Bristol City’s 2026/27 Championship season will begin under new manager, with Michael Skubala joining Ashton Gate on a three-year contract.

The Robins were linked with a slew of potential appointments in the BS3 dugout at the start of the off-season, with Roy Hodgson previously overseeing the final seven games of the 2025/26 season after his short-term move sparked a lot of debate following the club’s initial decision to part ways with Gerhard Struber in March.

This time last year, the Austrian was appointed following Liam Manning’s departure from Norwich City, just weeks after the club suffered a 6-0 defeat to Sheffield United in the play-off semi-finals – their sole appearance in the second tier’s promotion lottery in the previous 18 years.

Skubala, of course, comes to the West Country as one of the EFL’s most highly regarded head managers at the moment, having first stabilised the ship at Lincoln City in League One before experiencing a wonderful season in 2025/26.

Indeed, under the former Leeds United coach, the Imps went on a 29-game unbeaten streak in the third tier from November 22nd onwards, winning the division with 103 points – a total that only two previous teams had either equalled or surpassed.

As a result, the 43-year-old will receive a lot of attention in his first season with the Reds, who hope to improve on their 12th-place finish this season.

Tommy Elphick, a former EFL stalwart, was also linked with the Ashton Gate position, though he may now feel vindicated in his decision to rebuff the City management.

Tommy Elphick poised for Andoni Iraola reunion at Liverpool following AFC Bournemouth’s triumph.

Indeed, the AFC Bournemouth assistant has enjoyed remarkable success at the Vitality Stadium as a player and now in a post-playing capacity.

After retiring in 2021, the 38-year-old took on several coaching duties with the Dorset club, including being a member of Andoni Iraola’s staff from 2023 to last month, with the Spaniard’s departure widely chronicled for some time.

Due to various managerial movements across Europe, Iraola has been linked with a slew of potential next moves in the Premier League and his home country after leading the Cherries to the UEFA Europa League for the first time in their history following an 18-game unbeaten streak.

He will be replaced by Marco Rose, formerly of RB Leipzig, and although he is yet to officially leave the club, Elphick has been a key part of such a strong managerial domino effect.

It was reported by BBC Sport last week that the former Aston Villa and Hull City man reluctantly rejected Bristol City’s offer to kickstart a managerial career of his own due to a potential career crossroads.

And, with Arne Slot’s dismissal from Liverpool confirmed on Saturday, Iraola quickly became the hot favourite to take over at Anfield, and such developments have accelerated in recent days, with Ben Jacobs reporting that a full agreement on proceedings could be reached by the weekend at the latest.

The 43-year-old is understood to have negotiated his own terms, and work on his backroom team on Merseyside has begun, including both Elphick and Shaun Cooper, who are expected to follow suit.

Bristol City fans will appreciate Liverpool’s fascination to the prior target. Tommy Elphick

Although the prospect of becoming the first man to bring top-flight football back to Ashton Gate since 1980 could have been viewed as a fascinating challenge for Elphick, the lure of working at Liverpool is one that few footballers would pass up.

Even though Liverpool finished one place and three points ahead of the Cherries in 2025/26, the North West club remains one of the biggest in the world, let alone in English football, and Iraola would like to have a similar impact at Anfield with a much larger budget.

That said, such feats are not a guarantee, as he will have plenty of work to do to rebuild the squad at his disposal, especially following the confirmation of Ibrahima Konate, Andy Robertson and Mohamed Salah’s official departures in the coming days and weeks.