All 20 Premier League managers ranked from worst to best | OneFootball

The 2023/24 Premier League season is just around the corner and we can't wait. There's nothing quite like the start of a brand new campaign - especially during a summer without an international tournament.

This season's Premier League promises to be incredible. Can anyone stop Manchester City from winning the title yet again? Will Arsenal go one better? Will Manchester United and Newcastle cement their place in the top four? Will Liverpool and Chelsea - under Mauricio Pochettino - improve? How will Spurs fare under Ange Postecoglou? Will Aston Villa and Brighton compete for European football again? Will Sheffield United, Luton and Burnley avoid the immediate drop back down to the Championship?

So many questions and we'll find out the answers to each one of them over the next nine months.

Almost nothing is certain in the Premier League. However, one thing that certain is the 20 managers that begin the campaign won't all be the same managers that finish the campaign. Last season, a record 16 managers were sacked over eight months. While that record is unlikely to be broken, there will undoubtedly be some casualties throughout the season.

In recent years, the Premier League has become the home of some of the best managers in world football. Coaches of the very highest level all want to cut their teeth in England and, as a result, we have 20 incredible bosses lining up at the start of the season. But some are a level above others.

Therefore, without wanting to cause offence to any manager, we've decided to rank them all from worst to best. Now, as we say, we're fully aware to even be a manager in the Premier League, you've got to be at an incredibly talented. It's not to say we can do any better but we're just here to have a bit of fun.

So, without further ado, here is our ranking of 2023/24 Premier League managers from worst to best...

20 Paul Heckingbottom - Sheffield United

There has to be a ‘worst’ manager and we’re sorry to give that to Paul Heckingbottom.

Heckingbottom started his managerial career at Barnsley, winning the Football League Trophy and earning promotion to the Championship while still in caretaker charge. Unsurprisingly, he was given the job on permanent basis and finished ninth in the Championship in his first season.

However, he controversially left Barnsley for Yorkshire rivals Leeds but was sacked after just four months at Elland Road.

A job at Hibs came next but he was sacked after winning just one of their first 11 matches during the 2019/20 season.

He moved to Sheffield United as U23 coach and was made interim manager towards the end of their Premier League campaign. He was reinstated as U23 coach but, in November 2021, was back as permanent manager of the club after the sacking of Slavisa Jokanovic.

He led them to a fifth-placed finish but lost out in the playoffs. However, they didn’t need playoffs last season as they finished second behind Burnley to bounce back to the top-flight.

19 Rob Edwards - Luton

Rob Edwards began work at Wolves, briefly becoming interim manager before moving to local club, AFC Telford in the National League North. He soon returned to Wolves and worked with England’s youth sides before being appointed by Forest Green Rovers. There, he earned promotion to League One before being snapped up by Watford.

However, he lasted just 10 league games at Vicarage Road - although is far from the first manager to be sacked prematurely.

Rivals Luton picked up Edwards in November 2022 and, in his first season, guided them to the Premier League via the playoffs.

If he manages to keep Luton in the Premier League, he’ll earn plenty of plaudits.

18 Steve Cooper - Nottingham Forest

Steve Cooper earned his stripes coaching England’s youth sides, with the likes of Jadon Sancho, Phil Foden and Callum Hudson-Odoi being managed by him.

His first ‘proper’ job was at Swansea where he suffered playoff heartbreak in both of his seasons before leaving the club by mutual consent.

He was appointed Nottingham Forest manager in September 2021 with them bottom of the Championship. Eight months later, they were in the Premier League after leading them to playoff glory against Huddersfield. Incredible.

Forest spent a lot of money in an attempt to preserve their Premier League status and, despite seemingly being at risk of the sack during the campaign, they finished 16th and safe.

17 Vincent Kompany - Burnley

We imagine Vincent Kompany will be making his way up this list in the years to come but, for now, we’re placing him in 17th.

The Manchester City legend had a spell in charge of Anderlecht as player-manager but didn’t exactly set the world alight in terms of achievements.

