It took a while for the Premier League managerial merry-go-round to get going last season, with Sheffield United’s Paul Heckingbottom the first to receive his instructions on 5 December.
In 2022/23, 16 managers left or lost their jobs. What will happen in 2024/25?
Growing impatience at the highest level means new bosses have far less time to win over supporters and hierarchical figures. Moreover, tight financial rules and the huge sums paid to leave managers meant that fewer clubs were likely to pull the trigger last season.
So only five clubs will enter the new season with a changing leading player at the helm.
While last season somewhat bucked the trend of hasty managerial departures, 2023/24 is likely to prove to be an anomaly. Every manager’s situation is different, particularly when it comes to new arrivals; some will undoubtedly be under more pressure than others heading into 2024/25.
Here’s how 90 minutes ranks the Premier League sackings race.
Slot has the impossible task of replacing Jurgen Klopp / BART STOUTJESDIJK/GettyImages
Arne Slot has perhaps the toughest task in sport at the moment as he takes over from Jurgen Klopp at Anfield.
Expectations for the incoming Dutchman must be tempered and only the eternally optimistic types believe Slot is capable of coming close to, let alone matching, what Klopp achieved on Merseyside.
Well, it took a few years before Klopp could bring Liverpool back to the top of Europe.
Slot comes to the job after briefly making Feyenoord the dominant force in the Eredivisie. There are ideological similarities with Klopp, but also clear differences.
Implementing his ideas in such a demanding environment will take time. Slot will feel the pressure immediately, but Liverpool will certainly give the Dutchman a season to settle in and lay the foundations for life without their charismatic Germans.
Howe has been linked with the England job / Richard Heathcote/GettyImages
Newcastle’s determination to retain Eddie Howe ahead of a potential England appointment suggests the club want the Englishman to lead the Magpies in the long term.
However, Howe enters the 2024/25 season with a disappointing campaign behind him, although he has been plagued by a persistent injury crisis.
Still, given the squad at his disposal and what they achieved two seasons ago, Howe is under pressure to get Newcastle back in contention for a top-four finish next season. The Magpies finished eight points behind fourth-placed Aston Villa in seventh place.
The lack of European football will benefit Howe’s team, but a slow start to the new season will undoubtedly leave some supporters wondering whether their manager has an eye for the national team.
Chelsea managers are never far from sacking / Lyndsay Radnedge/ISI Photos/GettyImages
Enzo Maresca is the latest man to go into the poisoned trophy after Mauricio Pochettino lasted just one season at Stamford Bridge. Chelsea’s new regime is cycling through managers like they’re going out of fashion and the long-term deal Maresca signed after leading Leicester City to the title last season doesn’t make him immune to an early sack.
Graham Potter was given his assignment just a few months into the job after signing a five-year contract with the Blues.
Given Chelsea’s strong finish to the 2023/24 season and the return of several top players, Maresca’s team is expected to achieve something next season.
But given his relatively unknown profile, it won’t be long before Chelsea supporters turn on the Italian, even if the hierarchy wants to back him.
Nuno kept Forest afloat last season / Michael Regan/GettyImages
With two wins in their last three games, it looked like Nottingham Forest could still remain in the competition, but Nuno Espirito Santo’s side failed to offer much in the final stages.
Santo achieved his main goal last season, but questions remain over the former goalkeeper’s long-term viability at the City Ground. His reactive style works with the attacking profiles at his disposal, but there is a fine line between dull defensive drudgery and exuberant pragmatism.
Given the way Forest performed under Santo in the second half of last season, there is little reason to believe a major improvement is imminent.
Moreover, a manager is never safe when Evangelos Marinakis is lurking.
Cooper’s arrival has not been well received by many Leicester fans / Dan Istitene/GettyImages
Steve Cooper was unemployed after leaving Forest in December last year, but he has found a new home at the King Power Stadium. After their title-winning manager left for Chelsea, Leicester turned to Cooper on their return to the top flight.
Cooper is a fine manager who did a great job of keeping Forest in the Premier League two seasons ago. He should benefit from a more stable squad, but the Foxes will be expected to stay. They were seen as far too good to be relegated when they went down in 2022/23 and were by far the best team in the Championship last season despite trying to ruin their title challenge in the spring.
Leicester fans have not been particularly enthusiastic about Cooper’s arrival, mainly due to the names they have been linked with and his connection to Forest. Many wanted Graham Potter and there are concerns that Cooper’s style may be a little too drastically different to Maresca’s.
Their main aim is to stay in the game, but King Power’s loyal fans are keen to see their team play with a flair that somewhat resembles their performances in the Second Division.
Ten Hag was on the brink of dismissal at the end of last season / Ian MacNicol/GettyImages
Erik ten Hag teetered on the brink of disaster throughout 2024 as new owners INEOS actively sought a potential successor before the 2023/24 season even concluded.
It has been a nightmarish season for Manchester United, who often looked badly coached and completely out of shape. However, United’s FA Cup final victory over noisy neighbours Manchester City may have bought the Dutchman more time.
The club confirmed they will retain Ten Hag for the 2024/25 season, but it won’t be long before the pitchforks are back in action as United, who have been strengthened with several new signings, are picked apart at will.
If last season’s performances are still there in the new season, INEOS will certainly not hesitate to pull the plug on the Ten Hag project.
