The 2026/27 summer friendlies are shaping up to be among the most important for a number of seasons for managers in Fantasy Premier League.
Will the appointment of EIGHT new managers force us to reassess the best way to invest in those clubs?
When will the key players who have featured during the latter stages of the FIFA World Cup 2026 return to action for their clubs?
And can the host of new signings make an impact for their clubs and play their way into our opening squads?
We hope to answer all those questions and more before the season gets under way on Friday 21 August.
In the meantime, these are the main points for Fantasy managers to look out for over the next month.
New managers’ tactics
There’s a record-breaking eight new managers taking the reins this season, which could mean changes to a number of key factors, including tactics, starting line-ups and set-piece takers.
Andoni Iraola’s arrival at Liverpool is among the most keenly-anticipated by Fantasy managers in the first season of their post-Mohamed Salah era.
Iraola is expected to adopt the high-pressing tactic that was successful during his time at AFC Bournemouth, which boosts the appeal of their attackers after a disappointing previous campaign under Arne Slot.
This could be good news for forward Alexander Isak, playmaker Florian Wirtz and left-back Milos Kerkez, after all three endured disappointing debut seasons for Liverpool last season.
If Isak is handed penalty duties following Salah’s departure, there’s a hope he can get back to his form of 2024/25, when he produced 211 points in his final campaign at Newcastle United.
Elsewhere, the arrival of Xabi Alonso as Chelsea’s new manager could also help revive the output of another big-hitter, Blues midfielder Cole Palmer.
Palmer was the top-scoring player in 2023/24 Fantasy, scoring 22 goals and supplying 13 assists to collect 244 points in his one and only season under Mauricio Pochettino.
While he followed that up with 214 points in 2024/25, Palmer’s output dropped by exactly 100 points in an injury hit 2025/26.
Alonso’s preferred formation over the summer friendlies could be crucial; if he opts for the 3-4-2-1 formation that helped him to success at Bayer Leverkusen, Palmer would be expected to occupy a central attacking role behind Joao Pedro.
Nottingham Forest could also employ a wing-back system under new head coach Oliver Glasner.
Should the Austrian continue with the 3-4-2-1 formation he used while in charge of Crystal Palace, Neco Williams and Ola Aina would likely be deployed in the wing-back roles.
Similarly to Palmer, this set-up could allow Forest’s own talisman, Morgan Gibbs-White, the opportunity to play behind a lone striker.
Elsewhere, the departure of Pep Guardiola means all eyes will be on Man City’s displays under Enzo Maresca, with Bournemouth’s Marco Rose, Crystal Palace’s Pierre Sage, Fulham’s Alvaro Arbeloa and Ipswich Town’s Gary O’Neil the other new managers to monitor.
Look out for when World Cup players return
Typically, it isn’t until each Premier League club’s final one or two pre-season friendlies before we start to see a clearer picture of their starting line-ups, as managers tend to use the first few matches to build up players’ fitness levels.
This will be even more pertinent this summer due to the recent FIFA World Cup, with a host of key Fantasy assets now set for late returns to pre-season training after their involvement in the latter stages of the tournament.
Having featured over the final weekend of the World Cup (Saturday 18 and Sunday 19 July), all Premier League players from England, along with those from Argentina, France and Spain, essentially now have less than five weeks before 2026/27 Fantasy gets under way, when champions Arsenal host promoted Coventry City on Friday 21 August.
Meanwhile, Erling Haaland reached the quarter-final stages with Norway in his first-ever summer international tournament and is also set for an extended break.
Monitoring the minutes of the World Cup stars will be fundamental in how we go about building our opening squads – if any of them head into Gameweek 1 as a fitness doubt, don’t take the risk.
By being this vigilant with team line-ups, Fantasy managers can also avoid falling into the trap of picking in-form players who have only featured so prominently in friendlies because their rivals for a starting role have been rested as a result of their World Cup exertions.
How do new signings adapt?
The summer friendlies give us a great opportunity for some early scouting ahead of 2026/27 by assessing the form of new signings and their impact on their clubs.
Tottenham Hotspur have restructured the heart of their defence by bring in centre-backs Marcos Senesi and Jan Paul van Hecke, who were the top-scoring players for AFC Bournemouth and Brighton & Hove Albion last season.
Meanwhile, Chelsea’s new arrivals Marco Palestra and Geovany Quenda are both very comfortable at wing-back, so their positions in Alonso’s new side will be eagerly anticipated by Fantasy managers.
For Liverpool, the arrival of Victor Munoz – added to Salah’s exit – means they could have two new first-choice wingers this season, with the Spaniard expected to take over on the left from Cody Gakpo.
Could this also lead to a breakout season for the versatile Rio Ngumoha, who can take up the role on the right?
Find the form and best-value players
Last season’s top-scoring players in Fantasy, Haaland and Manchester United’s Bruno Fernandes, were quick to show why they were must-haves over the summer friendlies this time last year.
Haaland scored four goals, while Fernandes scored three goals and assisted a further two.
It won’t be long until 2026/27 Fantasy is launched, which also allows you to seek out the in-form value players to pick alongside your big-hitting captain options such as Haaland and Fernandes.
Managers have witnessed this over the previous two summers, with Aston Villa’s Morgan Rogers and Fulham’s Harry Wilson emerging as great budget successes in midfield.
Priced at just £5.0m in 2024/25 Fantasy, Rogers approached that campaign in fine form, with three goals and two assists during pre-season.
And he extended that all-round output over that season, scoring eight goals and assisting a further 11 to collect 161 points.
Wilson, meanwhile, was priced at £5.5m last season.
After scoring five goals in pre-season, the Welshman went on to claim his career-high 168 points, thanks to 10 goals and nine assists.