Updated:
Apr 4, 2023 6:41 pm
We take a look at all the managers that have been sacked so far in the Premier League, and whether these were justified or not, also looking at which unlucky manager could be next.
All 13 Managerial Changes:
Scott Parker – Sacked 30th August 2022
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The first manager to get the hook in the Premier League this season came in the form of Bournemouth’s Scott Parker, who did not even make it until September before he was given the boot.
The Englishman took Bournemouth to a 2nd placed finish in The Championship the season prior, but came under fire a few times throughout the season, as the star-studded side only made sure of automatic promotion in their last few games.
Parker then beat Aston Villa on the opening day of the season 2-0, before going on to get heavily beaten by Man City, Arsenal and Liverpool in their next 3 games, losing 16-0 on aggregate over those matches, leaving Bournemouth hovering over the relegation zone by a single point, and a goal difference of -14. Gary O’Neil took charge and now has Bournemouth sat in 17th.
Thomas Tuchel – Sacked 7th September 2022
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Thomas Tuchel was the next Premier League manager to be sacked, and it may have come as a surprise to many fans throughout the league, as some believe he was not given enough time, especially with the number of players Chelsea brought in during the summer transfer window.
Tuchel did in fact finish his Premier League stint with Chelsea with a win, beating West Ham 2-1 at home, but it was the Champions League performances that had the Chelsea board asking questions.
A 1-0 away defeat against Dinamo Zagreb left Chelsea fans fuming at their poor start to the group stage, one that they really could have finished unbeaten in. With Chelsea sitting 7th in the table, the board pulled the plug on Tuchel, and had his replacement, Graham Potter, lined up and ready to go.
Graham Potter – Left for Chelsea on 8th September 2022
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Despite all the big names linked with Chelsea during Tuchel’s troublesome time, Brighton’s Graham Potter made the move to Stamford Bridge, which came as a shock to many, with his Brighton side sitting in the Champions League places.
Potter had worked wonders with his Brighton side. A mid-table finish last season represented a big improvement for the club, and they invested well in the summer, looking at key positions, and bringing in players who have gone on and shocked fans, such as Mitoma.
It was inevitable that Potter’s name was going to be linked with other jobs, and he left his Brighton faithful smiling with a big 5-2 win over Leicester in his last game in charge of The Seagulls, which is the first time Brighton managed 5 goals in a single Premier League game before.
Roberto De Zebri took charge on an interim basis to start with, whilst Brighton searched for a new manager. But after some impressive results, Brighton decided to stick with De Zebri, a decision which has benefitted them, as he has Brighton in 6th place, pushing for a European spot.
Bruno Lage – Sacked 2nd October 2022
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Bruno Lage become the 4th manager to be removed from his position, losing his place as Wolves manager shortly after the international break was over. He left his Wolves side in the bottom 3, sitting in 18th place after 8 games.
Lage had a relatively difficult time at Wolves, with his side picking up just one win during his tenure, a 1-0 win against fellow strugglers Southampton. In Lage’s 8 games, his side only managed 3 goals, 2 of those scored by Podence.
The board decided that enough was enough after Wolves’ 2-0 loss away against West Ham after the international break, a result that meant Lage had lost half of the game he had taken charge of. The following managerial search ended a month later, as Lopetegui took charge, who has dragged Wolves up into 13th place.
Steven Gerrard – sacked on 21st October 2022
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Former Liverpool legend and Aston Villa manager Steven Gerrard became the 5th manager to be sacked in the Premier League. Gerrard took a squad full of talent, with players like Ollie Watkins, Buendia and Ramsay, and struggled with them throughout his tenure.
The season did not start well for Villa, with a 2-0 loss against newly promoted Bournemouth, and despite beating Everton in their second game, they then lost 3 games on the bounce, against Crystal Palace, West Ham and Arsenal.
A draw against Man City and a win against Southampton looked as if Villa were getting back on track, but after drawing against Leeds, and then back-to-back losses against Chelsea and Fulham, the board decided to relieve Gerrard of his duties, with the club, sat in 17th, hovering above relegation on goal difference.
Aaron Danks oversaw a 3-0 win against Brentford as interim manager before former Arsenal manager Unai Emery took the helm. Since his arrival, only Man City and Arsenal have picked up more wins than Emery and Aston Villa, as they now sit in 9th, with an outside shot of finishing in the top 6.
