Which teams have had the most and least permanent manager in the Premier League?

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4 teams with 15+ bosses 

©TM/IMAGO

In modern football, changing managers has become more common than ever. Such is the pressure at the top level, clubs rarely hesitate in relieving a boss of their duties, in the hope of getting that ‘new manager bounce’. After all, it’s a lot easier to switch coaches than get rid of an entire squad of players. The Premier League has become one of the hardest places to stay in a job for managers, with several losing their roles each season. This week, Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag became the first casualty, after United sacked him following two and half years in the job.

Long serving managers have become very sparse in the English top-flight. Manchester City’s Pep Guardiola (eight years) and Brentford’s Thomas Frank (six years) are the only current bosses who have been in their job for longer than five years. The longest serving managers of all time in the Premier League are Sir Alex Ferguson who spent 21 years as Man United boss while they were in the Premier League, and Arsène Wenger who was at Arsenal for 22 years. But which clubs show the most and the least loyalty to managers?

Here at Transfermarkt, we have compiled a list of the amount of permanent managers that have been in place at every team that has spent 12 or more seasons in the Premier League, and it makes for a fascinating read. Only managers in charge while the team were in the English top-flight count, and teams with the same amount of managers are separated by the least total seasons spent in the Premier League since the league’s inception in the 1992/93 season.

Which teams have had the most permanent managers?

Surprisingly, the team that have had the most permanent managers in the Premier League are Southampton. The Saints have had as many as 21 full-time bosses, despite only spending 25 seasons in the English top-flight. Current boss Russell Martin may be quaking in his boots looking at this given that his team are yet to win a Premier League games this term. Two teams share second place, each having had 18 permanent managers in 33 Premier League seasons. The first is less surprising in Chelsea who have gained a reputation in recent decades for chopping and changing the man in the dugout. Tottenham is perhaps more of a shock, also having 18 managers, including four in the last five years.

Newcastle are fourth with 15 managers in 30 seasons in the Premier League, and are followed in fifth by Aston Villa who have had 14 bosses in 30 seasons. Everton are sixth having also had 14 managers, but have been ever-presents, playing in each of the 33 seasons of the Premier League. West Brom take seventh with a remarkable record of having 13 managers in just 13 seasons in the English top-flight since 1992. Two other teams have had 13 managers in Leicester (in 18 seasons) and West Ham (in 29 seasons). Below, we have isolated just the ‘Big six’ teams and the number of permanent Premier League managers they have employed.

Which teams give their managers the most time?

At the other end of the scale, it’s now time to take a look at the teams who have given the most time to managers in the Premier League era. As illustrated in the graphic below, when we look at the Premier League seasons per manager, Arsenal top the standings, on average, hiring a new manager every 6.60 seasons. The Gunners have had just five permanent Premier League bosses in George Graham, Bruce Rioch, Wenger, Unai Emery and Mikel Arteta.

The next team on this list is Man United, who have averaged a manager every 5.50 seasons in the Premier League era. This is largely due to the 21 years served by legendary manager Ferguson, with the Red Devils having another five permanent bosses since the Scot’s retirement in 2013. It looks as though current Sporting boss Rúben Amorim will soon become United’s seventh Premier League manager. Liverpool are third, averaging a new permanent boss every 3.67 seasons, whilst Man City are fourth with a new boss, on average, every 2.55 seasons. Middlesbrough complete the top five with a new manager every 2.50 seasons.

At the other end of the scale, West Brom are bottom, averaging a new manager every season they have been in the Premier League – 13 bosses in 13 campaigns. There’s no doubt changing managers can lead to success – Chelsea have been the prime example, with 14 permanent bosses in the last 20 years, and 17 major trophies in that same timeframe. However, there can also be value in giving a manager time to prove his worth and develop his team, showcased perhaps best in recent years by Arsenal’s progression under Arteta after a torrid start under the Spaniard.