Only in 2022–23 were there more managerial changes in the Premier League than during the current campaign. Clubs have cycled through coaches as pressure and expectation rose, producing a chaotic season that has lacked continuity across the division. Below is a condensed assessment of the dismissals and how well they stacked up against the circumstances described during the term.

Nottingham Forest: Evangelos Marinakis dismissed Nuno Espírito Santo after just three matches despite the Portuguese coach having secured a surprise Europa League berth the previous campaign. Forest had four points from the opening matches, but Nuno’s public fallout with Marinakis sealed his fate. Supporters were furious; few departures have been less justified in recent years.

Forest (again): Sean Dyche arrived with Forest 18th and left having lifted them to 16th and into the Europa League knockout stage. The football was not always inspiring, but results improved. Just 114 days after his hiring, Dyche was fired, despite the club being 12th based on results under him and his nomination for Manager of the Month in January.

Chelsea: Enzo Maresca left by “mutual consent,” with the club saying a change was necessary. He had delivered the Europa Conference League and Club World Cup in his debut term and returned Chelsea to the Champions League, but progress stalled. Maresca departed on New Year’s Day with Chelsea eighth; his discussions with Manchester City and public disappointment over transfer dealings appeared damaging.

Chelsea (second): Liam Rosenior was promoted after Maresca and won eight of his first 11 games, but internal rumblings and motivational approaches—earning the nickname ‘LinkedIn Liam’—coincided with a drop in results. BlueCo dismissed him after 104 days.

Burnley: Scott Parker could not avoid relegation, the Clarets going down with four matches remaining and just six wins all season. Parker’s exit was described as inevitable given a weak squad following a poor transfer window.

West Ham: Graham Potter lasted 25 matches after being appointed in January 2025 and won 24% of his games, the lowest return of his career. The club sacked him after a dire start that left them 18th.

Manchester United: Ruben Amorim’s debut season finished with United 15th, the club’s lowest Premier League era position, and his changes to formation and subsequent poor performances led to his January dismissal. Michael Carrick has since served as interim head coach.

Tottenham: Thomas Frank initially steadied results, winning four of five early matches and beating Manchester City, but injuries and poor form dragged the club into a relegation fight and he was fired in February. Igor Tudor was then appointed in March, lost five of seven matches, and was removed after heavy defeats including a 3-0 loss to Forest; his spell was one of the shortest and most catastrophic in the period described.

Nottingham Forest midfielder Morgan Gibbs-White has been named Premier League Player of the Month for April, his first time winning the award after a productive run of results.

The recognition reflects Gibbs-White’s role in helping Forest pull clear of the relegation zone and extend their top-flight stay into a fourth season. Forest collected seven points from a possible nine following a draw with Aston Villa and wins over Burnley and Sunderland. Gibbs-White scored a hat-trick against Burnley, before also scoring and assisting against the latter.

The England international was presented his trophy in front of proud teammates on Friday morning. He is only the second Forest player to receive the accolade, after Chris Wood in Oct. 2024. The award offers some consolation after Forest fell at the penultimate hurdle in the Europa League this week.

On the managerial side, Pep Guardiola became the first manager this season to win two monthly awards, having previously scooped the February prize. During April, his Manchester City team won three out of three in the Premier League, including a significant victory over title rivals Arsenal and a demolition of Chelsea.

For the Spaniard, this marks a 13th Manager of the Month prize since he set foot in England 10 years ago. He was already third on the all-time list behind Sir Alex Ferguson and the aforementioned Wenger, but now only two more will see him equal the Frenchman’s 15. Ferguson remains way out in front on 27 monthly awards, a record that will never likely be matched.

City briefly moved top of the Premier League in late April, having reeled Arsenal in. But dropped points since the start of May have handed the Gunners a fresh cushion in the title race.

Chelsea face Nottingham Forest on Monday with a depleted wide line after injuries and a suspension reduced their senior options. Estêvão is recently injured and Mykhailo Mudryk remains suspended, leaving the Blues light on experienced wingers.

Interim boss Calum McFarlane did not disclose any specific problems for Pedro Neto and Alejandro Garnacho during his prematch press conference, so their absence from the matchday squad came as a surprise. According to Nizaar Kinsella, Neto and Garnacho are both battling knocks. While neither is expected to need long on the sidelines, they were not deemed fit enough to play in Monday’s big game.

That situation has forced McFarlane into selection adjustments. Cole Palmer gets the nod on the right wing, a tactical choice that is not particularly unusual, while 18-year-old Jesse Derry is handed his first senior start for the club.

Derry’s promotion will be welcomed by supporters who have been keen to see the teenager given more minutes, particularly as Chelsea’s senior alternatives have struggled to make a consistent impact. Gittens’s injury struggles have left him unable to win over his new supporters, while Garnacho’s impressive work rate has been countered by an underwhelming end product that has sparked suggestions he could leave the club this summer.

Like Garnacho, Derry joined Chelsea last summer, signing from the Crystal Palace academy. The 18-year-old has impressed at youth level, scoring six goals in 17 PL2 appearances and adding five goals in eight UEFA Youth League matches.

McFarlane will hope the blend of Cole Palmer’s experience on the wing and Derry’s youth spark can offset the temporary losses. Neto and Garnacho remain part of the squad long term, but Chelsea will be without both for this fixture as they manage short-term knocks.