Will Iraola's summer exit speed up managerial merry-go-round?
The highest number of changes - based on the manager being different for the first Premier League game from the final match of the previous campaign, and excluding newly promoted teams - is seven in 2015-16 and 2016-17. At the start of last season, Thomas Frank at Tottenham Hotspur and Keith Andrews, who succeeded him at Brentford , were the only two "new" managers on the opening weekend. This summer looks like it will be in sharp contrast.
Iraola has been on a list of targets considered by Crystal Palace , who will need a new manager when Oliver Glasner leaves at the end of this season. It would have been a coup for Palace to land Iraola, but - if he does return to Spain - their sights are likely to turn to Frank, sacked by Spurs in February after only eight months in charge. There will be plenty of clubs awaiting Iraola's next move, with former Borussia Dortmund coach Edin Terzic, who took them to the Champions League Final in 2024 where they lost 2-0 to Real Madrid at Wembley, also believed to be of strong interest to Athletic Club.
Palace are currently weighing up all options, with Sean Dyche even mentioned as a contender for Selhurst Park, despite being sacked by Nottingham Forest in February following just 114 days at the helm. Bournemouth and Palace offer up two certainties of managerial change, but decisions may well have to be made elsewhere depending on events between now and the end of the season. No Semenyo, no problem?
How Bournemouth continue to defy the odds Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola's future has been a constant source of speculation, but he has not yet made any decision and has one year left on his current contract. Clarity is likely to come at the end of the season, with Guardiola's current focus fixed on the tantalising prospect of a domestic treble, having won the Carabao Cup, closing in ominously on leaders Arsenal in the Premier League and with an FA Cup semi-final against Championship side Southampton on the horizon. Enzo Maresca, who left Chelsea in January after previously working under Guardiola at City, has been touted as a possible replacement, as has Xabi Alonso - but there is no vacancy and it currently looks like normal service is being resumed at Etihad Stadium as they hit top gear.
Alonso's name has been at the centre of the speculation surrounding Arne Slot's future at Liverpool as the Dutch head coach falls from grace after winning the league in his first season after succeeding Jurgen Klopp. Liverpool 's title defence this term has flatlined, despite a staggering spending spree of £450m last summer, while many fans have become disenchanted with Slot's decisions and style of football. The 4-0 thrashing at Manchester City drew much criticism but Liverpool remain in the Champions League places - which could be the key to whether Slot stays at Anfield.