the Premier League and also coming agonisingly close to clinching the Champions League. After several near-misses, the Gunners boss has an opportunity to establish his side as the league's dominant force.
Unai Emery is 1st. A potentially controversial pick as the Premier League's best manager. A five-time Europa League winner, Aston Villa boss Unai Emery has often got the maximum out of his squads across multiple clubs. He was previously criticised during his Arsenal reign, though Arteta later demonstrated the difficulty of changing the Gunners' fortunes. Villa's journey from a relegation battle to Champions League campaigns and silverware demonstrates Emery's genius.
