The 2025-2026 Premier League season has just closed, while the 2026-2027 campaign is still more than 2 months away from starting. However, Arne Slot's dismissal from the position of Liverpool coach shows that the English "giants" have begun to prepare for a new race in the foggy country.
The 2026 World Cup will be the focus of football in the next two months, but in the Premier League, a series of changes on the coaching bench have created the biggest period of change in more than a decade.
Slot's departure from Anfield, just two years after being appointed to replace Jurgen Klopp, is the fourth biggest coach change in the Premier League top group in just two weeks.
Chelsea is the team that started the wave of change when they appointed Xabi Alonso as head coach less than 24 hours after the defeat to Manchester City in the FA Cup final. The Spanish strategist signed a 4-year contract, starting from July 1.
Immediately after that, Manchester United officially handed over the head coach position to Michael Carrick with a 2-year contract, turning the temporary role of this former midfielder into an official position at Old Trafford.
Just minutes after Man United's announcement, Manchester City confirmed that Pep Guardiola will leave Etihad after a decade of resounding success. Enzo Maresca is currently the top candidate to take over the hot seat at Etihad.
The decision to part ways with Slot is the most unexpected move among the above changes, especially when he helped Liverpool win the Premier League right in his first season leading the team. However, before the strong wave of reforms from direct competitors, Liverpool's leadership chose to act immediately instead of waiting.
Andoni Iraola is the priority candidate to replace Slot. If the Bournemouth coach arrives at Anfield as predicted, the restructuring process on the coaching bench of top candidates will be almost completed, creating a new competition with Arsenal in the coming seasons.
The power chessboard of the Premier League is being rearranged. A new game seems to be about to begin, similar to the time Sir Alex Ferguson retired in 2013 - an event that created a major turning point for English football.
After Ferguson left Man United, the Old Trafford team entered a period of prolonged decline. Meanwhile, Man City and Chelsea both benefited from the change of coaches. Manuel Pellegrini helped Man City win the Premier League in 2014, and Jose Mourinho brought Chelsea to the throne in 2015 after returning to Stamford Bridge.
Guardiola's departure could open up a similar competition. Although Man City could not win the championship in the last two seasons under the Spanish strategist, he is still considered the most influential figure in the Premier League since the Ferguson era.
The question at this time is which team will best take advantage of the opportunity in the new transition period?
Arsenal currently possesses an advantage in stability. Mikel Arteta is the longest-serving coach in the Premier League at the moment with 6 years of attachment to the North London team, nearly 2 years more than Marco Silva of Fulham.
However, Man United is showing signs of revival under Carrick, while Maresca is expected to create immediate influence at Man City thanks to strong support from the board of directors.
At Chelsea, Alonso still needs to prove himself after a period of unsuccess at Real Madrid. However, what he has done with Bayer Leverkusen is clear proof of his coaching ability. The former Spanish midfielder takes over a potential squad and is expected to develop strongly.
If Liverpool completes the Iraola deal, they will own one of the most highly rated young coaches in Europe today. The Spanish strategist made a strong impression when helping Bournemouth win a Europa League spot and build an energetic playing style.
