Fifteen managers have been sacked or vacated their post this Premier League season, making it the most brutal campaign for head coaches in the competition’s history.
Four clubs have parted ways with three managers each this season, with the most recent being Leeds who overnight axed Javi Gracia and replaced him with 68-year-old veteran Sam Allardyce.
Gracia was himself an interim manager on a deal until the end of the season, but lasted just 10 weeks before being dumped – and he’s not the only interim manager to have failed to see out the season.
All up, half of the league’s teams have sacked at least one manager this campaign.
“The Premier League has been a horrible place to be a manager this season,” Robbie Slater joked on the Fox Football Podcast.
“It’s easier to say who hasn’t lost their job than who has lost their job! “
In the aftermath of this brutal firing spree, a number of clubs have appointed caretaker managers until the end of the season – now mere weeks away – while other teams look set to replace their permanent head coaches once the dust settles on a hectic campaign.
That means there will almost certainly be plenty of jobs up for grabs at season’s end. Here’s the state of play with a month to go.
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EVERY MANAGER TO LEAVE SO FAR
Scott Parker, Bournemouth, August 30
Thomas Tuchel, Chelsea, September 7
Graham Potter, Brighton, September 8 (left for Chelsea)
Bruno Lage, Wolves, October 2
Steven Gerrard, Aston Villa, October 20
Ralph Hasenhuttl, Southampton, November 7
Frank Lampard, Everton, January 23
Jesse Marsch, Leeds, February 6
Nathan Jones, Southampton, February 12
Patrick Vieira, Crystal Palace, March 17
Antonio Conte, Tottenham Hotspur, March 26
Brendan Rodgers, Leicester, April 2
Graham Potter, Chelsea, April 2
Cristian Stellini, Tottenham, April 25
Javi Gracia, Leeds, May 3
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LEEDS
Leeds manager Javi Gracia was sacked overnight after just 10 weeks in charge, having taken over at Elland Road following the axing of Jesse Marsch in February.
Gracia replaced caretaker Michael Skubala after a fortnight-long stint. But after a bright start saw Leeds win three of their first six league games under the Spaniard, they’ve collapsed in recent weeks.
They’ve picked up just one draw and four defeats in their last five games – including a 5-1 defeat to Crystal Palace, 6-1 to Liverpool, and this weekend a 4-1 defeat to Bournemouth.
Conceding 18 goals in five games has left them sitting above the relegation zone on points difference alone and led to Gracia’s departure.
With just four games remaining, they have turned to 68-year-old managerial veteran Sam Allardyce, handing him a whopping $AUD941k for his four games in charge, with a $4.7 million bonus if he can keep Leeds up.
Allardyce hasn’t managed in the Premier League since 2021 when he was sacked by West Bromwich Albion after their relegation from the top flight just six months after Allardyce took charge of the side.
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He has twice saved a club from relegation – but on both those occasions, he was appointed earlier than Leeds’ current situation.
Sky Sports pundit and Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher said: “I don’t think Sam Allardyce has ever come in this late. He’s normally come in with a January transfer window to bring his own players in and have time to change it.
“But I think it would be a decent appointment. Whether the crowd get behind it, I’m not so sure. I don’t know how Leeds supporters would react to Sam Allardyce.
“But in terms of trying to make them more solid and better defensively, there’s probably no one better out there.”
Leeds has four games to play in a brutal run home: Manchester City, Newcastle, West Ham, and Tottenham.
Allardyce joked: “We start with an easy one on Saturday. Can’t get any easier than Manchester City away, can it?”
Robbie Slater told the Fox Football Podcast just hours before Gracia’s sacking: “It’s clear when you look at their games … I can’t see them winning one game in their current form!
“The way they’re conceding goals, the way they’re losing. What have you got to lose? If it continues like this they’ll get relegated.”
Relegation could cost Leeds off the pitch, too. Dropping out of the top flight could put an end to a long-rumoured takeover deal by 49ers Enterprises, owners of NFL franchise the San Francisco 49ers.
Even if Allardyce does help Leeds survive the drop, he is unlikely to be seen as the long-term future of the club and another managerial change could follow in the off-season.
Asked if he could stick around after the end of the season, Allardyce said: “Never say never.
