New manager bounce: Chelsea, Man City, and Liverpool all start over
Three genuinely major managerial changes land at once this season, at three of the clubs most FPL squads are built around. New management usually means a settling-in period before a first-choice XI, a set-piece hierarchy, and a defined style all stabilize - worth factoring into how much you trust "nailed" status at any of these three clubs in the opening gameweeks.
Manchester City: the Guardiola era ends
Pep Guardiola leaves City after a decade that delivered 20 trophies, including multiple Premier League titles and a Champions League. Replacing him is Enzo Maresca, on a three-year deal - a coach Guardiola himself has called one of the best in the world, and someone who was his assistant during City's 2023 Champions League win. Maresca arrives after a spell managing Chelsea, so this isn't an unknown quantity stepping into English football for the first time, but replacing arguably the most influential manager of his generation, at a club that finished as runners-up last season, is about as heavy a brief as football management offers.
Fantasy read: genuinely nailed City starters may take longer than usual to identify. Erling Haaland's role is unlikely to change much regardless of manager, but the midfield picture is worth watching closely before locking in anyone else from this squad.
Chelsea: Xabi Alonso arrives
Xabi Alonso was appointed on a four-year deal, officially starting 1 July. He arrives having guided Bayer Leverkusen to an unbeaten Bundesliga title in 2024 - one of the most complete domestic seasons in recent European football - and is widely regarded as one of the sharpest young managers in the game. He's also Chelsea's fifth permanent manager in a few short years under their current ownership, which is its own kind of pressure regardless of pedigree.
Fantasy read: Chelsea also spent big this summer (see our transfer watch piece for Morgan Rogers' British-record move), which combined with a new manager makes their opening lineup genuinely hard to call with confidence. Worth a wait-and-see approach before committing significant budget to Chelsea assets.
Liverpool: Iraola replaces Slot
The most abrupt change of the three: Arne Slot was sacked on 30 May, with Andoni Iraola brought in as his successor. Iraola arrives after three impressive seasons at Bournemouth, where he led the club into European competition for the first time in their history with a sixth-placed finish - a reputation built on a well-organised, high-intensity style that got results without a big-club budget behind him.
Fantasy read: Iraola's Bournemouth sides were disciplined and hard to break down, which is a promising sign for Liverpool's defensive assets specifically - though it's still a significant step up in squad depth and expectation from what he's managed before.
The general rule
None of this is a reason to avoid these three clubs' best players outright - City, Chelsea, and Liverpool are still City, Chelsea, and Liverpool. It's a reason to watch pre-season and the opening couple of gameweeks a little more closely before treating any one player's role as fixed, especially in defence and midfield where a new manager's system tends to bite hardest.
Sources: Al Jazeera - Chelsea appoint Xabi Alonso, Al Jazeera - Enzo Maresca succeeds Guardiola at Man City, Al Jazeera - Liverpool appoint Iraola in place of Slot.