Championship 2025-26: The nine major managerial changes assessed | OneFootball

EFL Championship

Southampton fans will be hoping that Will Still is the right man for the job in Hampshire

Nine Championship clubs have made managerial changes this summer, and with plenty of movement in the dugout, Jack Critchley assesses what it means for the teams who have opted to roll the dice ahead of the 2025-26 campaign including Southampton, Sheffield United, Middlesbrough and more...

The lifespan of a manager in the Championship is terrifyingly short. Of the 18 teams that were not promoted or relegated from the second tier last season, only one side will start this campaign with the same boss as they did 12 months ago.

Whilst John Mousinho continues his tenure at Portsmouth, many other sides have opted to make a change, and as of June 25th, nine second-tier sides have made an appointment this summer, and we've taken a closer look at the new men in charge.

Will Still - Southampton

After being linked with several jobs in the UK, including Sunderland and West Ham, Will Still finally arrives in English football. The 32-year-old becomes the youngest manager in the Championship and will be tasked with guiding the Saints back to the Premier League at the first time of asking.

Still arrives with a big reputation, and there will be plenty of expectation from Southampton fans. Most recently, he guided Lens to a very respectable eighth-place finish in Ligue 1, negotiating financial issues and overcoming the sale of key assets. He will be looking to deliver entertaining football at Southampton. His Lens side scored 48 times in 37 matches, although they were also breached on 47 occasions.

Still made his managergial reputation at Reims, where he averaged 1.44 points-per-match during his a 64-game spell, and he showed a willingness to deviate tactically with the Les Rouges et Blancs switching between 4-2-3-1, 4-3-3 and 5-3-2 formations. During his time at Reims, his side twice took points off champions PSG, and he showed an ability to frustrate better opponents.

This won't be an easy task for the Belgian-born Englishman, who will need to re-energise a team that conceded 86 goals in the Premier League and picked up just 12 points.

Nevertheless, there is plenty of talent within the squad and the addition of Hoffenheim's Joshua Quarshie is unlikely to be the only new arrival this summer.

At 7/4, Betfair have the Saints listed as second favourites for promotion, and Will Still must hit the ground running at St. Mary's.

Ruben Selles - Sheffield United

Many football fans were left shocked by the news that club legend and boyhood fan Chris Wilder was sacked by Sheffield United at the beginning of June. Having guided the Blades to the Championship playoff final, Wilder's dismissal wasn't universally welcomed by the club's supporters; however, many acknowledged that it may have been time for a change of direction.

Ruben Selles, whose Hull side dismantled the Blades 3-0 in January, was announced as Wilder's successor just hours later and arrives with a burgeoning reputation. The 42-year-old is an intense character who has already spoken about setting a culture in South Yorkshire and wants his teams to play proactive football to 'provoke things to happen'.

Although his spell in Humberside was far from spectacular, his time at Reading was widely praised, where he managed to accumulate 1.53 points per game despite working under severe transfer embargos and restrictions.

The Spaniard will nurture and work with the club's younger players and is far more likely to embrace the club's AI-driven transfer policy, which was largely shunned by his predecessor.

If they are to match last season's heroics, Selles will need to oversee a squad overhaul with several players having returned to their parent clubs.

Sheffield United are the third favourites for promotion at 21/10.

Rob Edwards - Middlesbrough

After much speculation, Middlesbrough finally announced Rob Edwards as Michael Carrick's successor at the Riverside Stadium. The Teessiders underwhelmed last season with their playoff ambitions fizzling out in mid-April, and the club's knack of conceding preventable, and sometimes comedic, goals proved highly frustrating for the Boro faithful.

Although it went pear-shaped for Edwards last season at Kenilworth Road, the former defender has taken some time out and admits that he's enjoyed the opportunity to reflect on his recent successes and failures.

Crucially, Edwards will be joined by the vastly experienced Ady Viveash, who was a key part of Coventry's recent success as Mark Robins' right-hand man. He has previously worked with the club's Head of Football and had previously interviewed for the role before the club appointed Michael Carrick in January 2018.

The 42-year-old is an excellent communicator and will surely have benefited from a few months out of the game. He will inherit a solid squad, and although there are expected to be a few outgoings, he should be given a decent budget to work with.

At 7/2, Betfair have Middlesbrough listed as likely promotion candidates this season.

Liam Manning - Norwich City

Liam Manning heads eastwards to take over at Carrow Road, replacing Johannes Hof Thorup. The 39-year-old is viewed as a thoughtful and clever coach who recently guided Bristol City to sixth spot despite enduring personal trauma.

Manning averaged 1.69 points per game at Oxford and 1.33 at Ashton Gate, and will be given a significantly bigger budget to work with in East Anglia. Furthermore, the Norwich-born boss is back in familiar territory and will be closer to his family this season.

He has a reputation for developing young players and has strong man-management skills. He will look to create numerical advantages and we're likely to see his side implement a high-press at various points throughout the season. He is flexible in his formation choice; however, his Bristol City side tended to perform better in a 3-4-3.

