Longest Serving Premier League Managers In History | Ranked

The English Premier League is acclaimed as the most competitive and popular football league in the world, and managing a club in the league is the most prestigious job in football. It offers great pride and prestige and handsome wages to display tactical and management brilliance in the English top flight, making it one of the highest-paid managers in England and Europe.

Since the Premier League’s formation in 1992, many elite managers have commanded the top clubs in the league from the touchlines down the years, leaving a peerless legacy as head coaches. Notably, they also successfully broke the recent ongoing trend of frequent sacking to etch their names into the prestigious longest serving manager in history. With that, here’s the list of the longest-serving Premier League managers in history.

List of Longest Serving Managers in Premier League

Our list of longest serving Premier League managers in history features several managers who have been a part of lengthy tenures with the clubs. Let’s take a look at our list featuring managers from the early 90s, Sir Alex Ferguson, to current great Pep Guardiola.

Rank	Manager	Club	Tenure
10	Rafael Benitez	Liverpool	2190 Days
9	Harry Redknapp	West Ham United	2473 Days
8	Joe Kinnear	Wimbledon FC	2698 Days
7	Sam Allardyce	Bolton	2750 Days
6	Jurgen Klopp	Liverpool	3188 Days
5	Pep Guardiola	Man City	3288+ Days
4	David Moyes	Everton	4126 Days
3	Alan Curbishley	Charlton	5455 Days
2	Arsene Wenger	Arsenal	7942 Days
1	Sir Alex Ferguson	Man United	9733 Days

Note: Tenure stats may differ from site to site, but the mentioned stats were taken from Transfermarkt.

Who is the Longest Serving Manager in Premier League?

There have been plenty of successful managers coming from the EPL, but if we talk about the longest serving Premier League managers, who comes to your mind? Is it Sir Alex Ferguson or Arsene Wenger? Let’s find out:

10. Rafael Benitez (2190 Days)

The Spanish manager, Rafael Benitez, had four spells in the Premier League in his career, with the majority of them being at Liverpool. Benitez took charge at the Reds in 2004, replacing Gerard Houllier, and before marking his end at the club in 2010, he managed Liverpool for 350 games, of which he won 197.

Under his guidance, Liverpool had 4 terrific seasons across all competitions and eventually came close to winning the English Premier League in 2008/09, where they finished second behind Manchester United.

Club Associated	Year From	Year To	Premier League Games Managed	Trophies/Achievements
Liverpool	2004	2010	350	4

9. Harry Redknapp (2473 Days)

One of the most well-known names in English football, having managed clubs like Southampton, Tottenham Hotspur, Portsmouth, and Queens Park Rangers throughout his managerial career. However, his most memorable tenure in the Premier League was with the London club West Ham United.

He was in charge of the club for 2,473 days from 1994 to 2001, and assembled one of the best Hammers sides in its history. He brings legendary players to the club and has been credited for the development of academy talents like Rio Ferdinand, Joe Cole, Michael Carrick, and his nephew, Frank Lampard.

Club Associated	Year From	Year To	Premier League Games Managed	Trophies/Achievements
West Ham	1994	2001	321	1

8. Joe Kinnear (2698 Days)

Joe Kinnear is recalled for his time with Wimbledon FC and as the mastermind behind the famous “The Crazy Gang,” a fearless and aggressive playing style approach that Kinnear embraced during his time in the Premier League with Wimbledon and troubled top oppositions.

The former Wimbledon boss frequently led the club to an upper-half finish on the league table and was at the helm for 2,698 days. It was till his departure from the club in 1999 that they dropped down from the Premier League next season and never returned.

Club Associated	Year From	Year To	Premier League Games Managed	Trophies/Achievements
Wimbledon FC	1992	1999	332	None

Also Read: Real Madrid longest serving Managers in club’s history | Ranked

7. Sam Allardyce (2750 Days)

In the seventh position on our list, we have Sam Allardyce. Big Sam started his managerial career with Limerick in 1991 and since then has managed clubs like Blackpool, Notts County, Bolton Wanderers, Newcastle United, Blackburn Rovers, West Ham United, Sunderland, Everton, and the England national side.

Still, the most memorable and cherished tenure in his managerial career was with the Bolton-based club, Bolton Wanderers, from 1999 – 2007. After spending more than 2,750 days with the club, he managed to get them promoted after winning the Football League First Division in 2001 and runners-up in the Football League Cup in 2003-2004.

