The top five managers in the Premier League in 2024 | OneFootball

The Premier League is undoubtedly home to some of the best managers in world football.

England attracts some of the finest coaching talent from all over, making for some intriguing tactical battles every weekend.

These managers pit their wits against each other in the bid for glory, honour and, ideally, silverware. But who were the best head coaches in the top flight throughout the calendar year?

The top five managers in the Premier League in 2024

Arne Slot – Liverpool

No better place to start than the top of the Premier League. There were plenty of big names – Xabi Alonso, Julian Nagelsmann, Ruben Amorim – in the hat to replace Jurgen Klopp earlier this year. Few folks would have even known of Arne Slot before he was picked as the German’s successor, but he’s certainly making a name for himself now.

The Dutchman could hardly have expected his first few months in the job to go any better. Liverpool are six points clear at the top of the table, through to the knockouts of the Champions League with two games to spare, and are playing excellent football at the moment.

Slot has implemented his game plan with relative ease, unlocked Ryan Gravenberch and could win multiple trophies. Yes, he’s only been here half a season, but he deserves a place on this list and will probably pick up the Manager of the Year award in May.

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Nuno Espirito Santo – Nottingham Forest

Most pre-season predictions would have had Nottingham Forest closer to the bottom three than the top four, but they have managed to defy all expectations as we reach the halfway point of the campaign.

The Tricky Trees sit fourth in the table, five points ahead of their nearest rival and just two points off second, having lost just four of their opening 18 games. It’s an extraordinary turnaround for a side that was in danger of going down last season.

Nuno Espirito Santo deserves huge props for the job he has done since replacing Steve Cooper in 2023. After securing the club’s Premier League status he has moulded the team into a defensively impervious unit – their 19 goals conceded is the third-fewest in the division – and made them deadly efficient in attack. It wasn’t that long ago that the former Wolves boss appeared to be a busted flush after flaming out at Spurs and taking up a job in Saudi Arabia. Look at him now.

The Portuguese coach’s Forest really are no joke; they have beaten Liverpool, Man United and Spurs, and drawn with Chelsea. They are proving their credentials as serious contenders for Europe.

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Marco Silva – Fulham

Another Portuguese tactician who turned his career around in England. Marco Silva was at such a low ebb when he was sacked by Everton that he took two years out of the game.

The 47-year-old made his return by dropping down to the Championship and guiding Fulham back to the top flight in style. He helped shed the club’s yo-yo status by keeping them up in consecutive years.

This season has been about building on those foundations and looking up the table rather than down it. Unbeaten in six, the Cottagers are in eighth position, level on points with Man City and just six off the top four. They’ve enjoyed some big results in 2024, beating the likes of Spurs, Man United and Newcastle, and drawing with Arsenal and Liverpool. But the biggest of the lot came just this week as they beat Chelsea at Stamford Bridge for the first time since 1979.

How has Silva managed it? While he has always been associated with attractive, possession football, he’s not precious about his ‘philosophy’ and will adapt in whatever way necessary to secure victory. He’s resurrected the careers of a number of players, such as Adama Traore, Timothy Castagne and Raul Jimenez, and gotten the very best out of Alex Iwobi, squeezing every ounce of quality from this group to get them punching above their weight.

Read – Our Premier League pre-season predictions revisited

Andoni Iraola – Bournemouth

Replacing Gary O’Neil as manager after he had just guided Bournemouth to safety felt a tad harsh, but the club’s decision has been more than justified at this point.

It took a while for Andoni Iraola to get to grips with the Premier League, but he adjusted his methods and guided the Cherries to 15th place last season. With a full year under his belt, his side have hit the ground running; they’re sitting pretty in sixth with no defeats in six and looking good for their best ever top-flight finish having beaten Arsenal, Man City, Man United and Spurs.

Iraola’s Bournemouth are very direct and solid at the back, but they’re also great to watch. Even after losing Dominic Solanke to Spurs, the frontline has had no problem finding the net, with Evanilson, Antoine Semenyo, Django Ouattara and Justin Kluivert playing out of their skin.

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Unai Emery – Aston Villa

Yet another Iberian manager completing his redemption arc in the Premier League. If Unai Emery’s quality as a top level manager came into question following his spell at Arsenal, nobody is questioning it now.

The Basque native has not only picked Aston Villa off the floor after the Steven Gerrard era, he has turned them into a force again. He brought the Midlands outfit to the brink of a European final as they finished fourth, leading them back to the promised land; the Champions League.

Dealing with the extra games has been a challenge, but they have won four out of their six league phase games in the competition, including a famous victory over Bayern Munich at Villa Park. And they’re in a great position to seal automatic qualification to the round of 16.

Honourable Mentions: Enzo Maresca, Thomas Frank, Sean Dyche, Mikel Arteta.

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