“It depends what happens at the end of the four matches … and how I feel.”
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CHELSEA
When new owners Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital arrived before this season, there was plenty of optimism at Stamford Bridge.
After all, German manager Thomas Tuchel had led them to a Champions League triumph in his first year in charge, and to third place in the league.
With a remarkable transfer spend in the off-season, including the big-money arrivals of England star Raheem Sterling, Kalidou Koulibaly, Marc Cucurella, and Wesley Fofana, they seemed poised to challenge at the pointy end of the table.
But things soon soured. Defeat to Dinamo Zagreb in their first Champions League game in early September saw Thomas Tuchel punted, replaced by Brighton’s Graham Potter.
He only lasted until April before being axed himself. The team was 10th in the league and already out of both domestic cup competitions.
After Bruno Saltor took charge as interim boss for four days, Frank Lampard returned as interim manager until season’s end.
It’s been disastrous so far – six straight defeats and dumped out of the Champions League – as the Blues appear destined for one of their worst-ever Premier League seasons.
There are already calls for Lampard to be sacked.
Even if he survives to the end of the season, it appears that his interim deal will not be made permanent unless he can turn things around drastically.
Asked if the damage to the Englishman’s coaching reputation by his poor record at Everton and now Chelsea was irreversible, Slater said: “I don’t think it’s irreversible, but maybe it’s as close as you can get to it.”
He added that it’s unlikely any other Premier League team would take a punt on Lampard as their coach next season: “Hard to see it. He’s going to have to probably drop a level if he wants to continue.”
Assuming Lampard remains in charge of the Blues until the end of the season, there are plenty of options to replace him for next year.
Former Tottenham and Paris Saint-Germain manager Mauricio Pochettino is the favourite, after he was first interviewed by the club in September before Chelsea opted instead for Potter.
Pochettino has had discussions with the club in recent weeks, but could also be tempted by a move to Real Madrid if the great Carlo Ancelotti opts to leave at season’s end.
Burnley manager Vincent Kompany, who guided that side to promotion to the Premier League for next season, is also on the Chelsea shortlist, as is Australia’s Ange Postecoglou, currently on the brink of a domestic treble at Celtic.
Recently-axed Bayern Munich manager Julian Nagelsmann was also on the list but withdrew from consideration, while Feyenoord’s Arne Slot and Palmeiras’ Abel Ferreira were also linked.
There are plenty of problems to contend with for whoever takes the hot seat. The club’s transfer policy under the new owners has been shambolic, with Todd Boehly’s influence – and lack of football knowledge – resulting in a raft of players arriving without any clear strategy.
The result is a bloated squad that needs trimming, and where there is no clear core or first XI.
Speaking about a potential deal for Aussie Ange Postecoglou to take over at Chelsea – and the problems with the club’s owner-led transfer policy – Robbie Slater told the Fox Football Podcast: “I think he’d be silly to go to Chelsea and not have the power of picking and choosing your own players. If you’re going to get sacked, go down with your own ideas!”
European football for Chelsea is a virtual impossibility for next season, a major drawback in the club’s attempts to land managerial targets – but a boost in one regard, since they’ll play fewer games next season compared to their rivals and can focus on the league.
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TOTTENHAM
Spurs’ long wait for a trophy stretches back 15 years after another disappointing campaign.
After a hot start in the league – a seven game unbeaten run – Tottenham’s form quickly turned into an up-and-down rollercoaster.
There were humiliating defeats, like a 2-0 league cup defeat to Nottingham Forest in November, who were at the time the Premier League’s bottom club.
Coach Antonio Conte had an uncomfortable relationship with the owners, and battled personal issues and illness before finally being fired in March after an incendiary press conference.
Cristian Stellini was named acting manager until the end of the season, but a 6-1 defeat to Newcastle saw him axed late last month.
Now Ryan Mason is the interim manager until the end of the season. Spurs sit sixth on goal difference, having won just won of their last five games. Their four points in that run is the worst of any team besides Chelsea and the bottom four sides.
With Aston Villa and Brighton (who have games in hand) in their rear-view mirror, Spurs could well miss out on even finishing in the top six and therefore earning qualification to the Europa League or Conference League.
