The 2026/27 Premier League season promises plenty of intrigue in the dugout following a frenzied summer of activity.
There were a record-smashing 11 in-season Premier League managerial changes in 2025/26, while another nine managers have vacated their posts since the campaign ended.
The most prominent departure of the summer came at Manchester City, where legendary boss Pep Guardiola brought his long, and hugely successful, tenure to an end. The club will now enter a new era under Enzo Maresca, whose former club Chelsea have turned to Xabi Alonso.
Liverpool have also welcomed a new face after Andoni Iraola made the move from the south coast to Merseyside following the exit of former title winner Arne Slot. Marco Rose has taken over at Bournemouth, while Matthias Jaissle has succeeded Eddie Howe at Newcastle.
Nottingham Forest, meanwhile, are now on their fifth different manager in less than a year. The club surprisingly parted ways with Vitor Pereira in July before appointing Conference League winner Oliver Glasner, who has since been replaced by Frenchman Pierre Sage at Crystal Palace.
Fulham have named former Real Madrid boss Alvaro Arbeloa as their new gaffer following Marco Silva’s departure for Benfica.
Newly promoted Ipswich were forced into a change of their own after three-time promotion winner Kieran McKenna left the club. Gary O’Neil swiftly exited Strasbourg to take the reins at Portman Road.
To put everything into context. Roberto De Zerbi is now the 11th-longest-serving current Premier League manager, despite having only taken charge of Tottenham in March 2026; a sign of just how quickly the managerial landscape has changed.
With another season of managerial mayhem on the horizon, Squawka has taken a look at the latest Premier League manager to leave odds from Sky Bet, before taking a closer look at the five leading candidates to be the first casualty of the new season.
Next Premier League manager to leave odds
| Manager | Odds |
|---|---|
| Sergej Jakirovic | 7/2 |
| Gary O’Neil | 4/1 |
| Frank Lampard | 7/1 |
| Oliver Glasner | 9/1 |
| Alvaro Arbeloa | 10/1 |
| Matthias Jaissle | 11/1 |
| Regis Le Bris | 14/1 |
| Daniel Farke | 16/1 |
| Roberto De Zerbi | 16/1 |
| Enzo Maresca | 20/1 |
| Pierre Sage | 20/1 |
| Marco Rose | 20/1 |
| Fabian Hurzeler | 33/1 |
| Xabi Alonso | 33/1 |
| David Moyes | 33/1 |
| Michael Carrick | 33/1 |
| Keith Andrews | 50/1 |
| Unai Emery | 50/1 |
| Andoni Iraola | 50/1 |
| Mikel Arteta | 80/1 |
| No Manager to Leave | 80/1 |
| Odds correct as of 17/08/2026 |
Sergej Jakirovic (Hull City)
Sergej Jakirovic’s reward for masterminding Hull City’s superb promotion to the Premier League, via the play-offs, is being installed as the early 7/2 favourite to be the first top-flight manager to leave.
There are several factors behind his position at the top of the Sack Race. For starters, Hull have developed a reputation for managerial upheaval in recent years, with Jakirovic the club’s third permanent manager since Liam Rosenior departed in May 2024.
The Tigers are also the bookmakers’ hot favourites for relegation, while their opening schedule offers little respite. Hull face Manchester United, Aston Villa, Chelsea and Newcastle before the first international break, meaning Jakirovic could find himself under serious pressure if results don’t go their way.
Gary O’Neil (Ipswich Town)
Kieran McKenna’s surprise decision to leave Ipswich this summer will have left fans deflated. McKenna steered the Tractor Boys back into the Premier League for the second time in three seasons, but his departure leaves new boss Gary O’Neil with a difficult job on his hands.
O’Neil kept both Bournemouth and Wolves in the Premier League, although his time at Molineux ended under a cloud. A defeat to, ironically, Ipswich left Wolves 19th in the table in December 2024. 17 defeats from his last 24 Premier League games is unlikely to inspire too much confidence.
The Englishman left Strasbourg after just six months to take charge at Portman Road and will immediately have to deal with a squad that has undergone a huge turnover this summer.
Ipswich will be desperate to avoid a repeat of their disappointing 2024/25 campaign, when they went down with 22 points, but they face a tough start to the season. Last season’s surprise package Sunderland, Manchester United, and Liverpool are their first three opponents, meaning O’Neil (4/1) could find himself under pressure from the off.
Frank Lampard (Coventry City)
Frank Lampard returns to the Premier League following a stunning season with Coventry City, who he led to Championship glory, returning the club to the Premier League for the first time in 25 years.
Lampard is an absolute hero at the Sky Blues, and the club should give him time this season, especially after recently signing a new deal that runs until 2029.
Sky Bet don’t seem to see it that way, handing the former Chelsea boss odds of 7/1 to be the first to leave.
Everton and Chelsea sacked the Englishman twice within six months before he joined Coventry last summer.
Coventry face a brutal start to life back in the top flight. They travel to defending champions Arsenal in their opening away game before heading to Manchester City for their next away trip.
Coventry’s clash at home to fellow newcomers Hull City is sandwiched between those two daunting fixtures. So, picking up some early points in that game could be crucial for the 48-year-old.
Oliver Glasner (Nottingham Forest)
Nottingham Forest’s Oliver Glasner is arguably the most intriguing name in the top five of the betting at 9/1.
Glasner himself is an excellent manager who inspired Crystal Palace to FA Cup, Community Shield, and most recently Conference League glory. Let’s not forget he also won the Europa League with Frankfurt.
The concern here is not Glasner. It’s the bloke who owns his new club. Evangelos Marinakis has scored his way through four managers since the start of last season, with Vitor Pereira the latest to get the axe in July.
That makes Glasner’s position particularly unnerving. A slow start could quickly put him under pressure, regardless of his impressive track record.
Alvaro Arbeloa (Fulham)
Football management can be a strange game. One minute you can be shouting instructions to Kylian Mbappe and co at Real Madrid, and the next you’re taking charge at Fulham. That is no slight on the Cottagers, but it shows just how quickly things can change in the dugout.
The man in question is, of course, Alvaro Arbeloa. The Spaniard now faces the tricky task of filling Marco Silva’s shoes. Silva left Fulham after five years in charge to take over at Benfica, replacing Jose Mourinho. In a curious twist, Mourinho has replaced Arbeloa at Real Madrid.
Arbeloa also has some big holes to fill in his squad. Fulham have lost Harry Wilson to Leeds and Raul Jimenez to Wolves this summer. Wilson, especially, is a huge loss on a free transfer.
Arbeola could be well worth keeping an eye on during the early stages of the season, given that Fulham have the likes of Chelsea, Liverpool, and Manchester United before September’s international break.