The Best 15 Managers in Premier League history

Estimated reading time: 10 minutes

This article was inspired by Sam Allardyce’s recent comment claiming that there are no current Premier League managers ahead of him. According to the former Bolton Wanderers boss; “Not Pep, not Klopp and not even Arteta.” Is Big Sam Right?

The English Premier League is arguably the best league in the world and there have been some world class managers over the years who have blazed the trail of the English game since the inception of the Premier League in 1992.

In this extensively researched article, I will be highlighting the best 15 managers to have graced the English Premier League. Taking into consideration the budget the managers had at their disposal. Readers therefore need to bear in mind that I have factored in the fact that some managers had more money to spend than others.

1. Sir Alex Fergusson

The first manager on this list is obviously former Manchester United iconic manager, Sir Alex Ferguson who I think also ranks as one of the greatest managers of all time in world football. It is really hard to put anyone ahead of Sir Alex who won the first ever Premier League trophy in 1993 and showed immediately that he wanted to dominate it. Which he did by winning 13 Premier League titles which is 62% of the title races he was involved with.

2. Arsene Wenger

The second manager on this list is the former Arsenal manager, Arsene Wenger who when you think of the budget he had compared to his rivals like Fergusson and Mourinho – then you will understand how great a manager the French man was. He also helped to transformed the English game with modern ideas and playing style that was a delight to watch which helped sell the Premier league which was mostly ridiculed for it’s ‘kick and follow’ style previously.

3. Pep Guardiola

The number three on the list for me is definitely Manchester City and former Bayern and Barcelona Manager, Pep Guardiola. Pep’s achievements in football are phenomenon despite him always having a lot of money to spend as having money does not always guarantee success. But there is no doubt, this gives him an advantage and the reason why he’s not number two. However, if Guardiola is able to achieve a treble this season including the Champions League for City, then I think this will move him to the top of this list ahead of Sir Alex Ferguson.

4. Jose Mourinho

The fourth manager on this list is the self proclaimed special one, Jose Mourinho who helped to transform Chelsea’s fortune in 2005. The Portuguese also managed Manchester United and Spurs and his achievements in the Premier League is nothing short of amazing. While Mourinho’s record speaks for itself, we also have to bear in mind the that the Chelsea transformation under him was bankrolled with a blank cheque by Russian Oligarch – Roman Abramovich.

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5. Jürgen Klopp

The manager that completes the top 5 is Liverpool’s Jurgen Klopp. Bearing in mind once again what he had to contend with in terms of funding when compared to the likes of Manchester City and Chelsea. What Klopp has managed to achieve in the last few years with Liverpool is nothing short of a miracle. Klopp helped Liverpool to win their first ever Premier League title playing high octane and very pleasing to watch football.

6. Claudio Ranieri

Number six goes to no other than former Chelsea and Leicester manager, Claudio Ranieri for performing a miracle by winning the Premier League in 2015. Achieving the most improbable in Premier League history. Nobody ever saw Leicester winning the league title with all odds stack against them having just narrowly escaping relegation the previous season. Ranieri also had a not too bad stint with Chelsea getting into the Champions League semi final before being sacked and replaced with Mourinho.

7. Antonio Conte

Former Chelsea and recently sacked Tottenham manager, Antonio Conte did a stellar job at Chelsea when he had to pick up a broken Chelsea team that finished 10th in the previous season, turning them into title winners at the first attempt. Conte won a double that year which definitely cement’s his place in number seven. Even though his Tottenham stint ended in a bit of a mess, but he did manage to help them secure top four in his first season.

8. Roberto Mancini

In eight position is Roberto Mancini whom in all honesty had a lot of money to spend at City as he was backed with a blank cheque. But you have to respect what he achieved helping Manchester City to lift their first Premier League title. From that moment onward City has never looked back and Mancini helping them lift that psychological burden was crucial, particularly with that ‘Aguerooooooooooo’ moment that is written in Premier League’s history folklore.

9. Sir Kenny Dalglish

The ninth positions goes to Sir Kenny Dalglish for his exploits at Liverpool and most importantly at Blackburn where he made the impossible happen similar to what Claudio Ranieri did at Leicester when he won the Premier League title with Blackburn in 1995.

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10. Manuel Pellegrini

The tenth manager on the list is former Manchester City and West Ham manager, Manuel Pellegrini who off course benefitted from City’s owners largesse as well. But what we should remember is that he’s one of the few managers who have managed to win the Premier League. Pellegrini’s Manchester City side also played some really good football even though it tailed off in the end.

11. Rafa Benitez

The number eleven on this list goes to Rafa Benitez who actually won the FA Cup and Champions League titles with Liverpool. Apart from consistently getting Liverpool into regular top 4 places, he also managed a few other clubs in the Premier League including Merseyside rivals, Everton. Rafa also helped to stabilise a free falling Chelsea team as a caretaker manager in 2012. It is worth noting that Rafa would have been higher on the list if he had managed to win a single Premier League title.

12. Brendan Rogers

The manager in 12th place is former Swansea, Leicester City and Liverpool boss, Brendan Rogers who did have one title challenge with Liverpool and who knows what would have happened if Steven Gerrard didn’t have the infamous slip at Anfield against Chelsea that led to a Demba Ba’s goal. However, winning the FA Cup with Leicester in 2021 playing attractive football as his teams always do was a massive achievement.

13. Martin O’Neill

The number 14 on the list goes to Martin O’Neill who managed numerous Premier League clubs including Aston Villa where he performed wonders constantly giving the big clubs a run for their money and challenging the top 4 clubs at the time with his well coached team that is masterfully managed.

14. Sam Allardyce

Sam Allardyce deserves a spot on the list for what he’s done in the Premier League. Most especially at Bolton Wanderers, where he managed to lure in great players like; Jay Jay Okocha, Ivan Campo and Youri Djorkaef. Big Sam was very smart in the transfer market buying great talent nearing the end of their career and getting the best out of them. He was also very adept at helping teams survive relegation. While clubs like Sunderland benefited in the past, Leeds united are hoping that big Sam can help them stay up this season (2022/23).

15. Kevin Keegan

Kevin Keegan is another good Premier League manager who will earn the 15th spot on this list. He had a productive spell with Newcastle United. But unfortunately he tailed off towards the end, and who can forget the infamous title meltdown with Sir Alex Fergusson of Manchester United in 1996.

These are the best 15 managers in Premier League history based on my findings.

Thank you for reading and please feel free to comment and share.