After Chelsea's Surprise Sacking Of Thomas Tuchel, Which Other Premier League Managers Are On The Hot Seat?

The intrinsic pressure to win can be insurmountable for any manager in the Premier League, but as Chelsea’s Thomas Tuchel found out the hard way last week, no matter what successes you can point to on your resume, recent failure can be a cardinal sin. Less than 24 hours after the Blues’ 1-0 defeat to Dinamo Zagreb in the Champions League, the brass at Stamford Bridge, led by new co-owner Todd Boehly, sacked the German coach and hired Brighton’s Graham Potter to an impressive five-year deal, valued north of £50 million. With Scott Parker first getting canned by Bournemouth at the end of August, and now Tuchel, this means only one thing, boys and girls: sacking season is upon us, and since heads tend to roll in clusters, here’s a look at the managers who could be next.

Steven Gerard | Aston Villa

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Steven Gerard, the Liverpool and England legend, has had a rough go of it this season with Aston Villa racking up four defeats in six league games and languishing in 17th place. In total, Gerard has lost 16 of the 33 matches he’s managed for The Claret & Blue, winning only 11. That comes after a successful three-year run in at Rangers in the Scottish Premiership, culminating in the Glasgow club's first top flight title in a decade. It just goes to show that the adjustment to the Premier League is tough. And with Aston Villa's history and ambition to be a perennial top-10 club, ownership may get restless if results don't pick up soon. But Gerard may have bought himself some temporary immunity after recently getting a point in their match with league heavyweight Manchester City.

Brendan Rodgers | Leicester

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One could say Leicester City's Brendan Rodgers was dealt a poor hand once core players Kasper Schmeichel and Wesley Fofana left this summer, but the fact of the matter is The Foxes sit at the bottom of the barrel with a laughable one point through six matches. Given the club's recent history of competitiveness, that simply won't cut it. The former Liverpool boss has been critically hampered by financial spending restrictions, but that will never absolve nor keep a Premier League manager off the chopping block.

Frank Lampard | Everton

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Widely regarded as one of Chelsea’s greatest stars ever, Everton boss Frank Lampard’s chances of getting sacked have sky rocketed now that The Toffees have failed to produce a single win this season. With two losses and four draws, Everton currently sits at a very precarious 16^th place, especially fraught after the club had to battle tooth and nail to avoid relegation last season. With several key departures over the summer, including last year's leading goal scorer Richarlison, their inability to find the back of the net has allowed other squads to expose the team’s other weaknesses.

Jurgen Klopp | Liverpool

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I know, this seems pretty outlandish. Just a few months ago, Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp was crowned the Premier League’s Manager of the Season for the 2021-2022 year as well as the Manager of the Year for the League Managers Association; and that's to say nothing about the massive success Klopp has had at Anfield since taking over in 2015, guiding The Reds to six trophies in that span, including a Champions League and Premier League title. However, Liverpool has looked a shadow of its recent self in the early going this season, winning just two of their first seven games. Klopp’s coup de grâce may have just come in the form of The Reds suffering a crushing 4-1 defeat to Napoli. Liverpool showing the German the door would be a seismic move in the Premier League, but with the league being as competitive and cutthroat as it is, nothing can be ruled out. 

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