However, Burnley saw enough potential and appointed him in the summer of 2022. And it worked a treat with the Clarets romping to the Championship title, winning promotion with seven matches remaining. They finished on 101 points with just three losses in 46 matches.

We’re really excited to see what Kompany and his Burnley side can do the Premier League this season.

16 Sean Dyche - Everton

Dyche may not play the most attractive brand of football in the league but it’s often very effective. Dyche’s first job in management was at Watford but only lasted one season in the Championship before being dismissed.

Then came Burnley. Dyche was appointed in September 2012 and spent 10 years at Turf Moor, getting them promoted to the Premier League before turning them into solid outfit, finishing seventh during the 2017/18 season.

After being controversially sacked, Everton appointed Dyche in January 2023 and he just about - on the final day of the season - kept them in the league.

15 Roy Hodgson - Crystal Palace

Many fans questioned Crystal Palace’s decision to rehire Roy Hodgson in March. However, after winning five and drawing three of his 10 matches, he saved them from relegation and agreed to stay on for another season.

Hodgson has had quite the managerial career having managed *deep breath* Halmstads, Bristol City, IK Oddevold, Orebro, Malmo, Neuchatel Xamax, Switzerland, Inter Milan, Blackburn, Grasshoppers, Copenhagen, Udinese, United Arab Emirates, Viking, Finland, Fulham, Liverpol, West From, England, Crystal Palace, Watford and Palace again…

An incredible career with plenty of highs and plenty of lows.

The highs of leading Fulham to the Europa League final to the lows of his dismal spell in charge of Liverpool and everything in between.

14 David Moyes - West Ham

A European trophy-winning manager as low as 14th? It just shows the quality ahead of him.

Moyes’ playing career wasn’t too impressive and he stated taking his coaching badges at the age of 22. He started with a brilliant job at Preston, guiding them from Division Two to just one game away from the Premier League.

Nine seasons at Everton followed, finishing fourth in one campaign and transforming them into regular top half finishers.

But his career took a turn for the worse with a difficult 10 months at Manchester United being followed by a poor 12 months at Real Sociedad.

He then got Sunderland relegated before bouncing back by saving West Ham during the 2017/18 season during a six-month spell. He returned to West Ham in December 2019 and guided them to a sixth place finish in the 2020/21 campaign.

A seventh-placed finish and a Europa League semi final showed progress before a Europa Conference victory last season, despite finishing 14th.

13 Thomas Frank - Brentford

Frank only had a short career as an amateur footballer in Denmark before focusing on obtaining his coaching badges.

He worked with Denmark’s youth sides before landing a job at Brondby. He finished 4th and 3rd in the Superliga before he initially joined Championship side, Brentford, as an assistant manager.

But after Dean Smith left, Frank took over the reigns in 2018 and hasn’t looked back since. He’s guided the club to the Premier League and has established them in the division while playing brilliant football.

They finished 9th last season and Frank’s stock will only increase if Brentford can finish in the top half again.

12 Marco Silva - Fulham

Silva has always seemingly been highly-rated as a manager in England but it hasn’t always gone to plan.

Silva began his managerial career in Portugal with Estoril before moving on to Sporting. Despite winning their Portuguese Cup, he was sacked controversially four days later.

He led Olympiacos to glory next before he was snapped up by Hull in the Premier League in January 2017 but couldn’t save them from being relegated.

He was appointed by Watford days after leaving Hull but was sacked eight months later after an approach by Everton. An eight-placed finish in his debut season was promising but he was sacked in December 2019 with the team in 18th.

Silva had to drop into the Championship to manage Fulham in July 2021 but led them back to the Premier League by winning the league in style.

Under Silva, Fulham achieved a very respectable 10th-placed finish last season.

11 Julen Lopetegui - Wolves

The fact a former Spain and Real Madrid boss isn’t even in the top 10 shows how strong the Premier League is when it comes to managers.

Lopetegui made a name for himself in management for Spain’s youth sides before an unsuccessful spell at Porto, despite reaching a Champions League quarter-final.

He became Spain’s national team manager in 2016 but was dismissed from his role on the eve of 2018 World Cup after it was reported he had agreed to take over at Real Madrid.

