The build-up to the 2023/24 season involves huge excitement for all 20 teams involved, but the Premier League is a ruthless environment, with the next change of manager never far away.
Despite the optimism over a new campaign, rumours over which head coach will be sacked first have started before a ball has even been kicked.
The summer can lead to frustrations over transfers and season expectations and the opening fixtures can force a decision over a manager’s future.
The Sporting News looks at the latest picture on which Premier League manager could be the first to go.
MORE: Premier League fixtures: Complete schedule, dates, times
Next Premier League manager to leave odds
The start of the Premier League season means immediate pressure on certain managers, as they look to gain some vital early momentum to keep themselves in a job.
At the start of the season, David Moyes was tipped as the most likely to leave his role, but the veteran Scottish boss has secured a superb ten points from his first four games.
Teams without a win in the opening weeks are amongst the favourites to sack their managers with Everton’s Sean Dyche currently predicted to be the first to go.
Odds as of Sep 13, 2023
| Manager | Club | Top Betting Sites (UK) |
|---|---|---|
| Sean Dyche | Everton | 6/4 |
| Paul Heckingbottom | Sheffield United | 9/2 |
| Rob Edwards | Luton Town | 7/1 |
| Marco Silva | Fulham | 9/1 |
| Steve Cooper | Nott’m Forest | 10/1 |
| Andoni Iraola | Bournemouth | 12/1 |
| David Moyes | West Ham | 12/1 |
| Gary O’Neil | Wolves | 12/1 |
| Eddie Howe | Newcastle United | 16/1 |
| Erik ten Hag | Manchester United | 16/1 |
First manager sacked in each Premier League season
The first manager sacked in Premier League history was Ian Porterfield of Chelsea, who lasted 29 matches before being axed in mid-February in 1993.
The fastest manager ever sacked in the Premier League was Kenny Dalglish, who was ousted at Newcastle United after just two matches into the 1998/99 season. Peter Reid, Bobby Robson, Frank de Boer, Javi Gracia and Scott Parker were all given the boot after just four matches.
Tottenham are the club that appears on this list the most, having been the first to part ways with their manager in four seasons. Newcastle appear three times, as do Chelsea and Sunderland.
Parker’s exit in 2022/23 came extremely early: On average, the first Premier League manager is sacked after 10.8 games.
| Season | Manager | Club | Date | Premier League matches played |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992/93 | Ian Porterfield | Chelsea | Feb. 15, 1993 | 29 |
| 1993/94 | Peter Reid | Man City | Aug. 25, 1993 | 4 |
| 1994/95 | Osvaldo Ardiles* | Tottenham | Nov. 1, 1994 | 12 |
| 1995/96 | Roy McFarland | Bolton | Jan. 3, 1996 | 22 |
| 1996/97 | Howard Wilkinson | Leeds United | Sept. 9, 1996 | 5 |
| 1997/98 | David Pleat | Sheffield Wed | Nov. 3, 1997 | 13 |
| 1998/99 | Kenny Dalglish | Newcastle | Aug. 27, 1998 | 2 |
| 1999/00 | Danny Wilson | Sheffield Wed | Mar. 21, 2000 | 29 |
| 2000/01 | Gianluca Vialli | Chelsea | Sept. 12, 2000 | 5 |
| 2001/02 | Peter Taylor | Leicester City | Sept. 30, 2001 | 8 |
| 2002/03 | Peter Reid | Sunderland | Oct. 7, 2002 | 9 |
| 2003/04 | Glenn Hoddle | Tottenham | Sept. 22, 2003 | 6 |
| 2004/05 | Bobby Robson | Newcastle | Aug. 30, 2004 | 4 |
| 2005/06 | Alain Perrin | Portsmouth | Nov. 24, 2005 | 13 |
| 2006/07 | Iain Dowie | Charlton Athletic | Nov. 13, 2006 | 12 |
| 2007/08 | Martin Jol | Tottenham | Oct. 25, 2007 | 10 |
| 2008/09 | Juande Ramos | Tottenham | Oct. 25, 2008 | 8 |
| 2009/10 | Paul Hart | Portsmouth | Nov. 24, 2009 | 13 |
| 2010/11 | Chris Hughton | Newcastle | Dec. 6, 2010 | 16 |
| 2011/12 | Steve Bruce | Sunderland | Nov. 30, 2011 | 13 |
| 2012/13 | Roberto Di Matteo | Chelsea | Nov. 21, 2012 | 12 |
| 2013/14 | Paolo Di Canio | Sunderland | Sept. 23, 2013 | 5 |
| 2014/15 | Neil Warnock | Crystal Palace | Dec. 27, 2014 | 18 |
| 2015/16 | Brendan Rodgers | Liverpool | Oct. 4, 2015 | 8 |
| 2016/17 | Francesco Guidolin | Swansea City | Oct. 3, 2016 | 7 |
| 2017/18 | Frank De Boer | Crystal Palace | Sept. 11, 2017 | 4 |
| 2018/19 | Slavisa Jokanovic | Fulham | Nov. 14, 2018 | 12 |
| 2019/20 | Javi Gracia | Watford | Sept. 7, 2019 | 4 |
| 2020/21 | Slaven Bilic | West Brom | Dec. 16, 2020 | 13 |
| 2021/22 | Xisco Munoz | Watford | Oct. 3, 2021 | 7 |
| 2022/23 | Scott Parker | Bournemouth | Aug. 30, 2022 | 4 |
*In 1994/95, West Ham manager Billy Bonds resigned before the official start of the season
Betting on first manager sacked or next manager
When betting on the first manager sacked in a Premier League season, it’s important to pay close attention to the title of the bet.
Sometimes, managers can depart of their own accord, or by “mutual consent”, leading to some questions around what constitutes being “sacked”.
Officially, the bet is often titled “Next Premier League Manager to Leave their Club”, which eliminates much of the confusion around what constitutes being fired, released, let go, or departing by mutual consent. For example, Pep Guardiola is highly unlikely to be sacked by Man City any time soon, but bookmakers think it’s conceivable he could leave amid the investigation into the club’s finances.
Additionally, when placing bets involving “Next Manager” for a club, the word “Permanent” is often included, meaning interim managers are not given consideration for a winning bet. Thus, if a manager is given an “interim” tag as a replacement, the bet remains open until the “interim” tag is removed or a new permanent boss is hired from elsewhere.
Premier League 2023/24 TV channels, live streams
MORE: Watch every Premier League match in Canada on Fubo
| Region | TV | Streaming |
| Australia | — | Optus Sport |
| Canada | — | |
| Hong Kong | — | Now TV |
| India | Star Sports | Disney+, Hotstar, JioTV |
| Malaysia | Astro SuperSport | Astro Go |
| New Zealand | Sky Sport | Sky Sport Now, Sky Go |
| Singapore | StarHub | StarHub TV+ |
| UK | Sky Sports, TNT Sports | NOW TV, Sky Go, Amazon Prime |
| USA | USA Network, Telemundo, Universo |
Fubo, Peacock |
UK: Matches are carried across Sky Sports and TNT Sports streaming and TV platforms, with select matches on Amazon Prime.
USA: Select matches are televised on USA Network (English) and Telemundo or Universo (Spanish), and all three channels can be streamed on Fubo. The rest of the matches are streamed on NBC platform Peacock for subscribers.
Canada: Every Premier League game this season is live streaming exclusively via Fubo in Canada.
Australia: Fans in Australia can stream every match live and on demand on Optus Sport.