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Nov 13, 2026, 11:02 AM GMT
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The Premier League is regarded by many as the best division in world football. This means it's little surprise that some of the greatest players and managers currently involved in the beautiful game are plying their trade in the English top flight.
While it's the players who are often lauded for their match-winning displays, the importance of managers shouldn't be understated. The geniuses behind every great success, dugout tacticians are becoming even more important in the modern game, and it's about time they were given their flowers.
That said, below are the 19 current Premier League bosses ranked from best to worst, taking into account that Crystal Palace are currently without a helmsman calling the shots after sacking Pierre Sage. In order to come to these conclusions, the following factors have been taken into consideration:
Mikel Arteta finally got one over his former boss after working closely with Guardiola as his assistant manager at the Etihad Stadium, bringing an end to a 22-year Premier League title drought to guide the Gunners to gold in the 2025/26 campaign.
From the bleak state he found the north London side in upon his arrival, to the buoyant atmosphere surrounding the Emirates Stadium now, it's been a remarkable transformation under the Spaniard. Arteta's men are now focussing on turning that one triumph into something lasting, largely due to his tactical intelligence and man-management skills.
Unai Emery is now deservedly considered the second-best manager in English football. After making the Europa League his competition with Sevilla and going extremely close to reaching the Champions League final with Villarreal, the Spanish boss opted to have a second try at English football following a disappointing spell at Arsenal.
Taking over from Steven Gerrard with Aston Villa fearing they would be sucked into a relegation battle, Emery instilled his tactical beliefs into the players almost immediately and helped his new side climb the table to finish in a Europa Conference League spot.
The 54-year-old tactician only improved in the 2023/24 campaign as he masterminded Villa's return to the top table in Europe with a fourth-placed finish. What the future holds for the seasoned tactician and his high-flyers remains to be seen - but his know-how is not in doubt after most recently winning Europe's second-rate competition yet again (his fifth), this time with the Villains.
Enzo Maresca got his new Manchester City side in fine winning form at the start of this season, achieving a perfect record in their first seven Premier League fixtures under the Italian.
Having since lost three on a bounce, it's suddenly clear to see that the cloud hanging above them (the 115 financial charges) are starting to get in the way of the former Chelsea boss's spell. Still, having won the Europa Conference League and Club World Cup with the Blues, his status among the very best cannot be disputed.
Filling the big shoes that Maresca left behind at Stamford Bridge is no easy feat for Xabi Alonso, especially since he's joining a side filled with big personalities and a hierarchy that can hardly sit still in its eagerness to control everything.
But after having led Bayer Leverkusen to an invincible Bundesliga title in his first managerial job, before then being wrongly booed out of the club at Real Madrid, everyone of a certain persuasion in London will be hopeful that the former Liverpool midfielder can help the Blues return to silverware-winning ways.
Can Mauricio Pochettino be the one to finally bring Manchester United back to life in their treacherous post-Sir Alex Ferguson era? With his ability to adapt, get players on his side, and deliver consistent results that go towards a longer-term project, Old Trafford's hopefuls will certainly be praying so.
But with the former Chelsea and Tottenham boss stepping into football's most stressful job having never won a major trophy away from PSG, a l;ot of uncertainty lingers for those on the outside that have seen this story before.
Way back in the summer of 2023, the mood surrounding Tottenham Hotspur was perpetually negative given their continued failures in cup competitions and league standings. The failed spells of serial winners Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte had left even the most optimistic Spurs fans feeling bleak about the club's prospects, and it's only been downhill from there.
In the latest campaign, they went through two different managers before giving the objective of surviving relegation to Roberto De Zerbi, who had previously led Brighton and Hove Albion to Europa League qualification. He did just that, but now the north Londoners need their big summers signings to deliver if they are to see the best of their crazy - often agitated - Italian boss, who has all the key components of a winner.
Eyebrows were raised when Bournemouth made the decision to sack Gary O'Neil and replace him with a relatively unknown manager in Andoni Iraola. After remaining in the top flight, the Cherries' ownership showed ambition by adding several talented players to the squad to support their new coach - and their investment has paid dividends given the trajectory they've enjoyed under the former Rayo Vallecano chief.
Following a shaky start and prolonged settling-in period, Iraola soon had Bournemouth purring on the pitch. A hard-working style of play, coupled with the belief he instilled in his players, was the recipe for success at the Vitality Stadium as the club reached their highest-ever points tally in the Premier League last time out - usurping the brilliance of former manager Eddie Howe to help them qualify for the Europa League. Whether he can take his qualities to Liverpool remains to be seen after signing a two-year deal with the Reds as they are yet to see the best in him so far.
David Moyes was let go by West Ham at the end of the 2023/24 season despite regularly qualifying for European competition and even lifting the UEFA Europa Conference League during his time in east London. While it may have left a bitter taste in his mouth, there was a massive positive to his dismissal.
When Sean Dyche was axed from the Goodison Park dugout in January 2025, Moyes was available to return to his old club Everton. The Scottish boss has lifted the mood significantly since returning to Merseyside and has made the Toffees a daunting prospect for every team in the English top flight once more, while his previous club were consigned to relegation.
An unknown but largely successful quantity in the Premier League, Brighton & Hove Albion's man at the helm, Fabian Hurzeler, has the Seagulls back in the Europa League. He became the youngest permanent head coach in the history of the division after joining two summers ago and is the first man to have been born after its inception in 1992, which is an incredible feat in itself, too.
Hurzeler's relative inexperience limits him here, but based on performances alone, not too many have outshone him so far. Dropped into the deep end, the inexperienced boss has plenty of years left in the bank to perfect his trade - but he certainly doesn't look out of place in one of the toughest leagues in world football, with some already wondering if he can perform a Leicester City type miracle as Brighton sit second after 10 games.
It's very rarely a dull day at Nottingham Forest with Evangelos Marinakis' trigger-happy approach. Having managed to secure European football in unlikely fashion, Nuno Espirito Santo was shown the door after a fallout with the club's hierarchy. Ange Postecoglou was then brought in to replace him, but failed to deliver in 39 days, leading to his exit from the City Ground. Sean Dyche and Vitor Pereira have also come and gone before the Greek man finally settled on giving Oliver Glasner the keys over the summer.
The former Crystal Palace boss worked wonders at Selhurst Park, delivering them an FA Cup, Community Shield, and last season's Europa Conference League. His ability to achieve so much when handed so little is what makes him a highly-rated asset to any club, and he will be hoping a recent 3-1 win over Nottingham Forest is the start of another successful spell in English football.
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