Ralph Hasenhüttl – sacked 7th November 2022
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Unsurprisingly the next manager to be sacked was Southampton’s Ralph Hasenhüttl. Southampton had some very strange results under Hasenhüttl, including their 2-1 at home against Chelsea, a 1-1 draw against Arsenal, as well as a 2-1 loss against Everton.
The board decided to get rid of Hasenhüttl after back-to-back defeats against Crystal Palace and Newcastle, with the club sitting in 18th place after 14 games. Southampton’s transfer window was largely to blame. Despite them bringing in a lot of players and spending a large amount of money, they did not have Premier League experience.
Signing 4 players from Man City’s under-21s, players from Rennes, Genk and Racing Club, only works well when the players are good enough, and hit the ground running. None of the players Southampton has brought in has done this.
Ruben Selles took charge for 2 days before the club announced the signing of Nathan Jones, former Luton and Stoke manager. This signing was not a popular one with the fans, who wanted a big name coming in to help them steer clear of relegation.
Frank Lampard – sacked on 23rd January 2023
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The first managerial sacking of 2023 came the way of Everton, who relieved Frank Lampard of his duties. This was a tough call from the board, with the fans split on whether the manager was to blame, or the current crop of players, but ultimately, the manager gets the blame.
Under Lampard, Everton’s big issue was a lack of goals. They only managed to score 2 goals or more twice under his reign, a 2-1 away win against fellow strugglers Southampton and a 3-0 home win against Crystal Palace. An impressive Draw against Man City came crashing down when they followed it up with a 4-1 loss at home against Brighton, and the board decided to pull the trigger after 8 games without a win, and 3 losses on the bounce, leaving them 19th.
Everton took just a week to decide that Sean Dyche was their man, rather than the other front runner Marcelo Bielsa, which paid dividends as Dyche started his Everton reign with a 1-0 win against table toppers Arsenal, and Everton now sits in 15th place.
Jesse Marsch – sacked 6th February 2023
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With many teams at the bottom of the table changing managers, Leeds United decide it was their turn, sacking Jesse Marsch. A good start to the season for Leeds, after 7 points from a possible 9, turned into a nightmare, with no win in the next 8 games. A surprise win at Anfield against Liverpool spurred them on to win back-to-back games, followed by another 7 games without a win.
A lack of consistency has been Leeds’ issue this season, and something that Jesse Marsch has not been able to rectify. He has had the players at his disposal to win games, with Rodrigo, Bamford and Sinisterra, but he has not been able to get these players to gel and win games.
The board finally decided to relive Marsch of his duties after a 1-0 loss away against fellow strugglers Nottingham Forest, a result that left Leeds avoiding the drop zone by goal difference alone. Javi Gracia took charge towards the end of February, oversaw a 1-0 win against Southampton, and has since also beaten Wolves, but after recent results for other teams, Leeds has dipped into the bottom 3.
Nathan Jones – sacked 12th February 2023
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Just 6 days after Jesse Marsch found himself sacked by Leeds, and just 94 days after getting the Southampton job, Nathan Jones found himself without a job, after being sacked by the club. This sacking was surprising due to the short amount of time he had been at the club, but at the same time was obvious. The fans had turned against him, the results were getting worse, and the board needed to act.
Despite Nathan Jones performing well with his Luton side, he found the Premier League to be much tougher. He had only won one of the games he had taken charge of in the Premier League, that being a 2-1 win away against fellow strugglers Everton. Despite some good performances in the Carabao Cup, which Southampton managed to get to the semi-final of, they could not transfer this form over to the league.
A 4-1 loss away in the FA Cup to Championship strugglers Blackpool compounded more misery on The Saints, and the board decide to get rid of their new manager after three losses on the bounce. A 1-0 loss at home to Aston Villa, a 3-0 loss away against Brentford, and a 2-1 loss at home against 10 men Wolves. These results left The Saints rooted to the bottom of the table, 4 points from safety after 22 games.
Ruben Selles took interim charge again, eventually being given the job on a permanent basis this time, overseeing a 1-0 win away against Southampton in his first game. Despite the good start, Southampton has only won once since that Chelsea game, leaving them sitting at the bottom of the pile still, 4 points from safety.
Patrick Vieira – sacked on 17th march 2023
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Patrick Vieira made history in the Premier League before being sacked, but not for the right reasons. His Crystal Palace side became the first team on record to not register a single shot on target in 3 consecutive Premier League games, which is one record you do not want to be associated with.