Mason, like most interim managers, is unlikely to remain in his post for next season unless he can put together a dazzling finish to the campaign.
The favourite to become their next manager is Julian Nagelsmann, who was sacked by Bayern Munich in recent months – but the biggest thing standing in their way is that Nagelsmann is still being paid by Bayern despite his sacking, meaning Spurs would have to pay a hefty buyout.
Second favourite is Feyenoord’s Arne Slot, who has burst into the limelight by guiding the club to the brink of a first Eredivisie title in six years, ESPN reports.
Brendan Rodgers, Australia’s Ange Postecoglou, and Brighton’s Roberto De Zerbi have all been linked to the job, while Mainz boss Bo Svensson has also been reported as being on the list of candidates.
If that wasn’t enough, Sky Sports today reports that Burnley’s Vincent Kompany and Bayer Leverkusen coach Xabi Alonso – both legendary Premier League players before turning to management – are also in the running.
Asked whether Ange Postecoglou would be a good fit for Tottenham, Robbie Slater said: “I think Tottenham’s style would suit Ange better than Chelsea. Historically, if you look at Tottenham, the way the play … they always seem to be different.”
Spurs fans have become used to an attack-minded approach, particularly under Mauricio Pochettino.
The biggest sticking point over appointing a new coach is the future of Harry Kane. The 29-year-old has 25 Premier League goals in another strong season, but has one year remaining on his contract and could push for a transfer – something Spurs would have to agree to or risk losing him for free in 2024.
Any incoming manager would be desperate to keep him, while the likely lack of any European football would be another hit to their bid to attract top managers.
For Ange Postecoglou, with another year of Champions League football virtually guaranteed by virtue of Celtic’s looming league victory, that could prove a crucial factor in his decision-making.
Slater says: “I think he might stay at Celtic … he’s got another crack at the Champions League. I think that’s the thing that grabs him.”
CRYSTAL PALACE
11th in the league and with 40 points and four games to play – Crystal Palace’s Premier League survival appears all-but guaranteed.
Roy Hodgson was in charge at Selhurst Park between 2017 and 2021 before he announced his retirement from management – something he briefly backflipped on when he spent a couple of months last year in an unsuccessful bid to save Watford from relegation.
He returned to Palace in March after Patrick Vieira was axed, and has been nothing short of brilliant at his beloved club.
Four wins, a draw and just the one loss.
You get the feeling that guiding the team to safety – at this point, a comfortable top-half finish is more likely than relegation – could be the perfect way to send the wily old veteran back into retirement for good.
Hodgson might just want to stick around to see how far he can go. Whether he can convince the Saints’ ownership to back him long term is a different story.
EVERTON
Sean Dyche was handed a two-and-a-half year deal until the end of the 2024-25 season.
Dyche’s experience at Burnley is the strongest ammunition for keeping him long-term – which appears the most likely call regardless of relegation.
Dyche guided the team to two Premier League promotions in three years with a relegation in between, before turning them into a stable top-flight team punching above their weight despite a limited budget. He even led the Clarets to the Europa League, before being sacked in April 2022 with Burnley in the relegation zone and eight games to play – a decision that backfired for he Clarets who dropped to the Championship.
Former Leeds manager Marcelo Bielsa and former Southampton boss Ralph Hasenhuttl were linked to the job in January before Dyche won the race. After a 1-0 win over league-leaders Arsenal in his first game, Everton has scraped some solid results but struggled for consistency. With four games to play, relegation is a flip of the coin.
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SOUTHAMPTON
The rock-bottom Saints are on the brink of relegation, sitting six points off safety with just one win in their last 10 games. Ruben Selles has been in the hot seat for two months, the third manager of the campaign after Ralph Hasenhuttl was axed in November and Nathan Jones dumped in February.
“Why they sacked their manager, Hasenhuttl, is beyond me,” Slater said.
His contract expires at the end of the season, but if he does manage to finagle a miracle survival he may well earn his way into a long-term deal.
If the side does survive relegation, the list of candidates who could replace Selles is largely based on those who were considered to replace Nathan Jones in February.
Former Leeds manager Jesse Marsch, who was sacked just days before Jones, came close to taking over at St Mary’s before contract negotiations broke down.
