We’ve ranked the top-flight managers by their chance of being shown – or showing themselves to – the door, starting with the favourite, according to the best odds currently available on oddschecker.
1) Steve Cooper
Reports emerged two weeks ago that ‘a failure to beat Wolves could put Cooper in real trouble’ and they duly drew 1-1. They then contrived to lose 2-1 to Leeds United, with Forest owner Angelos Mavrinakis serving up the shit sandwich of trying to “end the speculation and the false and disruptive reporting in the media” while saying “results and performances must improve immediately”. They did not; Aston Villa and Manchester United beat them 2-0 and then Liverpool edged past them 3-2.
2) Cristian Stellini
Has been relatively prominent ever since his interim appointment on the basis that Spurs could find a permanent successor before the season was done. After Stellini’s inexperience was horribly exposed in defeat to Bournemouth and then an opening 20 minutes for the ages at Newcastle, he could and very arguably should be relieved of his duties even without a permanent replacement lined up.
3) Javi Gracia
Conceding 13 goals in three defeats is a very, very bad look. Is there time for another panicked appointment? This is 2022/23, of course there is always time for another panicked appointment.
4) Ruben Selles
Appointed until the end of the season by Southampton but there have been no wins in six games to leave the Saints somewhat adrift at the bottom of the table. Is there time for another panicked appointment?
5) David Moyes
Has seemed unlikely to last the season for pretty much the entirety of the season, yet here we are in late April with a 5-0 away win all but securing Premier League football and a huge opportunity to claim European silverware. He’s going nowhere now until the summer at the very, very least.
6) Gary O’Neil
Simply extraordinary form from a manager who looked out of his depth just a few months ago. Bournemouth look almost safe despite a 5-0 thrashing from West Ham and we’re now very much into the realm of managers who will not be going anywhere before the summer.
7) Jurgen Klopp
Are we in the Klopp/Liverpool endgame? There are whispers that the club are feeling ‘samesy’ towards him, and that was even before the Anfield humiliation at the hands of Real Madrid. Julian Nagelsmann is the name mentioned as a replacement, but Chelsea could now beat them to that punch. Then they beat Manchester United 7-0 before losing 1-0 to Bournemouth. We’re baffled. But another Champions League exit to Madrid-based opposition doesn’t seem to have cranked up the pressure just yet.
Jurgen Klopp ‘feels it’s time to leave’ Liverpool for Real Madrid? There’s logic to the nonsense.
8) Thomas Frank
In no danger of the sack, of course. He’s built a proper Premier League squad that plays entertaining football on a shoestring budget. But the Dane will be in demand and a move before season’s end can’t entirely be ruled out.
9) Julen Lopetegui
His position looked a whole lot more precarious before a 1-0 home win over Chelsea. Mind you, it was only Chelsea.
10) Roy Hodgson
Frankly it was a bizarre decision to bring him back to Crystal Palace; it would be an even more bizarre decision if they reversed on that decision before the end of the season, particularly as he is winning all of the games. And he does have a perversely easy run-in because Palace’s fixture list this season was so weird, being broadly speaking broken into four sections of ‘all the good teams’ then ‘all the bad teams’ then ‘all the good teams again’ and now finally at last ‘all the bad teams again’.
11) Sean Dyche
Everton have been turned Dyche very quickly and now look in less danger of being relegated. It’s not pretty, but who cares? Other than Johnny Nic…
12) Marco Silva
There is far, far more danger of Silva being poached than being sacked as the Cottagers have performed beyond any expectations, even with their recent collapse in form.
13) Roberto De Zerbi
Those distant Champions League hopes were curtailed by an unfortunate and in light of subsequent events frankly inexplicable defeat at Spurs, which nonetheless leaves Brighton seventh and still in with a shout of a Europa Conference place at least. De Zerbi should perhaps consider not getting so many touchline bans but interest in his services exists for a reason.
14) Unai Emery
It would be quite difficult to do less than Steven Gerrard with what is a pretty well-stocked squad. But what a phenomenal job. Aston Villa are sixth and have earned more Premier League points since Unai Emery’s first game than every team bar Arsenal and Manchester City.
15) Erik ten Hag
He appears to have fixed the unfixable. It was assumed there was no manager could succeed at Manchester United while the Glazers remain, but Ten Hag has taken hold of a shambles of a squad and turned them into cup winners, ending a six-year silverware drought.
16) Mikel Arteta
It now feels as though the only way Arteta is leaving Arsenal is if Barcelona come calling. And even they will have to wait. Love him or hate him, he is doing an extraordinary job.
17) Eddie Howe
Took Newcastle from 19th to a comfortable mid-table finish last season and now has them well in with a shout of qualifying for the Champions League, spending smart money on players who have immediately improved the first XI. Stage Two will cost a pretty penny, but a taste of Wembley seems to have given the owners further motivation to do/pay whatever it takes. Will Howe be around for that stage? Great wins over Manchester United, West Ham and Brentford help his cause.
18) Pep Guardiola
Second favourite to leave next at one point, Guardiola’s future was shrouded in doubt when the Manchester City charged were levelled. But that dust soon settled, the siege mentality was put into place and dropping two points in their last eight games is the sign of a side hoping not to relinquish their Premier League title without a fight.
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