Club Associated	Year From	Year To	Premier League Games Managed	Trophies/Achievements
Bolton Wanderers	1999	2007	365	1

6. Jurgen Klopp (3188 Days)

Liverpool’s inspirational former boss Jurgen Klopp is the fifth-longest-serving Premier League manager in the entire history of the league, courtesy of his 3,188 days tenure at the Merseyside club. The German has been a revolutionary figure at Anfield after helping the Premier League giants regain their lost Big Six status in the league and clinched domestic and continental glories as well.

However, he decided to step down as the Reds’ boss to enjoy a career break, concluding his incredible spell with the English club. Arne Slot joined the club as his successor this summer.

Club Associated	Year From	Year To	Premier League Games Managed	Trophies/Achievements
Liverpool	2015	2024	489	8

5. Pep Guardiola (3288+ Days)

The most decorated Spanish manager, Pep Guardiola, arrived to take charge of Manchester City in 2016 from Bayern Munich, and after 8 years, he is still going strong with the Citizens as their boss. He has brought unparalleled success to Eithad, including the City’s maiden Treble in the 2022/23 season when he steered the English Champions to lift their first UEFA Champions League triumph.

The 54-year-old has entered the list of longest serving Premier League managers, spending over 3,280 days, and recently surpassed Jurgen Klopp’s spell in duration.

Club Associated	Year From	Year To	Premier League Games Managed	Trophies/Achievements
Man City	2016	Present	533	18

Also Read: Last 10 Everton Managers in the past 20 years

4. David Moyes (4126 Days)

Premier League veteran manager David Moyes spent over a decade at Goodison Park, serving Everton as their head coach from 2002 to 2013. His work with the Toffees was a testament to his capability as a manager; as a result, the opportunity to manage Man United lured him to conclude his spell in Merseyside.

Nonetheless, he still maintains his status as one of the best managers to coach Everton. He oversaw 518 games for the Liverpool-based club across all competitions, though he could not lift any major titles. David Moyes is placed 4th on our list of longest serving Premier League managers.

Club Associated	Year From	Year To	Premier League Games Managed	Trophies/Achievements
Everton	2002	2013	518	Runner-Up FA Cup

3. Alan Curbishley (5455 Days)

At 3rd position on our list of longest serving Premier League managers, we’ve Alan Curbishley. The English stalwart has managed some of the elite English clubs throughout his managerial career spanning over 17 years. With the most memorable being his stint with Charlton Athletic, he took charge of the club alongside Steve Gritt before taking sole command in 1995.

Under his leadership, Charlton Athletic underwent a tremendous change and won promotion via playoffs in 1997-98. As a manager, he managed to get hold of the Football League First Division title in the 1999 – 2000 season.

Club Associated	Year From	Year To	Premier League Games Managed	Trophies/Achievements
Charlton Athletic	1991	2006	485	2

2. Arsene Wenger (7942 Days)

Arsenal‘s legendary Arsene Wenger is in the second position on our list of the longest serving Premier League managers, with 7,942 days as Gunner in charge from 1996 to 2018. The French manager is hailed for North London club’s famous title charge, leading them to “the Invincibles,” securing the Premier League, and boasting an unbeaten record in the league in the 2003/04 season.

He managed the likes of Thierry Henry, Patrick Vieira, Dennis Bergkamp, Cesc Fàbregas, Robin Van Persie, Ian Wright, and Ashley Cole. He spent 22 years in the English first division, leading the Gunners as their manager, and left the club in 2018, marking the end of an era.

Club Associated	Year From	Year To	Premier League Games Managed	Trophies/Achievements
Arsenal	1996	2018	1234	17

1. Sir Alex Ferguson (9733 Days)

In the first position is one of the greatest Manchester United managers, Sir Alex Ferguson. He spent a staggering 9,733 days in charge of the Red Devils. He enjoyed enormous success at Old Trafford, claiming 13 English titles and becoming the most successful manager in the history of English football.

In addition, he led United to clinch 5 FA Cups, 4 League Cups, and the UEFA Champions League twice in 1999 and 2008. In 2013, Sir Alex announced his retirement, ending his 26-year association with Manchester United.

Club Associated	Year From	Year To	Premier League Games Managed	Trophies/Achievements
Man United	1986	2013	1499	38

Also Read: Top 10 best English football managers in history

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