The manager merry-go-round has been in overdrive this summer, with several significant changes across Europe and in particular, the Premier League.
There have been a record nine dug-out changes over the summer including three of last season's top eight sides.
It brings a lot of questions and some uncertainty to the whole league, with some brand-new names as well as a few faces that will be familiar to fans.
ESPN takes a look at each new manager and the challenges they face in their first seasons.
- From Arsenal to Hull, where all 20 teams will finish
- Why every fan should be optimistic (and pessimistic) about their team's season
Marco Rose - AFC Bournemouth
Change: Replaces Andoni Iraola
Rose has been involved with several clubs across Germany, but is perhaps best known for his brief stint at Borussia Dortmund. Rose spent one year at the club in 2021-22, guiding them to a second-place finish in the Bundesliga, but they didn't get out of their UEFA Champions League group. He was hired by RB Leipzig in 2022 before he was sacked following a poor run of results in 2025.
As a player, he spent time under Jürgen Klopp at Mainz, which may have contributed to his managerial style. Rose has said he wants his sides to "be very active against the ball, sprint a lot. We want to win high balls and have short ways to the goal."
Biggest challenge: Sustaining league form with European football
Bournemouth broke through the glass ceiling last term, finishing sixth with 13 wins and just 7 defeats to qualify for the Europa League. However, with their success comes the added challenge of more games and increased expectations from fans. The squad will be tested like never before and Rose has to hit the ground running with early wins ahead of the inevitable fixture pile-up.
Xabi Alonso - Chelsea
Change: Replaces Liam Rosenior
After the failed Liam Rosenior experiment, Chelsea needed a big name to get the supporters back onside and they got one in Alonso.
While he lasted just 34 matches at Real Madrid, he lost only six of them, but that's not a good enough return for Los Blancos.
However, it's important to remember Alonso's success with Bayer Leverkusen, who won their first Bundesliga title in an unbeaten season as well as the German Cup during his tenure. They also reached the Europa League final.
Given his success as a player, he carries a lot of respect with him and brings a hands-on approach to coaching, with Romeo Lavia noting how "he starts pinging balls around in a way only those who have played at the top level can. It's a privilege to be working with him, especially as a midfielder."
Biggest challenge: Silencing the noise
Alonso's arrival at Chelsea has come with a lot of fanfare and commentary already.
A Premier League icon as a player, he is unproven in England as a manager and will have to show fans and media he can handle the rigours of the competition from the touchline. Chelsea's hierarchy have shown themselves to have itchy trigger fingers when it comes to coaches, regardless of their name or standing in the game.
Alonso is their fifth permanent manager since Thomas Tuchel left in 2022.
Pierre Sage - Crystal Palace
Change: Replaces Oliver Glasner
A manager who won't be as widely known as some of the other new faces this year, but Sage has respectable win records at his previous clubs, Lens and Lyon. It was last year at Lens where Sage started to really make a name for himself, winning the Coupe de France for the first time in the club's history. Their league form was impressive too as they finished second in Ligue 1, a result which saw him crowned Ligue 1 manager of the year.
Sage faces a daunting task off the back of one of the most successful periods of Crystal Palace history, with Oliver Glasner winning the FA Cup, UEFA Conference League and Community Shield.
The 47-year-old has said his style is flexible, switching between various formations at Lens including 4-3-3, 3-4-3 and 3-2-5. He told the Athletic in 2025: "My opinion is not to have something strong, it's to have something very liquid, with the idea to have a lot of adaptations between the games and in the same game..."
Sage highlighted the idea that you have to be able to adapt on the fly depending on the opposition and how a game plays out.
Biggest challenge: Making fans forget about Oliver Glasner
While Palace finished 15th last season, there was a feeling that many fans didn't want Glasner to go, especially after he finished on the high of winning a European trophy. Sage will need results, of course, but also a style of play that excites fans and gets the most out of the likes of Jean-Philippe Mateta and Ismaïla Sarr.
Alvaro Arbeloa - Fulham
Change: Replaces Marco Silva
Another former Real Madrid man, but there's no doubt Arbeloa is a risk for Fulham. He is relatively unproven as a manager after a brief spell in charge at Madrid last season, where the club finished trophyless and were knocked out of the Champions League in the quarterfinals.
His experience in English football was also brief, just two seasons with Liverpool which came almost 20 years ago and four games with West Ham in 2016-17.
But, Arbeloa has wasted no time putting his stamp on the Fulham squad, signing young Madrid duo César Palacios and Gonzalo García.
The Spaniard has said he wants his team to be "really offensive" and "brave" with the ball, but Fulham are a different kettle of fish to the star power he had at Madrid, especially given the departures of Harry Wilson and Raúl Jiménez.
Biggest challenge: Finding goals
Between them, Wilson and Jimenez scored 19 league goals and earned 10 assists. Taking that out of most teams would be significant. Centre-forward Garcia arrives with a lot of potential, but is just 22 and unproven in the Premier League.
Gary O'Neil - Ipswich Town
Change: Replaces Kieran McKenna
There's no escaping the fact Ipswich face a huge challenge in their second Premier League stint in three years. They made a spirited effort in their first season back, but could only muster 22 points. After he led them straight back up again, Kieran McKenna, now widely considered a club legend, decided his time was up.
