The summer of 2016 saw perhaps the highest turnover of high-profile managers that European football has ever seen. The Premier League saw the biggest changes: Jose Mourinho returned to England to replace Louis van Gaal at Manchester United and, in doing so, reignited his rivalry with Pep Guardiola who began his reign at Manchester City. Chelsea added their own big name in the dugout, Antonio Conte arriving after quitting the Italy national team, and it was also a time of change for Liverpool ahead of Jurgen Klopp’s first full campaign in charge.

It was a similar story at Real Madrid, where Zinedine Zidane was still getting used to life as his old club’s head coach having taken over just a few months earlier. His former mentor, Carlo Ancelotti, stepped into Guardiola’s shoes at Bayern Munich, while Europa League winner Unai Emery left Sevilla for Paris Saint-Germain. Adding to the churn, Roberto Mancini exited Internazionale on the eve of the new Serie A season, replaced by Frank de Boer, while Vincenzo Montella also arrived at the San Siro as Milan’s new coach.

Maybe there was something in the European air that summer, an atmosphere of change that forced clubs’ hands, causing a domino effect involving several of the continent’s biggest clubs — or maybe it was simply a coincidence. Whatever it was, something similar could be on the horizon in 2024. Liverpool, Bayern Munich and Barcelona will all have a new manager for the start of the season, while several other clubs will have to decide whether they stick or twist.

This May marks 21 years since Carlo Ancelotti won the first of his four Champions League trophies; in June, it will be 20 years since Jose Mourinho told a press conference “I think I’m a special one”; and July will mark the 11th anniversary of the first meeting between Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp. In other words, football is ready for a new coaching heavyweight to emerge and, this month, we’ve taken a closer look at who that might be.

Elsewhere, in our final issue before our ultimate guide to Euro 2024, we’ve taken a deep dive into the biggest stories from March’s international stories, secured an exclusive interview with Hungary coach Marco Rossi and profiled a potential young star of the finals, Cole Palmer, plus plenty more.