8 October 2026
The first decision in any manager game is the one people agonise over most, and the 2026/27 season is an unusually interesting year to make it. Nine clubs started the season with new managers, the champions aren't who they've been for most of the last decade, and the new squad cost ratio means the rich clubs aren't quite as free as they used to be.
Here's a guide to the 20 clubs in Manager of Football, sorted by what kind of season you're after. Squads are the real 2026/27 squads, so what you see is what the actual managers are working with.
Arsenal. Champions, a settled squad, a Champions League final last season, and Bruno Guimaraes added over the summer. The strongest squad in the game and the highest expectations. The board will expect a title defence, so a slow start hurts more here than anywhere.
Manchester City. Post-Guardiola, but the squad is still elite and Maresca's system is close to what was already there. A good pick if you want the resources without the expectation of a repeat. The squad cost ratio is worth watching: City's wage bill is enormous.
Liverpool. Slot is gone, Iraola is in, and the squad is in transition. Plenty of quality, a clear identity to build towards, and a board that has just made a big change and will give a new manager some rope. Probably the most fun of the big three.
Chelsea. Xabi Alonso is the fourth permanent manager since the start of 2025. The squad is huge, young, expensive and unbalanced, and the wage bill makes the ratio a puzzle. You'll have to sell to buy, and the board's patience is famously short. The best "fix this" job in the game.
Manchester United. Carrick got them to third and was given the job permanently. The squad is better than it was and the expectations have jumped accordingly. A good middle option: big resources, real pressure, no longer a total rebuild.
Tottenham. De Zerbi kept them up on the final day. That's the bar he cleared. The squad has real talent, a couple of exciting teenagers, and a club that sacked two managers last season. High ceiling, low floor.
Newcastle. Howe stepped down after five years and Jaissle arrived from Saudi Arabia in August. Champions League quality players, a fanbase expecting a trophy, and a new manager everyone's waiting to judge.
Aston Villa. Emery has won a fifth Europa League and taken them into the Champions League twice. Well-run, good squad, a club record signing in Johan Manzambi. The board expects Europe. The challenge is doing it while staying under the ratio.
Sunderland. Seventh last season and into Europe for the first time in 53 years, which nobody predicted. The squad is decent rather than deep and a European campaign will stretch it. If you keep them in the top half you've done well.
Brighton. Hurzeler took them to eighth and the Conference League. Brighton sell their best player every summer and replace him with someone cheaper. In Manager of Football that's the whole game: buy low, sell high, keep the ratio healthy.
Crystal Palace. Two trophies in two years under Glasner, who's now gone. Pierre Sage arrives from Lens with a Champions League qualification on his CV. A good squad, a big change, and a board that has just tasted success.
Nottingham Forest. Glasner's new job. Also the club that sacked three managers last season and one more over the summer. You will be under pressure from the first defeat. Pick Forest if you want the game to feel like a real Forest job.
Coventry City. Promoted under Lampard. A well-organised Championship side with a manager who's been here before. The squad will need strengthening and the ratio means you can't just buy your way out of trouble.
Hull City. Won the play-offs under Jakirovic, having sneaked into sixth. The least fancied of the three promoted clubs, which is a good thing if you like being written off.
Ipswich Town. Straight back up, then McKenna stepped down and Gary O'Neil took over. A better squad than the other two, with Premier League experience from two seasons ago. The most realistic survival bet, and therefore the one with the most to lose.
Brentford, Bournemouth, Fulham, Everton, Leeds. Mid-table clubs with settled or recently reset squads and boards that mostly expect safety and a bit of ambition. Bournemouth lost Iraola and got Marco Rose. Fulham have a new manager in Arbeloa. Everton and Leeds are steady. Any of these is a good place to learn the game before you take on Chelsea.
Liverpool if you want a big club, Brighton if you want to learn how the squad cost ratio really works, Ipswich if you want to feel every result. And whatever you pick, the summer window is where the season is won or lost, so spend the first evening on that before you play a match.
Manager of Football is free, needs no download, and has all 20 squads ready. Choose your club.
For a free football manager game live for the 2026-27 season, check out www.manageroffootball.com.