4 teams with 15+ bosses 

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In modern football, changing managers has become more common than ever. Such is the pressure at the top level, clubs rarely hesitate in relieving a boss of their duties, in the hope of getting that ‘new manager bounce’. After all, it’s a lot easier to switch coaches than get rid of an entire squad of players. The Premier League has become one of the hardest places to stay in a job for managers, with several losing their roles each season. Already just eight games into the new campaign, three managers have already lost their jobs. Nottingham Forest are now on their third permanent boss of the season after appointing Sean Dyche to be Ange Postecoglou’s successor, after the Aussie replaced Nuno Espírito Santo just a month before.

Long serving managers have become very sparse in the English top-flight. Manchester City’s Pep Guardiola (nine years) and Arsenal’s Mikel Arteta (five years) are the only current bosses who have been in their job for longer than five years. The longest serving managers of all time in the Premier League are Sir Alex Ferguson who spent 21 years as Man United boss while they were in the Premier League, and Arsène Wenger who was at Arsenal for 22 years. But which clubs show the most and the least loyalty to the men in their dugout?

Here at Transfermarkt, we have compiled a list of the amount of permanent managers that have been in place at every team that has spent 13 or more seasons in the Premier League. That whittles it down to the 20 sides who have been in the division the most, and it makes for a fascinating read. Only managers in charge while the team were in the English top-flight count, and teams with the same amount of managers are separated by the least total seasons spent in the Premier League since the league’s inception in the 1992/93 season.

Which Premier League teams have had the most permanent managers?

Surprisingly, the team that have had the most permanent managers in the Premier League era are Southampton. The Saints have had as many as 22 full-time bosses, despite only spending 25 seasons in the English top-flight. In second place are ever-presents, Tottenham, having had 19 permanent managers in 34 Premier League seasons. Third place is perhaps less surprising in Chelsea who have gained a reputation in recent decades for chopping and changing the man in the dugout – the Blues have had 18 managers in 34 seasons.

West Ham are now fourth with 15 managers in 30 seasons, whilst Newcastle take fifth with 15 managers in 31 campaigns in the Premier League. They are followed in sixth by Everton, who have had 15 managers, but have been ever-presents, playing in each of the 34 seasons of the Premier League. In seventh are Leicester with 14 managers in 18 seasons, whilst Aston Villa are eighth with 14 bosses in 31 campaigns. West Brom take ninth with a remarkable record of having 13 managers in just 13 seasons in the English top-flight since 1992. Sunderland complete the top 10 with 13 managers in 17 seasons. Below, we have isolated just the ‘Big six’ teams and the number of permanent Premier League managers they have employed.

Which Premier League teams give their managers the most time?

At the other end of the scale, it’s now time to take a look at the teams who have given the most time to managers in the Premier League era. As illustrated in the graphic below, when we look at the Premier League seasons per manager, Arsenal top the standings, on average, hiring a new manager every 6.80 seasons. The Gunners have had just five permanent Premier League bosses in George Graham, Bruce Rioch, Wenger, Unai Emery and current manager Mikel Arteta.

The next team on this list is Man United, who have averaged a manager every 4.86 seasons in the Premier League era. This is largely due to the 21 years served by legendary manager Ferguson, with the Red Devils having another six permanent bosses since the Scot’s retirement in 2013. Liverpool are third, averaging a new permanent boss every 3.78 seasons, whilst Man City are fourth with a new boss, on average, every 2.64 seasons. Middlesbrough complete the top five with a new manager every 2.50 seasons.

At the other end of the scale, West Brom are bottom, averaging a new manager every season they have been in the Premier League – 13 bosses in 13 campaigns. There’s no doubt changing managers can lead to success – Chelsea have been the prime example, with 14 permanent bosses in the last 21 years, and 19 major trophies in that same timeframe. However, there can also be value in giving a manager time to prove his worth and develop his team, showcased perhaps best in recent years by Arsenal’s progression under Arteta after a torrid start under the Spaniard.