Marsch survived relegation with Leeds on the final day of last season, and the American remains well-respected despite being sacked by that club this season.
Steven Gerrard is another recently-sacked manager who could return to a Premier League job. The Liverpool legend was sacked by Aston Villa in October 2022 after just 11 months in charge.
Perhaps the most intriguing name in the mix for the Southampton job – and plenty of others around England and Europe – is Marcelo Gallardo, a 44-cap Argentina midfielder who became a legend coaching at River Plate, the club where he played over 300 times.
Even in the fraught Argentinian league, where managers rarely last more than a couple of years, he stuck around a full eight years at River Plate. He guided them to a host of trophies, including ending a 17-year continental trophy drought with two Copa Libertadores (the South American equivalent of the Champions League), and a runners-up finish in the Club World Cup.
He is renowned for his tactical tinkering and flexibility combined with a strong focus on attack – with high-tempo passing moves up the centre and dangerous wide play.
Fans would love to have him on board, but whether he can translate his South American success to the pressure-cooker of the world’s top league remains to be seen.
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NOTTINGHAM FOREST
Whether or not Forest go down, they’re the relegation-zone side that seems most likely to hold onto their manager, Steve Cooper.
Cooper led the team to promotion from the Championship via the play-offs last season, and outside of their difficult relegation battle in the league this time out, the team has performed impressively in the EFL Cup, where they reached the semi-finals.
Like most promoted teams, they struggled in the first half of the season, with a run of six losses in seven matches leaving them well and truly mired to the bottom after 11 rounds.
They went on a sensational run from October to early February, however – in 11 games, they lost just twice to Arsenal and Manchester United.
That saw them rise as high as 13th, but they’ve slid right back down to the relegation zone since then, having won just once in their last 13 games.
If Forest go down, Cooper might be punted despite his contract running until 2025.
But his record in the Championship is impressive – in three seasons in the second tier with two clubs, he has reached the promotion play-offs every time.
He might just be the man to help Forest get right back up.
LEICESTER
After less than a month in charge, Dean Smith is battling extremely hard to avoid relegation. Smith stepped into the hot seat last month after Brendan Rodgers was dumped, and they’re unbeaten in their last three games to provide some hope of survival.
Smith guided Aston Villa to Premier League promotion and an impressive last-gasp survival in 2019-20 before a subsequent 11th-placed finish in 2020-21. If he can help Leicester survive this year, the feel-good factor combined with that record at Villa will likely see him remain in charge.
But he is currently contracted only until the end of the season, and the significant rebuild the club will need to undergo should they be relegated will probably see him out the door. Again, Steven Gerrard and Jesse Marsch have been linked to the job should it come up – with Marsch nearly signing on before the Foxes went for Smith. Rafa Benitez was also linked to the club mid-season, while Graham Potter and Ralph Hasenhuttl were also in the running for the interim job. Ange Postecoglou was linked to the club last September and again this April, but shut down the rumours.
WEST HAM
Currently four points out of the relegation zone in 15th, the Hammers have lost three on the trot – including a 3-0 defeat to Manchester City on Wednesday morning that saw them collapse after a strong first half.
“West Ham need another win. A few more points and they should be okay,” Robbie Slater said.
“The only thing that’s looking good for the likes of West Ham is the form of the others – their form is rotten! Leeds, Everton, Southampton look gone.”
Their run home includes two tricky fixtures next up – Man United and Brentford – before two so-called relegation six-pointers against Leeds and Leicester. Lose the first two, and the final two games could quickly become must-win matches.
Fascinatingly, the Hammers are in the semi-finals of the Europa Conference League at the same time – and if they win the trophy, they would earn qualification to next season’s Europa League.
West Ham are managed by David Moyes, who has been in charge since December 2019 – his second stint in charge of the club.
The former Manchester United coach remains popular with the fans, especially after he guided them to their best-ever top-flight result in 2020-21 (sixth place and Europa League qualification) before a seventh-placed finish last year.
This season has been a remarkable decline, and there’s no doubt they have underperformed given the talent at their disposal.
But Moyes’ contract runs for one more year, and it’s unlikely he would be axed unless the club is relegated.
