The latest edition of the EFL Cup already in progress, their league campaigns get underway at the weekend. A week before the Premier League season starts, feels like no time at all since the small matter of the World Cup. Ready? No. Issue 123. Go.

Last season’s EFL Championship play-off winners, the team with arguably the toughest task of all. Not only were the Tigers successful at Wembley at the expense of Middlesbrough back in May, they also finished sixth in last season’s edition of the second tier.

Did they profit from the furore of ‘Spygate’ in the biggest possible way? You would have to say that is the case, now though manager Sergej Jakirović will have a strong case against him when it comes to keeping the club in the Premier League at the end of the 2026/27 season.

Jack Butland joins from Rangers, points deductions courtesy of PSR breaches were only just avoided and therefore, it has been something of a mixed bag on the transfer front. Hull surprised everyone just a few months ago, they will need to pull off plenty of surprises next season.

Ipswich’s stint back in the Championship was as short as possible but the Tractor Boys would have something of a flat tyre when Kieran McKenna announced full-time on his rather successful stint at Portman Road.

Three promotions in his time, a sense that the end of the road at Ipswich had been reached. Better to go out on your own terms, rather than stay too long and no longer be the hero - a theme that has seemingly been noticed elsewhere.

As for McKenna’s replacement, the task of survival now lands in the lap of Gary O’Neil. The former Bournemouth and Wolves boss was part of the BlueCo MCO as Strasbourg manager and after a commendable showing in Ligue 1, it is time to remind everyone of his talents on home soil.

Frank Lampard’s Coventry is definitely the new Wayne Rooney’s Derby and I think we are all going to have to get used to this phrase being spouted by commentators and pundits for as long as the former Chelsea legend is in charge of the Sky Blues.

How long Lampard is in charge for will obviously have a strong correlation to how Coventry perform in the Premier League after a quarter-century exile in the EFL and the West Midlands outfit will be keen to impress from the off.

Last season’s Championship winners have been linked with a loan move for Chelsea’s Mykhailo Mudryk, it is a move that would obviously be favourable to both parties - with the caveat that the Ukrainian is actually any good after such a lengthy spell on the sidelines.

Arguably the wildcard of the whole Premier League season, anyone trying to predict where Tottenham will finish in the end-of-season table is going to have the footballing nous truly tested by Roberto De Zerbi’s side - one that is changing personnel at pace.

Some of that pace is set to move to Inter Milan as Djed Spence is on his way to join fellow England World Cup squad member John Stones at the San Siro outfit. Cristian Romero’s departure to Atletico Madrid is reportedly not that far away either.

Cut-price deals may be drawing the ire of some supporters but surely better to get players off the books that are not part of the manager’s plans, rather than them being the proverbial bad eggs in the squad. My prediction by the way. I reckon a top eight finish.

Nottingham Forest are another of the nine outfits that will start the new season with a different face in the technical area and when you consider how high Oliver Glasner’s stock actually was just 12 months ago, his arrival at the City Ground must be considered a coup.

Then again, the Austrian may want to look at short-term lets within the Nottingham area when you consider the lack of job security that comes with working under club owner Evangelos Maranakis. Will Glasner last the season in charge? Place your bets.

While although Forest would have won the transfer lottery after the sale of Elliot Anderson to Manchester City, there is a sense that keeping hold of the player would be worth more than the money and we will soon learn how costly his departure will be.

With Oliver Glasner calling time on his stint at Selhurst Park, last season’s Conference League have also had to roll the new manager dice and with Pierre Sage making the switch from Lens, there will no doubt be plenty of focus on the French coach.

Last season saw Sage lead Lens to a runners-up berth in Ligue 1 behind perennial giants PSG while also collecting the Coupe de France for his now-former employers - accolades that undoubtedly placed the 47-year-old in high demand.

That demand now has to supply Palace with enough points to keep the South London outfit in the division. Add that to more punishing opposition in Europe and the Eagles will definitely be a team to keep an eye on in the first couple of months of the season.

Those connected with Leeds really did not want last season to end and why would they when you consider the form that Daniel Farke’s men found at just the right point of the season. Form that saw them finish a respectable 14th in the table.

Now though, their points tally resets to zero and although that means an uphill struggle from the off, there is still something of a feel good factor surrounding Elland Road and if Leeds can tap into that early on, they can continue where they left off.

The capture of James Trafford from Manchester City, should give some much-needed assurance between the sticks while the arrival of Harry Wilson from Fulham could be one of the shrewdest pieces of transfer business to have taken place this summer.

