New faces on the Premier League dugouts

Manchester City, Liverpool and Chelsea – three of the six clubs that make up the Big Six – have changed managers this summer. The other three are Arsenal, the reigning champions who are sticking with Mikel Arteta; Manchester United, who have decided to retain Michael Carrick following his strong performance in the second half of last season; and Tottenham, who are putting their faith in Roberto de Zerbi after the Italian secured their survival.

The best-known case is that of Manchester City. With Pep Guardiola’s departure now confirmed after ten seasons, the Etihad Stadium side have decided to appoint Enzo Maresca. The Italian will face the challenge of being without several players who have left, such as Bernardo Silva and Stones, as well as the possible departure of Rodrigo to Real Madrid. Even so, expectations will be sky-high and the aim will be to win trophies.

A significant move has been made by Fulham, who have replaced the Portuguese manager Marco Silva with the Spaniard Álvaro Arbeloa. The Zaragoza-born manager was unlucky at Real Madrid, where he was promoted from the reserve team following Xabi Alonso’s sacking. However, he failed to improve on the Basque manager’s results, and Florentino Pérez decided not to keep him on. He now arrives at Fulham with the aim of challenging for European places.

Summer managerial changes in the Premier League

• Bournemouth: Marco Rose
• Crystal Palace: Pierre Sage
• Fulham: Álvaro Arbeloa
• Chelsea: Xabi Alonso
• Liverpool: Andoni Iraola

Basque managers in the title race

But the most significant changes are at Liverpool and Chelsea. The Anfield club looked set to give Arne Slot another chance, but once the season was over they decided they needed a change. And they opted for Andoni Iraola, who had guided Bournemouth to European competition for the first time in their history – specifically, the Europa League.

Chelsea, however, will not be playing in Europe. Their season has been a failure, which is why they have appointed Xabi Alonso. Although his spell at Real Madrid did not go as expected, his work in Real Sociedad’s youth academy and subsequently at Bayer Leverkusen speaks for itself. Chelsea are embarking on a new project and, like Liverpool, have decided to put their faith in a Basque manager.

But Andoni Iraola and Xabi Alonso won’t be the only Basque managers in the Premier League. Mikel Arteta remains at Arsenal after winning the Premier League and losing the Champions League final to PSG on penalties. Furthermore, Unai Emery also remains at Aston Villa after guiding the Villa Park side into the Champions League and winning the Europa League in a historic season. Four Basque managers at four clubs set to be at the top of the table.

Basque managers in the 2026/2027 Premier League

• Arsenal: Mikel Arteta
• Liverpool: Andoni Iraola
• Chelsea: Xabi Alonso
• Aston Villa: Unai Emery