Liverpool and Manchester City will begin the 2026/27 Premier League season with major changes to their leadership and playing squads, as both clubs enter a new era following the departures of Mohamed Salah and Pep Guardiola.

The two clubs have been among the defining forces in English football over the past decade, but both face significant questions as the new campaign gets underway.

Manchester City appointed Enzo Maresca as their new head coach in June, succeeding Guardiola, who stepped down after a highly successful 10-year spell at the Etihad Stadium.

Guardiola won six Premier League titles during his tenure and established City as one of the dominant teams in European football. Maresca is familiar with the club, having previously worked as Guardiola’s assistant after returning to City in 2022.

The Italian manager now faces the challenge of maintaining City’s high standards while overseeing a significant squad transition. Key players, including Rodri, Bernardo Silva and John Stones, have departed, while the club has invested heavily in rebuilding the squad.

Maresca’s first Premier League assignment comes on Sunday, when City host Bournemouth at the Etihad Stadium.

At Liverpool, Andoni Iraola takes charge following the departure of Arne Slot and will oversee the club’s first Premier League campaign without Salah since the Egyptian forward joined the Reds in 2017.

Salah completed a move to Turkish side Trabzonspor this month after nine seasons at Anfield. Liverpool confirmed that he left as the club’s third-highest scorer, having scored 257 goals in 442 appearances and won eight major honours, including two Premier League titles and the Champions League.

Iraola, who previously managed Bournemouth, was appointed Liverpool’s head coach in June. He guided Bournemouth to a sixth-place Premier League finish in his final season there and secured European football for the club for the first time.

The Spaniard’s first competitive match in charge of Liverpool will be a demanding trip to Newcastle United on Sunday.

The changes at Liverpool and Manchester City are part of a broader managerial reshuffle across the Premier League. Seven clubs are beginning the 2026/27 campaign with new managers, according to the Premier League.

Chelsea have also appointed former Real Madrid boss Xabi Alonso, while several other clubs have undergone changes on the touchline and in their playing squads.

For Liverpool and City, however, the departures of Salah and Guardiola represent particularly significant turning points.

Both clubs begin the season with ambitions of challenging for major honours, but the opening weeks will provide an early indication of how successfully their new managers can establish their own identities while maintaining the standards set by their predecessors.

The 2026/27 Premier League season began on August 21, with Manchester City facing Bournemouth and Liverpool travelling to Newcastle in two of the weekend’s headline fixtures.