11 managerial changes
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There were 11 managerial changes involving 16 different coaches during the 2025/26 Premier League campaign, with Arne Slot later becoming the 12th casualty at the end of the season after being sacked by Liverpool. The unforgiving nature of English football means coaches and managers change more often than the weather – and sometimes even end up swapping places. Such rapid turnover in the manager market begs the question as to whether changing coaches is actually effective in producing an upturn in results.
Transfermarkt data measures the results of a coach in the five games that follow their appointment. Using those metrics, it is easy to pinpoint the best-performing coaches in the Premier League having joined mid-season.
Both Michael Carrick and Liam Rosenior earned an impressive 2.6 points-per-game average from their first five games in charge. Rosenior outperformed Enzo Maresca, who had taken just 0.6 PPG from his final five matches at Chelsea, while Carrick was much more effective in getting results than Rúben Amorim, who collected a 1.2 PPG before his sacking at Manchester United.
Chelsea & Man Utd take different paths
While Chelsea and Man United benefited from the first manager bounce, there is a significant decline when considering other coaches who were brought to replace their predecessors. Rosenior found himself out of work at Chelsea just three months into his reign, however, and the Blues named Calum McFarlane as interim boss for the second time this season. Yet the inexperienced 38-year-old collected on average a point a game, with Chelsea disappointingly finishing the season in 10th place.
Roberto De Zerbi had only one objective when taking over at Tottenham for the final six games of their season: avoid relegation. The Italian pulled it off on the final day, with a 1-0 win over Everton guaranteeing their safety and relegating West Ham at their expense. However, De Zerbi only won two of his first five matches at the helm, once again undermining the new manager bounce. Spurs had pushed the panic button after Igor Tudor lasted just 43 days as interim head coach. The Croatian failed to pick up a single win before his position became untenable, and his record was far worse than Thomas Frank’s.
Relegated teams pay the price
Speaking of former Tottenham bosses, Ange Postecoglou was given just 39 days in the dugout at Nottingham Forest before he was unceremoniously booted out without a Premier League win to his name. The Australian’s 0.2 PPG from his final five games in charge meant that his successor Sean Dyche didn’t have to raise the bar too high to surpass that, and Dyche recorded a PPG of 1.4 from his first five matches in charge. Indeed, the 55-year-old found himself out of a job too in February and Vitor Pereira got off to a slow start to halting the slide, winning only one of his opening five games.
Pereira was sacked by Wolves after going winless in their first 10 games of the season, and that miserable run continued when Rob Edwards replaced him. He had to wait until January 3 before tasting his first victory, but Wolves still finished the season rock-bottom of the Premier League. Their relegation rivals Burnley sacked Scott Parker following their relegation to the Championship in April, but caretaker boss Mike Jackson failed to win any of his four games in charge and ended up with a 0.5 PPG. Nuno Espírito Santo couldn’t keep West Ham in the top flight either, meaning all of three relegated teams sacked their manager and failed to stay up.
It might’ve proved to be an effective tactic in the past, but the ‘new manager bounce’ concept as a motivational tool for underperforming may finally be wearing thin. The likes of Mikel Arteta and Unai Emery proved this season that clubs can be rewarded with success further down the line if they stay patient during difficult periods of form. After Chelsea, Nottingham Forest and Tottenham all endured a turbulent campaign after choosing to pull the trigger on their respective coaches, it could prove to be a valuable lesson for them to learn.
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