He did become Los Blancos boss but was sacked in October after a 5-1 defeat to Barcelona.

Sevilla came next where he led them to Europa League glory before being appointed by Wolves in November 2022.

10 Andoni Iraola - Bournemouth

Many fans were pretty shocked when Bournemouth sacked Gary O’Neil despite his efforts keeping the club in the Premier League. However, when they announced the appointment of Andoni Iraola the very same day, it made a lot more sense.

Iraola, 41, has spent the last three years at Rayo Vallecano where he got them promoted to La Liga before mid table finishes in the two following campaigns.

He comes to Bournemouth with a growing reputation.

9 Eddie Howe - Newcastle

Eddie Howe was a genuine candidate for 2022/23 Premier League Manager of the Season having led Newcastle to a top-four finish. Therefore, he may feel a bit hard done-by to be placed 9th in these rankings.

The main reason for his placing is the fact he’s yet to win a trophy as a manager and, while he did an incredible job overseeing Bournemouth’s rise, he lacks the experience at the very highest level.

Another top-four finish and a decent Champions League run for Newcastle next season and Howe will shoot up this list.

8 Ange Postecoglou - Tottenham

Postecoglou was relatively unheard of on British shores when he arrived at Celtic in 2021.

Celtic had just been beaten to the Scottish Premiership by Rangers but dominated after the Greek-Australian was appointed.

Postecoglou led them to two league titles, two Scottish League Cups and a Scottish Cup, playing an attractive brand of football and oozing with charisma and class throughout.

He’s got his work cut out at Tottenham to get them back competing for the top-four.

7 Roberto De Zerbi - Brighton

There were plenty of football fans who feared for Brighton when Graham Potter left for Chelsea.

However, the Italian has arguably improved Brighton, earning them Europa League football after arriving in September.

He’s got the Seagulls playing some beautiful football and will lead the club through their very first European campaign.

6 Unai Emery - Aston Villa

Arsenal fans may not remember Unai Emery’s reign at the Emirates too fondly but the Spaniard has impressed everywhere he’s gone.

He’s won four Europa Leagues with Sevilla (three) and Villarreal (one) as well as seven trophies during his time at Paris Saint-Germain.

And the job he did to get Aston Villa well away from the relegation zone and into Europe was superb.

5 Erik ten Hag - Manchester United

Erik ten Hag landed a trophy in his debut season at Manchester United, winning the Carabao Cup.

It was a first campaign with plenty of positives but there’s plenty of work for the Dutchman to do to prove he’s among the elite managers.

But having led Ajax to three league titles before arriving in England, Ten Hag already arrived in England with a stellar reputation.

4 Mauricio Pochettino - Tottenham

Mauricio Pochettino has a huge job on his hands at Chelsea.

The Blues were nothing short of a shambles last season but the Argentine will be expected to get results immediately at Stamford Bridge.

The jobs he’s done at both Southampton and Tottenham previously - despite not winning a trophy - have been sensational.

He finally got the first trophy of his career at Paris Saint-Germain and will be looking to get his hands on some silverware at Chelsea.

3 Mikel Arteta - Arsenal

Is Mikel Arteta deserving of his third-place ranking? The 2023/24 campaign is huge to prove whether Arteta is the real deal or whether last season was just a one-off.

To turn Arsenal into genuine title contenders in such a relative short amount of time is remarkable - especially the way in which he’s got his side playing football.

While the third place is generous based on what he’s achieved in football so far, it’s partly a prediction of the manager he could become.

2 Jürgen Klopp - Liverpool

Jurgen Klopp turned Liverpool from doubters to believers. It’s easy to forget just how far the Reds were away from being title contenders when the German took over in October 2015.

But he’s transformed the club, leading them to become England, European and world champions.

1 Pep Guardiola - Manchester City

The greatest manager of all time? Pep Guardiola has been considered amongst the very best in history after leading Manchester City to the treble last season.

Not that he needed to win the treble at Man City to prove himself having won trophies aplenty at both Barcelona and Bayern Munich previously.