The Championship is witnessing a wave of managerial changes as clubs seek fresh leadership to enhance their performance for the upcoming season. Since then Rob Edwards has been replaced with Michael Carrick now in charge at Middlesbrough. At the same time, Gerhard Struber takes over at Bristol City from Liam Manning. These moves follow a few spectacular and highly productive managerial spans and are intended to breathe new life into their soon-to-be-former clubs.
Rob Edwards arrives at Middlesbrough with an impressive track record. As Luton Town’s head coach, he masterminded their promotion to the Premier League in 2022/23. His success at Luton has sent a thrill through the fan and stakeholder base at Middlesbrough. They are hungry to prove themselves back in the top-flight and indeed road! Gerhard Struber has come to Bristol City after a difficult spell with Russell Manning’s management. Fans will be ecstatic if Struber can get the club challenging for a playoff place again.
Noteworthy Managerial Changes
After successful times in his native Brazil and most recently Spain, Paulo Pezzolano makes the move to the Championship ranks. Like Edwards and Struber, he’ll inherit a talented team. Prior to this, Pezzolano was the manager of Real Valladolid. He impressively led the side to second place in La Liga and the Liga Promotion in 2024. With his experience at mobilizing clubs in full swing, his skills will be critical as he steps into his new role. Fans are obviously excited to see how his tactics will translate to the English game.
The Championship is delighted to be joined by at Will Still. In his seven months with the club, he has already gained plaudits as the youngest manager in the Sky Bet EFL. He garnered accolades for his phenomenal development with Lens. Most impressively, in 2019 he guided Rennes to their first trophy in almost 50 years. His youthful exuberance and fresh perspectives can inject a wakeup call to complacency in any team or organization he helms.
John Mousinho continues to lead Oxford but faces challenges following Gary Rowett’s tenure, which ended with Oxford finishing 17th in the Championship during the 2024/25 season. Mousinho’s new job will be to get the playing side firing and win the fans’ belief back.
Established Managers with New Challenges
Kieran McKenna remains at the helm of Ipswich, where he is expected to navigate significant changes within the squad. George Hirst is expected to step into the role left by the now departed Liam Delap. McKenna’s skill to blend in the new talent whilst still keeping a great togetherness to the squad will be key for Ipswich’s top end ambitions throughout this season.
Perhaps no other club in the EFL Championship is as creative rebuilding as Swansea City, with Marti Cifuentes at the helm. The team has finished mid-table for the last four seasons, indicating a need for rejuvenation and a stronger competitive edge. Alan Sheehan taking over as manager in February offered a fresh wave of optimism after he replaced Luke Williams. It will be the latter half of the campaign that has fans watching more closely just as Falcons fans did with Smith.
In the South Coast, Nathan Jones signed a new five-year deal in June at Southampton, solidifying his position as head coach. This substantial commitment is an indicator the club has faith in his leadership. They’re aiming for much more than that, hoping to make noise in the Championship.
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