Key figures set to decide Manchester City's fate

Alison Brittain, who became the Premier League’s first female chair almost four years ago, will be given unanimous backing by all 20 clubs for a second three‑year term in 2025. Before joining the league she held senior executive roles in hospitality and financial services and also serves as chair and trustee of The King’s Trust Group. Two senior club executives – former Arsenal chief Vinai Venkatesham, now at Spurs, and ex‑Aston Villa boss Christian Purslow – told her that her skillset was exactly what the league required, persuading her to apply for the post.

Brittain, a lifelong Manchester United fan who once stood in the Stretford End as a child, now also backs Brentford. She explained her decision, saying: "They actually spent some time talking to me and saying 'we aren't looking for a super fan. In fact we're looking for the exact opposite - somebody who will bring a different mindset.

A business mindset, governance standards, be able to reset us a little bit into a different way'…and so I then went through the process and ended up in the job." Speaking in 2024 she admitted the league was "not without its challenges" but praised it as "the most exciting competition in the world" and an "enormous soft power asset" for the country. She added that "the whole point of running the league... is to make sure the competitive balance stays really good.

Because what makes us successful is this virtuous circle of anyone could win any match any day… there has to be jeopardy" and that "Someone has to care about keeping that balance, because if you ask the clubs they'd rather not have that balance because they'd like to win all the time." When asked if this was her job, she replied: "Absolutely. That's my job." Purslow said Brittain has "extremely good people skills and diplomacy in a role where keeping 20 owners more or less happy is not an easy job. She is a very down to earth, straightforward person, and that plays well."