5 longest reigning current Premier League managers

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In a fast-paced and impatient world like today, patience is a lost virtue. This has trickled down to football, and especially the Premier League – the richest and most popular football league in the world.

Premier League managers are some of the most stressed and under pressure football managers in football, since the margins for defeat and victory, and the money that the clubs receive from league positions are staggering.

A total of 379 (as of June, 2018) managers have managed Premier League clubs, since the league’s inception in 1992 – a shocking number. With clubs earning as much as 90 million for staying up in the Premier League, club owners have often cut ties with their manager and changed managers often; even Claudio Ranieri, the Leicester City manager who guided the Foxes to a historic Premier League title, was sacked the very next year.

But there are certain clubs who value stability and patience with their manager, and it’s these clubs that have done well in the league. Here are the five longest-serving current Premier League managers.

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#5 Jurgen Klopp – Liverpool – Appointed on 8 October, 2015

Jurgen Klopp, Liverpool’s German manager, was appointed in 2015 to replace Brendan Rodgers at the helm of the Merseyside club, after leaving Borussia Dortmund.

The German took over the club in October, 2015 after a slow start to the season under Rodgers; Liverpool were in 10th position after eight games. The Reds finished eighth in the league, in the very season that Leicester City won the Premier League.

After a huge summer clearout and bringing in the likes of Sadio Mane and Georginio Wijnaldum, Klopp’s men finished the season in 4th.

The 2017-18 season was a strong one for The Reds as they progressed to the final of the Champions League, only to lose to Real Madrid, and finished 4th in the league once again. But the signings and performances of Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk give Liverpool fans and their passionate manager some hope for some trophies.

It also seems like Klopp is in it for the long-run, as are Liverpool’s board, as they awarded him with a six-year contract in 2016.

#4 Chris Hughton – Brighton – Appointed on 31 December, 2014

Chris Hughton perfectly fits the saying: always a bridesmaid, never the bride, as he was in the background, as a coach and caretaker manager, in his long spell at Tottenham Hotspur.

After being a part of the backroom staff at Newcastle United, he was appointed caretaker manager when the club was in turmoil, and later made permanent manager. After two spells at Birmingham City and Norwich City, the former Republic of Ireland international was given his current role, as manager of Brighton & Hove Albion, in 2014.

Hughton has worked wonders with his unfancied side, by first securing automatic promotion to the Premier League, and then securing a 15th place finish in the 2017-18 Premier League season, a season where he was also awarded the Premier League Manager of the Month award in February.

#3 Mauricio Pochettino – Tottenham Hotspur – 27 May, 2014

Mauricio Pochettino has had a meteoric rise in his managerial career, since getting his first managerial job in 2009. He was appointed as Southampton manager in January 2013, and after keeping the club in the league, led them to 8th position in the next season.

The Argentine manager impressed many with his high-pressing game and was appointed as Tottenham manager in 2014, and has transformed the team and developed young players.

The likes of Harry Kane and Dele Alli have become key players for the England national team since Pochettino’s appointment, while Spurs have been in the Champions League places.

In his first full season with the club, he helped the team to a 5th place finish in the 2014-15 season, and then followed it up with a 3rd place finish in the next season. He did one better in the next season as his Spurs side finished second and seven points behind champions, Chelsea.

The recently concluded season was also a fruitful one as Spurs finished 3rd, and once again ahead of their arch-rivals, Arsenal.

Pochettino has transformed the Spurs team with a limited budget and also developed players, which is why he’s rumoured to be on the wishlist of several big teams, including the likes of Barcelona.

#2 Sean Dyche – Burnley – 30 October, 2012

Sean Dyche is a throwback to English managers of yesteryear: honest, hardworking and placing an emphasis on defending and teamwork.

The Burnley manager succeeded Eddie Howe as the manager of the club in 2012 and has stayed with the club even though they were relegated in the 2014-15 season after just one year in the league.

The Burnley management stood by him and he was even offered a new contract in 2016 for his good work. The Clarets returned to top division football in 2016-17 after they gained automatic promotion by winning the Championship.

He was linked to the Everton job, which eventually went to Sam Allardyce, but signed a new contract earlier this year, which will see him at the club till 2022. The 2017-18 season was a dream season for Dyche as he helped the club finish 7th in the table, above the likes of Everton and Leicester City.

#1 Eddie Howe – Bournemouth – 12 October, 2012

 

Eddie Howe was always destined to be a Premier League manager. The Englishman began coaching the Bournemouth reserve team at the age of 29, and was later appointed as manager in 2009, taking the Cherries from the relegation zone of League Two and then gaining promotion in the next season.

After a brief spell at Burnley, Howe returned to Bournemouth in 2012 and helped the club secure promotion to the Championship. The dream run continued for Howe and Bournemouth – who only a few seasons ago were languishing in the relegation zone in League Two – as they won the Championship in the 2014-15 season and promotion to the top flight.

In the three seasons in the Premier League, Bournemouth have finished in 16th, 9th and 12th – a great achievement by a club who were in the lower rungs of the Football League.

It’s only a matter of time before a big club pursues Howe and secures his services. Till then, Bournemouth football club are in safe hands.