Who is the best Premier League manager?
For the last 10 years, it has been a rather pointless debate – any answer other than Pep Guardiola would be wrong. His 20 trophies have spoken for themselves and the way he has transformed English football is unarguable.
Now he has gone, though, Daily Mail Sport can ask the question. Although recency bias will inevitably creep into our judgment, we have tried to be more holistic rather than base it solely on this season.
Here we go…
Pep Guardiola has waved goodbye to the Premier League after 10 glorious seasons – but who takes his crown as the best manager in the top flight?
20. Sergej Jakirovic (Hull City)
I was at Wembley on Saturday and what a day out it was in the glorious sunshine as Hull completed one of the stories of the season to win the play-off final.
They have an extremely likeable squad and their fanbase is excellent. Many tipped them for a relegation battle, yet the Bosnian led them to the Premier League, failing at his one objective – which was to keep them in the Championship!
So why is Jakirovic bottom of this list? Simply because he still has a lot to prove. He certainly proved a lot of doubters wrong this season… now to go again.
Why is Sergej Jakirovic bottom of this list? Simply because he still has a lot to prove. He certainly proved a lot of doubters wrong this season… now to go again
19. Vitor Pereira (Nottingham Forest)
Pereira is a firefighter of a manager. The work he did to keep Wolves up last season was exceptional and he also steadied the ship at Forest, leading them to a Europa League semi-final.
But, perhaps controversially, I reckon that is as far as Forest should go with Pereira, who was their fourth manager of a turbulent campaign. I can see it now: October international break, another one bites the dust at the City Ground.
With the players Forest have – Elliot Anderson, Morgan Gibbs-White, Murillo – they should have designs on another top-half finish after their exploits in 2024-25, even if they were to lose one of that trio. I can’t see that with Pereira in charge.
Bournemouth shocked a lot of people when they replaced Gary O’Neil with Andoni Iraola after staying up in 2023, but it has paid off big time and the Spaniard took them to a new level. Forest should follow suit.
Vitor Pereira steadied the Nottingham Forest ship – but now they should aim higher
18. Frank Lampard (Coventry City)
Lampard is one of the most affable men in football and the jobs he did at Derby, Chelsea and Everton are probably underrated and under-appreciated, especially given off-the-pitch issues at those clubs.
I watched his Coventry side several times this season and they were always exciting. They will be a welcome addition to the Premier League next term, as will their loud and proud supporters after 25 years outside the top flight.
It is probably harsh where I have placed Lampard in this list, to be honest, but I am all for being proven wrong.
Frank Lampard has long been under-appreciated, and now has a chance to shape Coventry’s return to the top flight
17. Daniel Farke (Leeds United)
The 3-2 loss at Manchester City in the winter is discussed in nearly every conversation about Farke but the transformation since then has been stunning.
Many would have fancied Leeds to go down, just like Farke’s Norwich sides did, but following his half-time switch to a three-at-the-back system in that game at the Etihad, he steered them to safety with ease.
With a bit of financial backing, I think Farke can solidify Leeds as a midtable side – but next season will still begin with them fearing the drop.
Daniel Farke’s tactical shift was vital in reviving Leeds’ season and keeping them in the top flight
16. Keith Andrews (Brentford)
How many of you readers had Brentford as your tip for relegation last summer? Be honest. Quite a lot of you, I imagine.
After losing the best manager in the club’s history in Thomas Frank, many thought their time had come. Not just that, top scorers Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa, and club captain Christian Norgaard also departed.
Frank was replaced by a rookie as Andrews was promoted from set-piece coach. But what an outstanding job he has done. If Dango Ouattara had not missed a stoppage-time sitter at Anfield on Sunday, the Bees would be in Europe.
Andrews will be much higher up these rankings this time next year if he backs up this excellent first season next time around.
Keith Andrews will be much higher up these rankings this time next year if he backs up his excellent first season next time around
15. Kieran McKenna (Ipswich Town)
McKenna took over an Ipswich side in League One after a decade or more of failure and has now guided them to the Premier League twice.
The Northern Irishman was closely followed by Manchester United and Chelsea for a reason and he is one of the brightest young minds in the game.
One relegation is fine, as Ipswich were expected to go down last year, but their fans will expect a lot more this time around. Time to prove himself at the top level.
Kieran McKenna was closely followed by Manchester United and Chelsea for a reason and he is one of the brightest young minds in the game
14. Marco Silva (Fulham)
My Fulham-supporting friends tell me they are a bit bored of Silva now, after finishing 10th, 13th, 11th and 11th again – but they must be careful what they wish for.
If and when the Portuguese boss leaves – which could be as early as this summer – they will likely be worse off.
Silva plays attacking football and has operated well on a limited budget. Let’s not forget Fulham were a yo-yo club before he steadied the ship.
