Premier League 2025/26: Five Head-Coaches that turned around their team’s fortunes

The 2025/26 Premier League season kept us intrigued until the last matchday with the European competition and relegation places still on the line. Competitiveness peaked this season with the league title being won only at 85 points with a game to go. Few teams improved their performances towards the business end while few of them just fell in the abyss with no way back. We witnessed some remarkable managerial turnarounds that made a massive impact on the league positions, securing European qualification or even preventing relegation. 

Here we take a look at five managers who had a significant influence on their team’s turnaround this season – 

1. Daniel Farke (Leeds United)

Promoted from the Championship this season, Leeds United were keen to maintain top-flight survival this season. However, they went through an inconsistent start to the campaign, not being able to manage a string of positive results. After four consecutive defeats by Gameweek 13, the Whites were sitting in the relegation zone in 18th place and it felt like they were going to go down yet again. 

However, Daniel Farke and his team made an impressive turnaround, going seven games unbeaten which also included wins against Chelsea and Crystal Palace and fighting draws against Liverpool and Manchester United at home. Farke also led his side to a historic away win at Old Trafford after 45 years. Further wins in the last few games against Wolverhampton Wanderers, Burnley and Brighton gave them the breathing space with Leeds moving up into 14th place with three games left to play. 

Although Leeds couldn’t make it a superb season like fellow-promoted Sunderland who qualified for the Europa League, Daniel Farke did an incredible job to keep them in top-flight for at least one more season. With the money received from Premier League survival, Leeds United could strengthen their weak areas and go again next season with an improved squad. Based on this turnaround, Leeds’ management is also looking to tie down Daniel Farke to a long-term contract.  

2. Michael Carrick (Manchester United)

Michael Carrick came in as an interim option at Manchester United after former manager Ruben Amorim was sacked in January this year. At the time, United were sitting in sixth place having drawn against relegation-bound Wolves and Leeds United. They had already been knocked out of both the domestic cups which prompted the United management to take action. 

However, it wasn’t the consequence of the inconsistent and dull performances in the 2025/26 season, Amorim hadn’t been able to change up things in the 2024/25 season after taking charge from Eric Ten Hag in October 2024. United’s form went even further downhill as they finished the season in 15th place and lost the Europa League final to Tottenham Hotspurs – a dismal finishing for a club of their stature. 

Carrick has been a United legend and understood the situation and the sentiments of those in and around the club. He rejuvenated the squad and within a span of few games, had them playing attacking football. Within a month, United had climbed up two spots to take up the fourth spot as their hopes of Champions League qualification improved. Some of the big results that Man United produced under Carrick were the wins against Manchester City, Liverpool and Aston Villa at home, Arsenal at the Emirates and Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. 

Their summer signings of Matheus Cunha, Benjamin Sesko, Bryan Mbeumo along with the in-form Bruno Fernandes looked dangerous and influential under Carrick. On the basis of the team’s improvement, Carrick has been handed a permanent contract to continue as the Man United head-coach for a two-year duration with an option to extend for an additional year. 

Although Man United were only playing one game a week under Carrick, it would be interesting to see what additions he brings to the squad in the summer and how he copes with multiple competitions with the team playing every three days. For now, though, we should give him immense credit for putting Man United in Champions League places after a horrendous previous season and turning around their form and playing style this season. 

3. Andoni Iraola (Bournemouth)

Andoni Iraola has achieved a miracle at Bournemouth in the 2025/26 season with a modest transfer budget after losing key defensive players and suffering massive injuries. Any manager would struggle after losing three of his defenders and his most attacking player in one season but not Iraola. The Spaniard didn’t compromise on his tactical philosophy either with his Bournemouth side playing the most attractive football in the league and secured the Europa League qualification for the first time in Bournemouth’s history. 

The South-Coast side didn’t start the season well. Bournemouth suffered defeat to Liverpool in the opening fixture of the season in a six-goal thriller where they came back from a 2-0 deficit to equalise but Liverpool scored two late goals to secure a 4-2 win.  The Cherries then went on an eight-game winning streak before losing 3-1 away to Manchester City. 

Iraola’s side lost momentum after that and the club went the next 11 league games without a win, including five draws and six defeats. This dismal streak saw them drop down to 15th place. 