Would Everton fans settle for more of the same? Probably not but realistically, that is probably the peak of their powers under David Moyes. That is unless Brennan Johnson can kickstart his career on Merseyside.

An abject stint at Crystal Palace has seen the Welsh international swapped for Dwight McNeil in the other direction, does the deal enhance either of the two clubs? On the face of it, you would have to say probably not but there’s plenty of time to change that.

You know what you are going to get under David Moyes and ultimately Premier League survival should not be underestimated but now that the Toffees have settled into their new home, safety first football may end up becoming something of a sticky situation.

‘Newcastle 2.0’ it is being called, marketing speak for something that is not as good as it was before. Three key names sold due to PSR restrictions, Eddie Howe deciding that his time has come to an end. Now it is time for a new era for the Magpies.

Whereas before they were maxing out on the PIF credit card, now the targets are in the category labelled as exciting potential. Great if that potential comes to fruition and restores Newcastle to Europe, not so much if they start to tread water at St James’ Park.

While Howe’s replacement Matthias Jaissle serves as the unknown quantity of it all - unless you have been a staunch fan of either Austrian or Saudi Arabian football these past few years. One thing that is for certain, things will not be dull on Tyneside.

Every season there is a team that ‘you really fear for’, for me that team is Fulham. Marco Silva now plying his trade at Benfica, new manager Alvaro Arbeloa inherits a squad that does not include either Raul Jimenez or Harry Wilson.

Fulham’s talisman and their metronome in midfield now at Wolves and Leeds respectively, the appointment of Arbeloa also something of an unknown quantity regardless of his previous tenure at Real Madrid.

Just because you’ve been in charge at the Santiago Bernabeu, does not mean you are automatically a good manager. A lot of clubs have had to roll the dice in this current manager market, will the gamble at Craven Cottage pay off for the Khan family?

If above are 10 of the 20 new narratives in this upcoming Premier League season, how do those clubs correlate against the Pressure Points Index and especially now that we have had our first managerial change since its release.

The departure of Eddie Howe means the man under the most pressure is now Hull manager Sergej Jakirovic with 59.1 Pressure Points and as a promoted club this has an element of reason to it.

Especially as Gary O’Neil now finds himself sitting in third as manager of Ipswich. An indication that the two promoted sides that did not win last season’s Championship will be under the microscope.

By comparison Frank Lampard finds himself in sixth with 48.8 Pressure Points as manager of Coventry. Will that figure increase or decrease after the Sky Blues’ opening fixture of the season against Arsenal.

While of the non-promoted clubs that have a narrative attached to them, it is Pierre Sage who has early pressure on his shoulders. The Crystal Palace boss currently fourth in the list with 49.5 Pressure Points to his name.

Not strictly a new hire but not under a great deal of pressure either is Tottenham boss Roberto De Zerbi and this is highlighted by sitting in 13th in the Pressure Points list, three places higher than that of Nottingham Forest new boss Oliver Glasner.

Glasner sits 16th, Fulham manager Alvaro Arbeloa sits 15th and although he is a new installation in West London, his current Pressure Points of 39.5 could be something of a false read when you consider how tough the Cottagers’ start to the season looks.

Chelsea on the opening weekend, then four European participants to follow. If things go wrong for Fulham after the first five weeks of the season, Arbeloa’s pressure score could be one to keep an eye on.

While Leeds boss Daniel Farke is seemingly riding the wave of success, according to this index he is the third-calmest manager going into the new Premier League season. Will second-season syndrome start to show symptoms in the autumn months?

Farke sits nine places lower than David Moyes at Everton and although he is not under a great deal of pressure at the moment, it is the weight of expectation that may well end up being his undoing at Hill Dickinson Stadium.

Which leaves us with the new manager of Newcastle. Matthias Jaissle slots into 12th place on the rankings list. A score of 43.7, much cooler than the 64.0 that Eddie Howe had accumulated before he stood down, although there is plenty of time for that to change.

That's 10 of the 20 Premier League narratives we'll be keeping an eye on this season.

But what about the other half?

Next time, we turn our attention to the 10 clubs at the other end of the table — the title contenders, European hopefuls and big hitters with plenty of their own questions to answer.

Who has the most to lose?
Who could surprise us?
And which managers are already carrying more pressure than you might think?

Issue 124: The Top Half.

Same league. Ten more narratives. More Pressure Points.

As always, feedback, comments, disagreements and general football pedantry are welcome:

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