Norwich have a strong squad, although the potential sales of Borja Sainz and Josh Sargent may prove to be small setbacks. Nevertheless, Manning will have plenty of money to spend and will be expected to guide the Canaries to a playoff spot as a minimum requirement.

Norwich can be backed at 5/1 for promotion this season.

Gerhard Struber - Bristol City

It's been over half a decade since Gerhard Struber famously preserved Barnsley's Championship status and was hoisted aloft by his players. The Austrian performed miracles at Oakwell; however, his subsequent career has been fairly mixed.

Nevertheless, he was credited for laying the foundations of Barnsley's unlikely playoff campaign and knows what it takes to succeed at this level. He will replace Liam Manning at Ashton Gate, and although he will not be handed a particularly big budget, he does have a knack for developing younger players, something his predecessor had an aversion to, and already has a solid squad in place.

The 48-year-old averaged 1.78 points per game at FC Koln and 1.94 at Salzburg, however, the major concern is his inability to stick around and his frequent frustrations at a club's failure to match his ambitions. It should be fun in BS3, but it may be short-lived.

Bristol City have been priced at 17/2 for promotion in 2025-26.

Ryan Mason - West Brom

West Brom have gone from the wizened and wily Tony Mowbray to the young and exuberant Ryan Mason. Since retiring from the professional game, Mason has developed a reputation for being one of the UK's most promising young coaches and he will now get the chance to prove himself at the Hawthorns.

Although WBA's financial situation still feels a little precarious, the Baggies have already splashed out on a new centre-half in Liverpool's Nat Phillips and more incomings are expected with a handful of Spurs loanees likely to join Mason in the Midlands.

Having spent time working under Mauricio Pochettino, Jose Mourinho, Antonio Conte and Ange Postecoglu, it is hard to pinpoint exactly how the 34-year-old will approach the game tactically; however, he appears to have adapted and improved in each of his two caretaker spells in North London. Tactical adaptability is likely to be implemented into his setup, and it wouldn't be a surprise to see him learn from each game.

At 11/2, Mason will be hoping to guide West Brom to a long overdue return to the Premier League.

Paulo Pezzolano - Watford

Another season and another new head coach for Watford. The Pozzos have opted for little-known Uruguayan Paulo Pezzolano as their new head coach, replacing Tom Cleverley at Vicarage Road.

The club are hoping that their 22nd manager since 2012 will be the man to guide them back to the Premier League. The 42-year-old spent time in his native Uruguay before stints in both Mexico and Brazil. His latest stint saw him pitch up at Real Valladolid, where he oversaw 71 matches with a PPM ratio of 1.39. He ended his spell with a 28-15-28 record; however, he was unable to stop his side from conceding goals, particularly against the better sides in La Liga.

In his first press conference in Hertfordshire, Pezzolano laid out his plans with a high press, energy and balance as three of his key objectives. The club have already strengthened during the transfer window with Hector Kyprianou, Nathan Baxter, and Marc Bola having arrived, and Caleb Wiley and James Abankwah also looking set to join them.

Pezzolano feels like a bit of a gamble, but Watford aren't averse to making changes in the dugout.

If you think that the former Valladolid boss is the man to turn things around, you can back the Hornets at 17/2 for promotion.

Julian Stephan - QPR

It's taken QPR two months to appoint Julian Stephan, who arrives just a day after the club confirmed the departure of Marti Cifuentes, who has been on gardening leave since April.

The latest appointment is an intriguing one with Stephan having suffered back-to-back disappointing spells at Rennes and Strasbourg. The 44-year-old oversaw a successful stint at Rennes, accumulating 1.55 points-per-game across a spell of 110 games. He likes his sides to pass aggressively and transition quickly out of defence with patient build-up play in the final third.

Stephan is generally well-liked by players; however, his last two spells have seen performances badly tail off and have been supplemented by fall-outs and disagreements with senior figures at the club.

It is likely to start well, but there are key questions about Stephan's ability to maintain momentum and whether he can find a way to overcome the inevitable blips.

Stephan is an intriguing appointment and his side can be backed at 18/1 for promotion this season

Sergej Jakirovic - Hull City

Hull have opted for a left-field appointment with former Kayserispor boss Sergej Jakirovic arrived at the MKM Stadium this summer. The Bosnian has a tremendous PPM record; however, he has spent the majority of his time in Croatia and Slovenia. Nevertheless, he successfully guided Dinamo Zagreb to the group stage of the competition, where his side were badly outclassed, and were beaten 9-2 by Bayern Munich.

The club's last venture into Europe ended badly with Tim Walter failing to improve the Tigers, and fans will be hoping that Acun Ilicali hasn't picked out another dud.

He significantly improved Kayserispor's position in just 17 games and likes his side to play with overlapping wingers and target men. He is generally regarded as an entertainer, and we can expect the Humberside outfit to be involved in some high-scoring games under the new boss.