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Longest-Serving Football Managers in England: Arteta Tops the List as Guardiola Departs and Slot Faces Sack
Arjun Pillai | June 5, 2026 10:07 AM CST

The conclusion of the 2025/26 season has brought a wave of managerial shake-ups across the top four divisions of English football, leaving fans eager to see which coaches have managed to maintain their positions the longest.

Pep Guardiola, Marco Silva and Oliver Glasner have all stepped down from their posts, while Arne Slot was dismissed by Liverpool after a disappointing second campaign at Anfield.

We’ve reviewed every manager across the Premier League and English Football League to rank them by their tenure at their respective clubs.

Note: Manchester City, Fulham, Crystal Palace, Watford, Blackburn Rovers, Stockport County, Salford City and Rotherham United currently have no appointed managers.

83. Xabi Alonso, Chelsea – Appointed: July 1, 2026

Chelsea endured a chaotic 2025/26 campaign with multiple changes in the dugout, parting ways with Enzo Maresca and Liam Rosenior before naming Calum McFarlane as interim boss. The club has now confirmed that Xabi Alonso has signed a four-year deal at Stamford Bridge.

“Chelsea is one of the biggest clubs in world football, and it fills me with immense pride to become the manager of this great club,” Alonso said. “From my discussions with the owners and sporting directors, it’s clear we share the same ambition – to build a team that consistently competes at the top and wins trophies.”

– Andoni Iraola, Liverpool – Appointed: June 4, 2026

– Marco Rose, Bournemouth – Appointed: June 1, 2026

– Chris Cohen and Tom Shaw, Lincoln City – Appointed: May 29, 2026

– Michael Skubala, Bristol City – Appointed: May 29, 2026

– Martin Drury, Huddersfield Town – Appointed: May 27, 2026

– Darrell Clarke, Tranmere Rovers – Appointed: May 26, 2026

– Chris Hogg, Northampton Town – Appointed: May 18, 2026

– Lee Grant, Walsall – Appointed: May 14, 2026

– Daniel Stendel, Barnsley – Appointed: May 12, 2026

– Mike Jackson, Burnley – Appointed: April 30, 2026

– Roberto De Zerbi, Tottenham – Appointed: March 31, 2026

70. Colin Kazim-Richards, Crawley Town – Appointed: March 24, 2026

– Matt Taylor, Exeter City – Appointed: March 3, 2026

– James Morrison, West Brom – Appointed: February 24, 2026

– Gary Rowett, Leicester City – Appointed: February 18, 2026

– Gary Caldwell, Wigan Athletic – Appointed: February 16, 2026

– Vitor Pereira, Nottingham Forest – Appointed: February 15, 2026

– Gavin Cowan, Shrewsbury Town – Appointed: January 29, 2026

– Matt Lawlor, Fleetwood Town – Appointed: January 26, 2026

– Michael Carrick, Manchester United – Appointed: January 13, 2026

After Manchester United dismissed Ruben Amorim in January 2026, Michael Carrick was named interim manager. He quickly turned things around, guiding the team to Champions League qualification with 12 wins in 17 league games. His efforts earned him a two-year contract extension at Old Trafford.

– Matt Bloomfield, Oxford United – Appointed: January 9, 2026

60. Jon Brady, Port Vale – Appointed: January 6, 2026

– Steve Evans, Bristol Rovers – Appointed: December 16, 2025

– Kim Hellberg, Middlesbrough – Appointed: November 27, 2025

– Vitor Matos, Swansea City – Appointed: November 24, 2025

– Christian Fuchs, Newport County – Appointed: November 20, 2025

– Philippe Clement, Norwich City – Appointed: November 18, 2025

– Rob Edwards, Wolves – Appointed: November 12, 2025

– Tonda Eckert, Southampton – Appointed: November 2, 2025

– Luke Williams, Peterborough United – Appointed: October 29, 2025

– Leam Richardson, Reading – Appointed: October 28, 2025

50. Ian Evatt, Blackpool – Appointed: October 21, 2025

– Jack Wilshere, Luton Town – Appointed: October 13, 2025

– Steve Cotterill, Cheltenham Town – Appointed: September 30, 2025

– Nuno Espirito Santo, West Ham United – Appointed: September 27, 2025

– Michael Duff, Wycombe Wanderers – Appointed: September 18, 2025

– Chris Wilder, Sheffield United – Appointed: September 15, 2025

After losing the 2024/25 Championship play-off final, Wilder departed Sheffield United by mutual agreement, with Ruben Selles taking charge. However, following six straight defeats, Selles was dismissed, and Wilder returned for his third spell as Blades manager.