However, Bournemouth staged a miraculous comeback after their home defeat to Arsenal in gameweek 20, going unbeaten in their next 18 league games, winning eight and drawing ten games to climb up to sixth position after the end of the final league game. 

Some of the standout results from these 18 games are the 2-1 win at Emirates against Arsenal, the 3-2 win at home against Liverpool, the 2-1 win against Everton at the Hill Dickinson Stadium, the 2-1 away win at St. James’ Park against Newcastle United and the 3-0 win against Crystal Palace at home. 

Iraola certainly made an incredible comeback and that too with limited squad options and a new backline and did much better than a few of the traditional ‘Top Six’ clubs who have bigger, high-quality squads and unlimited resources. 

These performances didn’t go unnoticed and as Iraola had announced that he’d leave Bournemouth after the end of the season, big clubs came calling and according to reports from the reliable David Ornstein, Iraola is set to become the new head-coach of Liverpool FC after the sacking of their Dutch coach Arne Slot – a big step-up for the Spaniard from the Basque region. It will be interesting to see how he does at a storied club but his two-year tenure at Bournemouth has been impressive and Iraola deserves a big move for his remarkable work with the South-Coast side. 

4. Fabian Hürzeler (Brighton and Hove Albion)

Young German manager Fabian Hürzeler has also exceeded expectations with the Seagulls qualifying for the UEFA Conference League play-off stage next season after a late surge of performances from Brighton. 

Brighton started the season inconsistently, not having been able to string up a run of positive results, losing a game after a win or a draw. After gameweek 26, they were sitting in 14th place with two consecutive defeats and without a win in six games. However, coach Hürzeler was able to turnaround their form in emphatic fashion as the Seagulls went on to win six out of their next eight games, drawing one and losing one. This run of form surged them into sixth place with European competition in sight. If not for Brighton losing their last two league encounters, they had a chance to qualify for the Europa League as well. 

Not much was expected from Hürzeler when he replaced Roberto de Zerbi at Brighton ahead of the 2024/25 season. His first season was also a decent showing as Brighton ended in the top-half of the table. This season though, the league was more competitive with most teams being more inconsistent than usual, they ended up with less points last season but have yet made European competition a second time and that too ascending into the top half with some impressive performances in the latter half of the season. Some of their big wins came against Liverpool, Newcastle United and Chelsea this season. 

From languishing in the 14th place to improving the results at the business end is difficult, especially with a few of his key players being out with injuries all through the season was challenging but Hürzeler managed to do that and he has been rewarded suitably for that. Following Brighton’s qualification into European competition, Hürzeler signed a new improved contract in May 2026 that will keep him at the club until the 2029 season. 

5. Vitor Periera (Nottingham Forest)

After the highs of the previous season where Nottingham Forest ended the season in seventh place, qualifying for European competition. However, the 2025/26 season started abysmal for the Tricky Trees as they continued to perform poorly and sacked two managers before Vitor Pereira brought a semblance of consistency and stability with positive results. 

After winning the opening game of the season, Forest went nine games without a win with six defeats and three draws, sitting abysmally in 19th place. They continued to flirt with danger until Vitor Pereira joined in February 2026 as a replacement for Sean Dyche. 

Periera not only improved league results but also helped them to the semi-finals of the Europa League. After taking charge, his team suffered two consecutive losses but then showed massive improvements with just one defeat in the next ten fixtures, drawing five and winning four and assuring them top-flight stay for next season with a 16th placed finish. Their biggest results under Pereira were a 3-0 away win against Spurs, a 5-0 thumping of Sunderland away from home and defeating Chelsea 3-1 at home. 

While Forest looked set to be relegated for a majority of the season, Pereira rejuvenated the Forest squad with confidence, belief and trust and his team paid him back with big performances in crucial games to avoid relegation to the Championship. 

Pereira has done a credible job with a decent squad at his disposal and there is further news incoming that he could be handed a new long-term contract ahead of the 2026/27 season. If he is supported by the club in retaining key players and adding quality to the squad, he can definitely improve Forest’s performances next season and who knows they could be in the reckoning for European football yet again.