My Fulham-supporting friends tell me they are a bit bored of Marco Silva – but they must be careful what they wish for
13. Michael Carrick (Manchester United)
Carrick has done a top job at Old Trafford. Better, it must be said, than many bosses with decades more experience than him.
He has got them playing attractive football again and given fans something to be proud of. Getting them into the Champions League with several games to spare after the mess of Ruben Amorim is nothing short of spectacular.
Former United midfielder Carrick has also got the best of star man Bruno Fernandes, but more impressively improved several flailing stars such as Benjamin Sesko.
When I first drafted out a list, Carrick was near the bottom – but I’ve nudged him up a bit after writing this. I also liked his Boro team a lot. Time to prove the rest of the doubters wrong now.
Michael Carrick has got Manchester United playing attractive football again and given fans something to be proud of
12. Fabian Hurzeler (Brighton)
Still only 33, the German has taken the Seagulls into the Conference League for next season, only the second time in their 125-year history they have qualified for Europe.
He is not former boss Roberto De Zerbi and the football is not quite as easy on the eye – though it is still an attractive style – but fans have slowly warmed to Hurzeler.
What prevents him from being higher in this list is the spells of inconsistency. When Brighton are good, they are very good. But regular winless runs often come either side of those bright spells. He must fix that.
Still only 33, Fabian Hurzeler has taken Brighton into the Conference League for next season
11. Regis Le Bris (Sunderland)
I have to be honest, I have doubted Sunderland all year. When they were promoted, I predicted them to go straight back down. When they started well, I thought they would tail off. When they did have a mid-season slump, I thought that was that.
But I was wrong. They rallied and have booked their place in the Europa League. That is a phenomenal achievement and Le Bris deserves to be in the conversation for manager of the season.
Just being back in the Premier League after those crisis years, financial woes and the League One seasons is an honour in itself.
The expected goals (xG) and other underlying metrics suggests Sunderland will fall off next year – but let’s not write them off.
Regis Le Bris deserves to be in the conversation for manager of the season after taking Sunderland into the Europa League
10. David Moyes (Everton)
He made Everton a permanent fixture in the top eight despite a shoestring budget during his first stint, then recovered from a couple of tricky spells by winning a European trophy at West Ham.
Moyes is now back at the Toffees and has pulled them clear of relegation into a comfortable midtable spot – though fans are now agitating for more.
Whether they can achieve that or not will depend largely on the owners, the Friedkin Group, though Moyes is confident they will back him financially this summer.
David Moyes has pulled Everton well clear of relegation danger and established them in midtable
9. Eddie Howe (Newcastle United)
This season has been poor, and at points it has felt like it might be the right time for him and Newcastle to head in separate directions.
However, in leading Bournemouth from the doldrums of English football to the Premier League and then winning a major trophy at Newcastle after a 70-year wait, Howe should be commended very highly.
There are not many better managers out there than the Englishman although, with the squad they have, Newcastle should be doing much better than they did this year.
There are not many better managers out there than Eddie Howe although, with the squad they have, Newcastle underperformed this year
8. Roberto De Zerbi (Tottenham Hotspur)
Guardiola spoke of him as one of the best coaches of his generation and Arne Slot said he studied his Brighton team as much as any. Other managers rave about De Zerbi.
We will do the same.
The football his sides play is how the game should be. Exciting to watch and front-footed. He led Brighton to Europe for the first time in their history and kept a rotten Spurs team up when it looked like they were doomed.
If he had not headed to north London, he would’ve been on the shortlists for many more big jobs this summer.
The football that Roberto De Zerbi’s sides play is how the game should be. Exciting to watch and front-footed
7. Oliver Glasner (Crystal Palace, leaving at end of season)
Palace’s domestic season has been forgettable. But an FA Cup win and likely a Conference League to follow are two outstanding achievements, while Glasner also lifted the Europa League at his former club Eintracht Frankfurt.
Having lost Eberechi Eze and Marc Guehi in the last year, maybe we should cut him some slack for a middling Premier League season. Glasner would be a sound hire for most clubs in Europe – and Palace will miss him dearly.
Crystal Palace will miss Oliver Glasner, who won the club’s first ever trophy last season and is on the brink of adding the Conference League this week
6. Enzo Maresca (Manchester City, soon)
The best thing Maresca could do in a job interview is present the hiring club with a comparison of Chelsea’s form under him, and the run since he left.
If he had been announced as Guardiola’s successor back in January, it would have felt a rather uninspiring appointment. It still does a little bit, however it feels much less so given how Chelsea club have folded in his absence.
A Club World Cup triumph, beating the Paris Saint-Germain super team in the final, and a Conference League trophy are also testimony to his work at Chelsea.