– Stuart Maynard, York City – Appointed: August 28, 2025

– Henrik Pedersen, Sheffield Wednesday – Appointed: July 31, 2025

– Keith Andrews, Brentford – Appointed: June 27, 2025

– Julien Stephan, Queens Park Rangers – Appointed: June 25, 2025

– Martin Paterson, Notts County – Appointed: June 22, 2025

– Brian Barry-Murphy, Cardiff City – Appointed: June 16, 2025

40. Tom Cleverley, Watford – Appointed: June 13, 2025

– Sergej Jakirovic, Hull City – Appointed: June 11, 2025

– Paul Warne, MK Dons – Appointed: April 15, 2025

– Gareth Ainsworth, Gillingham – Appointed: March 25, 2025

– Neil Harris, Cambridge United – Appointed: February 19, 2025

– John Eustace, Derby County – Appointed: February 13, 2025

– Steven Schumacher, Bolton Wanderers – Appointed: January 30, 2025

– David Moyes, Everton – Appointed: January 11, 2025

– Mark Robins, Stoke City – Appointed: January 1, 2025

– Alex Neil, Millwall – Appointed: December 30, 2024

30. Gary Bowyer, Burton Albion – Appointed: December 17, 2024

– Frank Lampard, Coventry City – Appointed: November 28, 2024

Lampard replaced long-serving Mark Robins in November 2024. In his first full season, he guided Coventry City to the Championship title and secured their return to the Premier League after 25 years.

– Ian Holloway, Swindon Town – Appointed: October 25, 2024

– Paul Heckingbottom, Preston North End – Appointed: August 20, 2024

– Fabian Hurzeler, Brighton & Hove Albion – Appointed: July 2, 2024

– Regis Le Bris, Sunderland – Appointed: July 1, 2024

– Chris Davies, Birmingham City – Appointed: June 6, 2024

– Alex Revell, Stevenage – Appointed: April 17, 2024

– John Doolan, Accrington Stanley – Appointed: March 4, 2024

– Nathan Jones, Charlton Athletic – Appointed: February 4, 2024

20. Danny Cowley, Colchester United – Appointed: January 4, 2024

– David Artell, Grimsby Town – Appointed: November 27, 2023

– Graham Alexander, Bradford City – Appointed: November 6, 2023

– Micky Mellon, Oldham Athletic – Appointed: October 13, 2023

– Daniel Farke, Leeds United – Appointed: July 4, 2023

– Jimmy McNulty, Rochdale – Appointed: May 12, 2023

– Grant McCann, Doncaster Rovers – Appointed: May 12, 2023

– John Mousinho, Portsmouth – Appointed: January 20, 2023

– Lee Bell, Crewe Alexandra – Appointed: November 4, 2022

– Unai Emery, Aston Villa – Appointed: October 24, 2022

Following a poor start to the 2022/23 campaign, Aston Villa dismissed Steven Gerrard and paid £5.2 million to bring in Unai Emery from Villarreal. The Spaniard has since revitalised the club and led them to the 2025/26 Europa League title – their first major trophy in 30 years.

10. Johnnie Jackson, AFC Wimbledon – Appointed: May 16, 2022

– Richie Wellens, Leyton Orient – Appointed: March 9, 2022

– Paul Cook, Chesterfield – Appointed: February 10, 2022

– Kieran McKenna, Ipswich Town – Appointed: December 16, 2021

– Eddie Howe, Newcastle United – Appointed: November 8, 2021

– Dean Brennan, Barnet – Appointed: September 20, 2021

– Phil Parkinson, Wrexham – Appointed: July 1, 2021

– Andy Woodman, Bromley – Appointed: March 29, 2021

– Nigel Clough, Mansfield Town – Appointed: November 6, 2020

– Mikel Arteta, Arsenal – Appointed: December 22, 2019

With Pep Guardiola ending his decade-long tenure at Manchester City, Mikel Arteta now holds the record as the longest-serving manager in England’s top four divisions. Since replacing Unai Emery at Arsenal, Arteta has overseen a complete transformation, culminating in a Premier League title triumph in 2025/26.

His current contract at the Emirates runs until the end of the next season, though the 44-year-old is widely expected to sign an extension soon. “Keeping Mikel around is our top priority,” said Arsenal co-chair Josh Kroenke. “The great news for Arsenal fans everywhere is that he loves the project, he enjoys being here, and he has always been an Arsenal man – from player to manager.”


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