Palace’s team has bagfuls of potential, with Zaha, Olise and Eze. It is an exciting, attack-minded team, that Vieira could not seem to gel together. Vieira found himself sacked after 3 1-0 losses on the bounce against Aston Villa, Man City and Brighton, and after not winning in 11 games. Palace could have left Vieira with his job until the end of the season, as they had the easiest run-in of all the teams in the relegation fight, but the board decide a change was best.
Roy Hodgson made a surprising return to Selhurst Park, and managed a win in his first game, beating fellow relegation rivals Leicester City 2-1, including a 94th-minute winner from Mateta, who Hodgson has managed at Crystal Palace previously. That win has helped Crystal Palace stay 12th, 4 points clear of the relegation zone.
Antonio Conte – sacked 26th March 2023
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He attacked the board, he attacked the players, and he attacked the club as a whole. Antonio Conte’s press room explosion will go down as one of the moments of the season and could have played a big part in his sacking as Tottenham Hotspur’s coach. Spurs did not have to get rid of him, they sit in 4th place, and look like they will qualify for the Champions League next year. Conte even has the second-best record for points per game for a Spurs manager, but maybe it is for the best after his speech.
Conte did come under fire for dropped silly points throughout the season, such as their home loss against Aston Villa, their 1-0 loss away against Wolves or their 4-1 thrashing at the hands of struggling Leicester City. Cristian Stellini has also taken charge when Conte had to take time off for his health, and his results were vastly superior to Conte’s. Spurs managed to keep clean sheets, they managed to see out games, and they looked better in every way.
With Spurs sat in 4th, Stellini has been given the management role, and it will be interesting to see whether he keeps it, or they look at someone else come to the end of the season. There are rumours that Julian Nagelsmann could take the hot seat, but there is also interest from other clubs.
Brendan Rodgers – sacked 2nd April 2023
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This one had been a long time coming. This could have happened months ago and nobody could have complained. The fans have been wanting this to happen for a while now, and the board have finally sacked Brendan Rodgers as manager of Leicester City. He won The Foxes an FA Cup in 2021, but under his tenure, it looked like a return to The Championship was likely.
Leicester were 6 games without a win before Rodgers faced the axe, including losses against fellow strugglers Crystal Palace and Southampton. This Leicester team is far too good to be contending with relegation. After Leicester’s 4-1 thrashing of Spurs, it looked as if they could kickstart their season, but they lost 4 games on the bounce after that. Rodgers has really let Leicester down this season.
Their next managerial signing has to be right. A return to The Championship would be a disaster for the former Premier League winners. The next manager that comes in needs to get results instantly, and they will have a brilliant squad to do that with. There are rumours that Graham Potter has already turned them down, which will be a blow if true. Sky Bet have Rafa Benitez as the favourite to be the next Leicester manager.
Graham Potter – sacked 2nd April 2023
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It is almost as if Roman Abramovich still owned Chelsea. Yes, Potter is underperforming, but he has had less than a season to get this team playing to the way he wants. He has not been able to bring in any of the players he may have wanted and has had to play the majority of the season without an out-and-out striker.
Despite all this, some of the performances from Chelsea have been poor in the Premier League. After their 2-0 loss at home against Aston Villa, they dropped into the bottom half of the table with 10 games to go. A bottom-half finish would be inexcusable for a top 6 side. The club has performed well in The Champions League, knocking out Borussia Dortmund 2-1 on aggregate in the round of 16, setting themselves up with a quarter-final tie against Real Madrid.
It is a shame to see Potter sacked after what he managed with Brighton, but football is a results business, and if you do not get the results, you always run the risk of losing your job.
Sky Bet have Julian Nagelsmann as the favourite to be the next Chelsea manager, part of a list that also features Luis Enrique, Pochettino, Mourinho and Brendan Rodgers. Whoever does take charge, needs to gel this team together, and get them to score goals again. If Chelsea can bring in a good manager, and buy an out-and-out striker in the summer, they could be a force to be reckoned with next season.
Who’s Next?
Despite there being an all-time high number of managerial sackings this season, there is still time for a few more. If West Ham continues to struggle, David Moyes could be the next man to face the axe. Despite Forest giving Steve Cooper a new contract part way through the season, the closer they slide towards relegation, the more pressure they will face as to whether to keep him or not. As outrageous as it would seem, Klopp could leave Liverpool if he continues to underperform. The board will surely not sack him, but that does not stop him from walking away from the job.