Leicester have also been plunged into crisis since he left. Maresca managed 97 points with a squad not too dissimilar from the one that has been relegated from the Championship this season.
Players say he is a visionary and seem to love playing for him – just look at how Marc Cucurella sang his praises or how the Leicester squad openly discussed him when Steve Cooper replaced him – but he has the biggest shoes in football to fill.
At first glance Enzo Maresca (right) might appear an underwhelming replacement for Guardiola. But look at what has happened to Chelsea and Leicester since he left each of them
5. Arne Slot (Liverpool)
If this list were based purely on this season, Slot would be in the relegation zone. He said the best word to sum up his campaign is ‘injury’ but a better one might be ‘lucky’.
Lucky to be in the Champions League spots after a torrid term, lucky to still be in a job after many fans called for his head. And lucky to be so high in this list!
But the reason he is so high is the same reason he retains the backing of Liverpool’s hierarchy: that fantastic debut season in England. He took over from Jurgen Klopp and brought the Reds their second title in 30 years. The size of that achievement must never be understated.
He has also won a league with Feyenoord in the Netherlands – not easy, given PSV Eindhoven and Ajax have much bigger budgets – and has won plaudits from around the game for his playing style. Time to prove himself all over again next year, though.
Arne Slot’s debut season at Liverpool was stunning. His second left a lot to be desired
4. Xabi Alonso (Chelsea)
From fourth to seventh in this list, you could go in any order.
But Alonso is ahead, for me, based on the job he did at Bayer Leverkusen. To end Bayern Munich’s monopoly on the Bundesliga and remain unbeaten was nothing short of one of the managerial jobs of the century.
He also won the German Cup that season and led them to the Europa League final. He rightly was given the Real Madrid job, where it all went pear-shaped.
Given what we know about that rotten dressing room full of egotistical cry-babies, we can excuse Alonso for not succeeding in the Spanish capital.
Alonso looks like a hell of a coup for Chelsea but better managers have been chewed up and spat out there… he has the aura but still has lots to prove.
Xabi Alonso looks like a hell of a coup for Chelsea but better managers have been chewed up and spat out there… he has the aura but still has lots to prove
3. Andoni Iraola (Bournemouth, leaving at end of season)
Pound for pound, Iraola is up there with the very best and the Premier League will be worse off if he leaves for a foreign club this summer.
Like the two managers who are above him in this list, Iraola is from the Basque region. He was relatively unknown when he joined from Rayo Vallecano and his former assistant, Inigo Perez, could not get a work permit to follow him (he has since led the Madrid club to the Conference League final against Palace this week).
But his front-foot pressing game has won plaudits and he has taken Bournemouth to the Europa League. It could have been the Champions League if results had gone his way on Sunday.
The Cherries lost the bulk of their squad last summer when Milos Kerkez, Dean Huijsen, Ilya Zabarnyi, Kepa Arrizabalaga and Ouattara all departed. Then his star man, Antoine Semenyo, said farewell in January. That they have only got better is testament to Iraola’s coaching. He deserves a crack at one of the top jobs.
Pound for pound, Andoni Iraola is up there with the very best and the Premier League will be worse off if he leaves for a foreign club this summer
2. Unai Emery (Aston Villa)
It is a strange category to be in where Emery has won five Europa Leagues but in his two jobs at elite clubs, Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain, he has not lived up to expectations.
Still, what he has done at Villa is nothing short of exceptional. Let’s not forget that the club have had their hands tied behind their backs financially for the last five years.
Last summer, Villa spent less money than any Premier League club and the only major arrivals were Evann Guessand and No 2 keeper Marco Bizot. The three relegated sides all splashed more than £100m whereas Villa spent just over £30m.
Working with limited funds, Emery has transformed a club that was threatened with relegation into European regulars and has given them their greatest day in a generation with the Europa League triumph in Istanbul.
With limited funds, Unai Emery has transformed a club threatened by relegation into European regulars and has given them their greatest day in a generation with the Europa League triumph
1. Mikel Arteta (Arsenal)
If you speak to anyone in football management circles, they will tell you that Arteta is a genius.
Let us not forget that he joined a club that was a laughing stock in the post-Arsene Wenger era and where, for fans, being Premier League champions seemed a distant dream.
If you speak to anyone in football management circles, they will tell you that Mikel Arteta is a genius
He was ridiculed for finishing second three years in a row, but even taking the Gunners back to title challenges was a momentous job.
Now he has stayed the course and toppled the great Guardiola in a title race. Yes, the playing style has been a tough watch at times, but maybe it was needed and Arteta was ahead of the curve in noticing that.
So the student has taken the master’s mantle. Have Arteta and Arsenal reached their ceiling or is this the start of a dynasty? Let’s see…
