Pep Guardiola is gone, and the Premier League will never be the same.
After 10 years, six league titles, one Champions League, three FA Cups and five League Cups, Manchester City said goodbye to the legendary Catalan coach, bringing to an unprecedented era of dominance to an end.
But unlike ex-Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson, the only manager who can rival Guardiola's record in English football, he did not bow out on top.
Arsenal beat City to the 2025-26 Premier League crown, their first triumph in 22 years, with Mikel Arteta finally getting one over his old mentor at the fourth time of asking.
Dive into GOAL's Bold Predictions for the 2026-27 campaign below, starting with a nightmare scenario for a certain London club and their new marquee player...
Pep Guardiola is gone, and the Premier League will never be the same. After 10 years, six league titles, one Champions League, three FA Cups and five League Cups, Manchester City said goodbye to the legendary Catalan coach, bringing to an unprecedented era of dominance to an end.
It will be strange not seeing Guardiola frantically directing his players from the touchline or having warm chats with opposing players after matches, and his eccentric personality will be missed on the press conference rounds. But unlike ex-Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson, the only manager who can rival Guardiola's record in English football, he did not bow out on top.
Arsenal beat City to the 2025-26 Premier League crown, their first triumph in 22 years, with Mikel Arteta finally getting one over his old mentor at the fourth time of asking. It's now up to Guardiola's successor, Enzo Maresca, to create a new winning formula at City, who will be desperate to get the trophy back after two seasons of failure (by their standards).
Maresca is one of nine new managers in the division this term, alongside Andoni Iraola at Liverpool and Xabi Alonso at Chelsea, both of whom will also harbour ambitions to dethrone Arsenal. Meanwhile, Frank Lampard, Sergej Jakirovic and Gary O'Neil, are aiming to prevent an immediate return to the Championship for Coventry, Hull and Ipswich, respectively.
The British transfer record has been broken twice ahead of the big kick off as another busy summer transfer window has kept supporters glued to their phones for the latest updates, and final league positions could well be dictated by how well the new additions adapt and perform. One thing is certain: there will be plenty of surprises, both good and bad. Dive into GOAL's Bold Predictions for the 2026-27 campaign below, starting with a nightmare scenario for a certain London club and their new marquee player...
