The 10 coaches in Europe’s top 5 leagues who have been at their current clubs longest | OneFootball

Football managers come in all shapes, sizes and levels of loyalty, and it’s perhaps the latter that is the most interesting when it comes to ranking them alongside one another. Gone are the days of Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsène Wenger, who are far and away at the top of the list of managers to serve a club for the longest time, though an array of managers – all different in their own right – have stepped up and paved the way for up-and-coming hotshots who try their hand at coaching a squad.

In a dog-eat-dog world where football clubs are always thriving to boast the best players, the swankiest stadiums and most illustrious silverware cabinet, there is always one man that has custody over many decisions that can affect the inner-goings at the club: and that’s the manager, often known as the bedrock of any successful team. Though, that does come with some uncertainties. In the current day and age, managers often live in fear knowing that they could be next to be given their P45 should bad results and/or displays become commonplace.

And while not all football clubs are known for their patience (we’re looking at you, Chelsea), there are still a select handful that value loyalty even in the face of adversity. As such, GIVEMESPORT have accumulated a list of the top 10 longest-serving managers in Europe’s top five leagues. Let’s get stuck in!

There’s no looking past Brentford as one of the best-run clubs in the entirety of the Premier League and Danish tactician Frank has been a centrepiece of the brilliance we’ve seen coming out of west London. Having charged Brentford into a different beast, he has cemented them as one of the English top flight’s darlings in the process.

Despite being ranked the worst Premier League manager from a playing career perspective, Frank sports an impressive 1.59 points-per-match record from his 245-game stint in the dugout at the G-Tech Community stadium. As long as Brentford can keep him in their grasps, they will reach even greater heights.

Quietly going under the radar as one of Europe’s greatest success stories of 2022/23 (thanks, Napoli), the magnitude of Fischer leading Union Berlin to Champions League football cannot be overlooked. With a shoestring budget and not the most high-profile players, the Swiss boss has pulled off something quite extraordinary.

After finding themselves on the fringes of an unforeseen Bundesliga title race in 2022/23, it’s about time that Fischer got the plaudits he so thoroughly deserves. From the depths of the German football pyramid to flying the Union Berlin flag high overseas - it's been an unbelievable achievement, spearheaded by a man that has had the club’s ethos running through his veins for the last five years.

8 Jagoba Arrasate – Osasuna – 5 years

After reaching the Copa del Ray final in 2022/23, Arrasate - ranked 18th in the best managers of 2022/23 - and his Osasuna players can hold their heads in high regard. Beating the likes of Real Betis, Sevilla, and Athletic Bilbao in the process of facing none other than eventual winners Real Madrid at the final stage, the Spanish side were inches away from silverware.

Embracing the steady flow of youth coming from their academy ranks, the boss has led his team to respectable finishes in the Spanish top division after securing promotion with them back in 2019. In a league dominated by both Madrid-based sides and Barcelona, Osasuna are always there or thereabouts. Next on the agenda? Securing European football again by the end of the 2023/24 season.

7

A diligent servant of French outfit Clermont Foot for the past six years, Gastien is – by no surprise – the longest-serving manager in the country, though he has been unable to taste silverware in his extensive stint thus far. Continuing to rub shoulders with the top dogs in Ligue 1 is no mean feat, however, and Gastien has become accustomed to doing just that since the 2021/22 season.

Before that, it was much of the same: France’s second division. Gastien and the Clermont Foot faithful are well aware it’s not always going to be sunshine and rainbows at the Stade Gabriel-Montpied, but they do boast something that a lot of top clubs lack in abundance: fidelity.

Ranked as the best manager in world football by fans, only Manchester United hero Sir Alex Ferguson can match his influence in the sport's history. It’s as simple as that. Blessed to have managed at Europe’s powerhouse duo Barcelona and Bayern Munich, Pep Guardiola has upped his credibility on the managerial stage at Manchester City, firing the side to every possible club honour.

As evidenced by their treble-winning exploits, the Spaniard has transformed an already brilliant side into a formidable footballing prospect, who can thwart the greatest of teams worldwide. Perhaps thanks to Sergio Aguero, Kevin de Bruyne and – more recently - Erling Haaland, City would’ve still been that team to beat but without Guardiola in charge, it could’ve been a totally different outcome.

5 Gian Piero Gasperini – Atalanta – 7 years

Synonymous in Serie A for the longest uninterrupted tutelage at Atalanta, Gasperini enjoyed his most memorable years in charge during a four-year period between 2019 and 2023 as he led La Dea to their highest-ever domestic finish and, subsequently, Champions League qualification. From being a club doing all they can to steer away from relegation to a side fighting for Serie A dominance, Gasperini has been there to oversee drastic change. Upon his arrival whereby Atalanta finished 13th, they have since not finished in the second half of the table, which just goes to show the 65-year-old’s undying influence.

4 Jürgen Klopp – Liverpool – 8 years

Quite possibly the most loved man in Liverpool, Jürgen Klopp has overseen an immense turn around at Anfield after joining in 2015. And while many expected to see improvements, take a moment to appreciate the chasm between 2015 Liverpool and their current state – it’s genuinely like chalk and cheese.

Thanks to a combination of astute signings and well-drilled tactics, the former Borussia Dortmund boss has been praised for bringing Premier League and Champions League glory back to their beloved faithful as he has continued to defy expectations year upon year. And his impressive string of results have, in turn, allowed him to become the second highest-paid manager in England.

3 Christian Streich – Freiburg – 11 years

Freiburg through and through, Streich has endured an incredible 11-year spell in Germany, and you can’t help but think: where would they be without him? Not likely to leave in a hurry any time soon, the Bundesliga mainstays – bar 2015/16 – will be counting themselves lucky that Streich is so loyal to them. They shook up Germany in the 2022/23 campaign by securing Europa League football and are now making a name for themselves on the continental scene, and much of that can be attributed to the brilliance of the manager, who took over in the early days of 2012. He has been with the club through thick and thin since, becoming a fan-favourite in the process.

2

A mastermind of the dark arts. Diego Simeone, who has been in charge of Atlético Madrid for an eye-catching 11 years, is not only the best-paid manager in Spain by a country mile but is one of the most notable thanks to his animated displays on the touch line and for establishing his outfit from the Spanish capital as one of Europe’s strongest.

Often in the shadow of their cross-city neighbours, Real Madrid, the Argentine has been a perfect servant to the Madrid-based outfit and his name will forever be enshrined into their mythology. From two Champions League finals to two La Liga titles, what a man Simeone is.

1

A whole 16 years at the helm is quite an achievement – but Schmidt’s association to FC Heidenheim does not start there. Born in the city, he made over 100 appearances for predecessor club Heidenheimer SB – a side in which he had the pleasure of captaining in their promotion to the fifth tier.

Leading them to the Bundesliga for the first time in their history on the back of an emphatic end to the 2022/23 season, it’s not unfair to say that his legacy is woven into the very fine fabric of the club. The bond between Schmidt and the German side is undeniable, although his record-breaking success story did begin as an interim solution and, therefore, could’ve ended very differently. Alas, the rest, they say, is history.