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 Premier League managers in history. With that, here’s the list of longest-serving Premier League managers in history.

Longest Serving Premier League Managers In History

10. Sam Allardyce (1999-2007)

In the 10th 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 Boston-based club, Boston Wanderers, from 1999 – 2007. After spending close to 6 years (5 years 303 days) with the club, he managed to get them promotion after winning the playoffs Football League First Division in 2001 and runner-up in the Football League Cup in 2003-2004.

9. Alan Curbishley (1991-2006)

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 a hand on the Football League First Division title in the 1999-2000 season.

8. Rafael Benitez (2004-2040)

The Spanish manager, Rafael Benitez, had four spells in the Premier League in his career, with the majority of it 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 228 games, of which he won 126. 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.

7. Harry Redknapp (1994-2001)

One of the most well-known names in English football, having managed clubs like Southampton, Tottenham Hotspurs, 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 6 years, 273 days from 1994 to 2001, and assembled one 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.

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6. Joe Kinnear (1992-1999)

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 the upper half finish on the league’s table and was at the helm for 6 years, 344 days. It was till his departure from the club in 1999 that they dropped down from the Premier League next season and never returned.

5. Jurgen Klopp (2015-2024)

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 9-year-long tenure in Merseyside. The German has been a revolutionary figure at Anfield after helping the Premier League giants achieve back 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.

4. Pep Guardiola (2016 – Present)

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 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 53-year-old has entered into the list of longest-serving managers in the English Premier League, spending over 3200 days, and recently surpassed Jurgen Klopp’s spell in duration.

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

3. David Moyes (2002-2013)

Premier League’s 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.

2. Sir Alex Ferguson (1992-2013)

In the second position is arguably the greatest manager in the history of the Premier League and football, Sir Alex Ferguson. He spent a staggering 7,640 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.

1. Arsene Wenger (1996-2018)

Arsenal‘s legendary Arsene Wenger is the longest-serving manager in Premier League history, with 7,894 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 “The Invincibles,” securing the Premier League 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.

List Of Longest Serving Premier League Managers In History

Rank	Managers	Club	Tenure	Years	Country
1	Arsene Wenger	Arsenal	(1996 – 2018)	22 years, 225 days	France
2	Sir Alex Ferguson	Man United	(1992 – 2013)	20 years, 336 days	Scotland
3	David Moyes	Everton	(2002 – 2013)	11 years, 79 days	Scotland
4	Pep Guardiola	Man City	(2016 – Present)	8 years, 274 days	Spain
5	Jurgen Klopp	Liverpool	(2015 – 2024)	8 years, 225 days	West Germany
6	Joe Kinnear	Wimbledon FC	(1992 – 1999)	6 years, 344 days	Ireland
7	Harry Redknapp	West Ham United	(1994 – 2001)	6 years, 273 days	England
8	Rafael Benitez	Liverpool	(2004 – 2010)	5 years, 353 days	Spain
9	Alan Curbishley	Charlton	(1991 – 2006)	5 years, 312 days	England
10	Sam Allardyce	Bolton	(1999 – 2007)	5 years, 303 days	England

Also Read: Top 10 best English football managers in history

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