With less than a month left in the transfer window, Premier League clubs are still expected to be busy. Incomings and outgoings remain likely across the division, and every side still appears to have at least one clear gap to fill before the deadline.

Arsenal may be attracting attention with their pursuit of Vinícius Júnior, but their bigger need is in central midfield. Declan Rice carried too much of the load last season, while Martín Zubimendi faded after the break and Myles Lewis-Skelly is not yet fully trusted there. Another box-to-box midfielder would help enormously.

Aston Villa could soon be short at left back if Lucas Digne leaves, which would leave Ian Maatsen as the only senior option. Bournemouth need more depth in wide areas, Brentford still require a more natural left back, and Brighton & Hove Albion must replace the goals lost with Danny Welbeck’s move to Chelsea.

Chelsea, meanwhile, have done plenty of work already but still have not addressed the goalkeeper position. Robert Sánchez improved in 2025-26, yet the club still look in need of a top-class solution.

Elsewhere, Coventry City are close to signing Carl Rushworth permanently and would then turn to left back. Crystal Palace need centre-back reinforcements after losing Marc Guéhi and Maxence Lacroix, while Everton must add a defensive midfielder after Idrissa Gana Gueye’s departure.

Fulham will look for winger depth after strengthening up front, Hull City want more options in attack, and Ipswich Town are still waiting for a central midfielder. Leeds United may also need another striker to cover for Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s injury record.

Liverpool’s most pressing issue is out wide, Manchester City need a right back, Manchester United still want a more destructive midfielder, and Newcastle are alarmingly short at left back. Nottingham Forest must replace Elliot Anderson in midfield, Sunderland need more balance on the left side, and Tottenham Hotspur have already moved aggressively to rebuild after last season’s collapse.

Enzo Maresca has played down the latest noise around Rodri’s future, insisting there have been no meetings at the Etihad Stadium dedicated to the midfielder and describing the Real Madrid talk as “just speculation.”

The Manchester City manager made the remarks before a preseason friendly against Inter, stressing that Rodri remains a major part of the club’s thinking even as his contract moves toward its final year. Maresca said the midfielder is being given time to recover, following surgery on Monday and a summer that has also included rest after the World Cup.

“I said in the first press conference that any manager in the world wants Rodri, so it’s important for me, for the club and for everyone, but now he needs to get some rest,” Maresca said in his prematch press conference ahead of City’s preseason friendly against Inter.

“He’s very important when we need to play every three days. The main focus for him when the season finished was the World Cup. Now he enjoys some rest after that, and we didn’t have any conversation just focused on Rodri [with sporting director Hugo Viana].

“It’s just speculation in this moment. Rodri had surgery on Monday, everything was fine. Now he will get some days off and then return back with us after his holiday ends.”

Rodri’s name has been linked with Real Madrid before. In 2024, he said: “When Real Madrid call you, the best club in history, the most successful, everything that means … Obviously, it’s an honor and you always have to pay attention, of course.”

Interest from the Spanish side later cooled as Rodri’s fitness problems mounted. He tore his ACL in Sept. 2024, then battled further setbacks in 2025-26, missing more than 100 days for City last season. Across the last two seasons, he managed only 41 appearances in total, with 24 of them coming in the Premier League.

That history made Real Madrid reluctant, especially after Rodri underwent surgery for a back problem this summer. Yet the situation has shifted again, with reports of an official approach and verbal discussions with City. If a fee of at least €50 million is offered, City may have to decide whether to keep their Ballon d’Or winner or sell before next summer’s expiry.

The Premier League remains a ruthless place for managers, and the 2026/27 season begins with that reality clearer than ever. A summer of upheaval has left dugouts across the division occupied by a fresh wave of appointments, while one club is still waiting to name a new head coach.

At the top of the list, Mikel Arteta stands alone as the league’s longest-serving manager. Appointed by Arsenal on Dec. 22, 2019, he has outlasted every other current rival and remains comfortably ahead of the pack. Behind him comes Unai Emery, who has been in charge of Aston Villa since Nov. 1, 2022, followed by Daniel Farke, who took over Leeds United on July 4, 2023.

Further down the rankings, the turnover becomes even more obvious. Régis Le Bris and Fabian Hürzeler both arrived in July 2024, while Frank Lampard, David Moyes, Sergej Jakirović, Keith Andrews and Michael Carrick all joined their clubs during 2024 and 2025. The list then tightens further still, with a cluster of appointments made only months before the new campaign.

There are notable cases throughout. Roberto De Zerbi, hired by Tottenham Hotspur on March 31, 2026, sits just outside the top 10. Michael Carrick is inside it after first being named interim Manchester United boss in January and then permanently hired in May. At the other extreme, Álvaro Arbeloa is the latest arrival, taking charge of Fulham on July 7 after an unsuccessful spell as Real Madrid boss.

A number of other clubs have also changed course recently, including Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Nottingham Forest, Ipswich Town, Crystal Palace and Bournemouth. Over half the division has turned to new managers in 2026 if Newcastle United are included, with the club still yet to appoint Eddie Howe’s successor.

For now, Arteta remains the benchmark for staying power in a league that rarely gives managers much time.