The Tractor Boys made what looks like a safe move for his replacement, turning to O'Neil who has Premier League experience but with limited success. He lasted just one full season with Bournemouth, though he kept them from being relegated, while his stint at Wolves was rocky to say the least. O'Neil was most recently at Strasbourg for the second half of last season, when they finished eighth.
Ipswich have been strong in the transfer market, splashing the cash on centre-forward Emersonn from FC Toulouse and winger Abdul Fatawu from Leicester City. Ipswich can expect to spend a lot of time without the ball this season but O'Neil has deployed a 4-2-3-1 formation for much of preseason in a bid to be defensively sound but give support to Emersonn, who will lead the line this term.
Biggest challenge: Survival
It sounds harsh, but it's the reality for both O'Neil individually and Ipswich as a club. They'll be desperate not to go straight back down again and O'Neil has a big challenge on his hands. Ipswich have a tough start to the season which won't help, with Sunderland, Manchester United and Liverpool first up.
Andoni Iraola - Liverpool
Change: Replaces Arne Slot
Just as it looked like Slot would be spared in the summer, he was gone. Sacked after just two seasons, and Liverpool moved quickly to get Iraola. The Anfield faithful should enjoy the high energy, aggressive style he wants his teams to employ. In a show of the level he expects and what's required from his players, the new Liverpool boss has already taken aim at his squad's lack of fitness.
You'd expect the players to get to the required level soon, but if he isn't able to bring in some senior reinforcements, it could be a difficult season for Liverpool.
Biggest challenge: Squad depth
Liverpool have had significant departures in the form of Mohamed Salah, Andy Robertson and Ibrahima Konaté, all three of whom had valuable experience. The squad feels markedly different without them.
Jérémy Jacquet and Víctor Muñoz come in, along with Ronald Araújo, but the former are both raw and will take time to get up to Premier League standard. Iraola will have to lean heavily on the likes of Virgil van Dijk and Dominik Szoboszlai, with all players needing to step up after a frustrating campaign last time out.
Enzo Maresca - Manchester City
Change: Replaces Pep Guardiola
Up there with Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger in terms of departures, it's difficult to imagine Man City without Pep Guardiola on the touchline. However, even when he was still at the helm at Chelsea, Maresca appeared to be the club's preferred option as Guardiola's successor. There are uncertain days ahead for Maresca, with Rodri off to Barcelona.
Maresca knows the City system well having spent time as an assistant to Guardiola, who influenced his coaching philosophy. City have used a 4-2-3-1 formation in preseason and he has stuck to his word that he wants to help Phil Foden get back to his best, using the England star in a central role behind a No. 9 in preseason.
Biggest challenge: Not being Pep
It's inevitable for any manager who replaces a long-serving club legend, and Maresca will constantly and relentlessly be compared to Guardiola this season. Winning and claiming silverware are the only remedies to that problem.
Matthias Jaissle - Newcastle United
Change: Replaces Eddie Howe
Another summer, another period of change and uncertainty at St James' Park. It appears Eddie Howe finally had enough and walked. Jaissle, who comes from Al Ahli, is another relatively unknown figure to English football.
The 38-year-old had a stint at RB Leipzig with a successful first season in Austria, winning the Austrian Bundesliga and Austrian Cup double, while he also led the side to the knockouts of the Champions League. He backed it up with another league title in his second season.
He used a 4-2-3-1 formation in his first game, a 2-1 win against Valencia.
Biggest challenge: Filling the void left by top players
Part of the reason behind Eddie Howe's departure will also be a problem for Jaissle. Newcaslte can't keep hold of their best players and it means the squad the German has at his disposal is radically different to the team that had some memorable Champions League nights and Premier League success in recent years. The expectation will remain high on Tyneside, but without the likes of Anthony Gordon, Bruno Guimarães and Sandro Tonali, it's set to be a tough first season for Jaissle.
Oliver Glasner - Nottingham Forest
Change: Replaces Vitor Pereira
Vitor Pereira appeared destined to lead Forest into the new season having saved their tumultuous season by helping them avoid relegation. But then, the opportunity to sign Glasner popped up and Forest pounced. Having seen what he achieved at Crystal Palace, it's an understandable move.
Glasner's favoured three-at-the-back system, which can change between 3-4-2-1 and 3-5-2, should get the best out of Nico Williams and Ola Aina as wing-backs, while he has good options in attack with the likes of Morgan Gibbs-White, Igor Jesus and Chris Wood to lean on.
Glasner will also be hoping for more reinforcements before the window closes after Elliot Anderson's £116 million move to Manchester City.
Biggest challenge: Keeping the owner happy
Evangelos Marinakis is an ambitious and passionate owner ... And he isn't afraid to make a big call. Nuno Espírito Santo enjoyed success at the club, leading them to European football for the first time in 30 years, but his sacking one month into last season showed how ruthless Marinakis can be.
The Greek owner sacked two other managers -- Ange Postecoglou and Sean Dyche -- before Pereira stepped in last term. Glasner will have to work hard to both get results on the pitch and keep Marinakis happy, or his time at The City Ground could be short.