Maresca to Newcastle, Guardiola's Exit, and Arsenal's Double Dream: 2026 Football Predictions

Our annual predictions exercise returns with a suitably humble caveat: last year's efforts were spectacularly wide of the mark. Still, here's what we reckon might unfold across English football's upper echelons in the coming twelve months.

10. Mohamed Salah's Liverpool Exit

The Egyptian forward, now 33, has finally managed to concentrate fully on AFCON duties after Liverpool stabilised their season with a seven-game unbeaten streak. His two goals propelled Egypt to the last 16, though lingering uncertainty surrounds his long-term future at Anfield.

That hour-long cameo against Brighton sparked whispers of a potential farewell. Yet a winter departure no longer appears inevitable. The underlying calculus remains unchanged, however: both player and club might benefit from parting ways after nearly a decade. Salah cannot comfortably accept a diminished role whilst remaining the club's highest earner, particularly as Liverpool seeks to reduce their attacking autonomy. A separation increasingly feels inevitable, just perhaps not imminent.

9. Leeds United's Relegation Gamble

Calling the Premier League's form side vulnerable seems reckless. Daniel Farke's outfit navigated December unbeaten against five opponents all hovering around 11th place or higher. Dominic Calvert-Lewin's goalscoring streak continues unabated—his prolific form is apparently causing genuine distress to his inner circle.

Yet can this tactical evolution and winning mentality truly sustain itself through the campaign's final chapters? Is a six-point buffer genuinely sufficient insurance? History suggests Farke's Leeds reverts to type eventually. West Ham and Nottingham Forest lurk menacingly, ready to capitalise on any slip-ups. The regression may arrive sooner than many expect.

8. The Desperate Managerial Reshuffle

That glorious 2022/23 season saw clubs panic-stricken enough to resurrect Sam Allardyce, Dean Smith, Ruben Selles, and Ryan Mason. Some outfits didn't merely ring their exes—they skipped back decades, eyeing managers who'd long since settled elsewhere.

Leicester actually contemplated reappointing Martin O'Neill. Only the most hapless institutions would contemplate such madness now. Yet the signs suggest similar chaos approaches. Crystal Palace could see Roy Hodgson return post-Glasner. West Ham might tempt Slaven Bilic back as Nuno Espirito Santo pursues another Championship title with Wolves. Mauricio Pochettino could land at Tottenham following World Cup duties. Nottingham Forest might exhaust their managerial Rolodex before recycling Steve Cooper. And Jurgen Klopp? Caretaker manager at Anfield remains deliciously possible.

7. Frank Lampard Returns to Chelsea

Chelsea and Lampard have stumbled back into each other's arms before. That nightmarish 11-game interim spell in spring 2023—a single victory in which Graham Potter's already-subterranean bar was somehow excavated further—shouldn't be forgotten. Todd Boehly's desperation made it genuinely embarrassing.

Both parties have evolved. Except Chelsea really hasn't: they're shedding Enzo Maresca mid-season despite crowning themselves world champions, all because he made a comment he refuses to clarify. Lampard has grown, guiding Coventry City to Championship summit with promotion beckoning. But one agitated October call from Boehly will end that beautiful rebound.

6. Enzo Maresca's Newcastle Appointment

Chelsea's succession planning remains mysterious. Maresca possesses over three years remaining on his contract, yet feels essentially forced out despite embodying precisely the malleable coach the hierarchy wanted post-Pochettino. Perhaps Champions League football and silverware strengthened his resolve beyond acceptable limits. Perhaps Chelsea's football judgement remains as questionable as ever—they're eyeing a fifth managerial appointment in three-and-a-half years.

Maresca can depart with dignity given his achievements. Eddie Howe seems to be reaching Newcastle's finish line. The Italian might expect considerably greater control on Tyneside than at Stamford Bridge, making it an attractive proposition.

5. Erling Haaland's Personal Record-Breaking

The joke's shifted from "only Salah" to "only Haaland"—specifically for statistics involving, well, only Haaland. He's already outscored his previous best pre-Christmas tally from 2022/23. Halfway through the season, he's already halfway to his 36-goal Premier League record. His longest barren spell spans merely two matches. Nobody else appears remotely interested in competing.

4. Pep Guardiola's Manchester City Departure

The relentless performative praise and four years of critiquing Haaland's hat-tricks have extracted their toll. The project looked terminally broken last year during that one-win-in-thirteen nightmare, even with 115 upheld charges threatening to overshadow everything.

Yet Guardiola persevered, extending his contract mid-crisis, and orchestrated another chapter featuring the ridiculous winning sequences nobody notices until they're already history. That must prove exhausting. Recent speculation over his future might culminate in departure after a decent decade's work.

3. Ruben Amorim Survives Another Season at Manchester United

Amorim declared he'd approach his first year entirely differently if given the chance, then reverted to old habits when faced with Wolves—one of the Premier League's worst outfits. Drawing with such opposition epitomised the dark comedy surrounding his tenure.

Progress exists for a club eyeing Champions League rather Championship football. Yet doubts will eventually surface about whether this investment was worthwhile or the only path forward. Manchester United remains fully committed, forgiving his shortcomings partly because he discusses them candidly while the hierarchy maintains silence.

Amorim will continue perfecting his Solskjaer impression: spacing victories and defeats impeccably to maintain the boom-bust cycle.

2. England's World Cup Quarter-Final Exit—But Tuchel Remains

Thomas Tuchel himself provided the script: "It's different if we lose 3-0 in a round of 32 to a huge underdog and completely underperform, or you lose with a red card in the second minute and go out fighting in a quarter-final on penalties playing 120 minutes with 10 men."

Expect precisely that—a valiant shoot-out defeat to Brazil in the last eight after coasting through groups and past Mexico.

Tuchel has proven himself an excellent England manager, navigating its inherent complications with impressive authority. He's already demonstrated this represents a short-term arrangement deserving extension. Tournament football's fickleness cuts both ways.

1. Arsenal's Premier League and Champions League Double

Their dual-table dominance entering the new year shouldn't be overemphasised. Liverpool commanded similar positions last season before PSG eliminated them from Europe, though they still claimed the Premier League despite occasional wobbles.

Arsenal themselves continued stumbling whilst competitors imploded. Manchester City will push them hard domestically. Their European path remains unpredictable.

Yet this represents a genuinely formidable squad with an increasingly mature manager. Both have weathered sufficient adversity and absorbed necessary lessons to finally deliver when stakes peak. Predicting an Arsenal double certainly makes subsequent bottle-job accusations rather easier to level.