Why stepping up to Premier League's big six is tough for managers in 2026

Andoni Iraola faces the challenge of succeeding at Liverpool after moving from Bournemouth.

Big six clubs dominate elite football Moving from a successful Premier League club to one of the so-called 'big six' — Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, or Tottenham — is often viewed as the natural progression for a manager. This term is not meant to belittle clubs like Aston Villa or Newcastle, who have recently qualified for the Champions League, or any other top-flight team. However, these six clubs have consistently occupied the top positions in the league for the past 15 years or more. Andoni Iraola, who has reached a verbal agreement with Liverpool, now faces the challenge of making this significant step up after guiding Bournemouth to a sixth-place finish. ## Short tenures mark manager transitions Data indicates that moving to one of the Premier League's biggest clubs is one of the most challenging transitions in football, often resulting in brief tenures, inconsistent performances, and no major trophies won by a manager making this switch within the league. Recent examples include Thomas Frank, Graham Potter, and Nuno Espirito Santo, all of whom struggled to adapt to the demands of managing at this level. ## Frequent early dismissals among top clubs Managers who secure positions at the Premier League's elite clubs often experience a swift rise in scrutiny, with many failing to complete even two full seasons. Several have been dismissed before finishing their first campaign. A prominent example is David Moyes' appointment at Manchester United in 2013. Hand-picked by Sir Alex Ferguson, who urged supporters to 'stand by your new manager' in his farewell speech, Moyes lasted just 10 months before being dismissed, with the club missing out on Champions League qualification for the first time since 1995. ## Rapid exits continue among top managers Roy Hodgson's move to Liverpool followed a different path but ended similarly. Appointed in July 2010 after leading Fulham to the Europa League final, Hodgson described taking 'the biggest job in club football' as an honor. However, he was dismissed by January of the following year after a poor start, with the Reds sitting 12th in the league after winning only seven of their first 20 matches. Other managers experienced similar fates, including Potter at Chelsea and Nuno at Tottenham, who each lasted fewer than a full season. ## Even extended tenures yield little success Some managers were given more time but still struggled to deliver trophies. Mark Hughes spent around 18 months at Manchester City before being replaced, while Brendan Rodgers, Harry Redknapp, and Mauricio Pochettino each completed over three seasons without winning silverware. Thomas Frank's time at Tottenham further reinforced this trend, with the Dane lasting just 26 games despite an impressive spell at Brentford. ## Mixed results follow managerial transitions The logic behind these appointments is straightforward: managers who have exceeded expectations are expected to deliver even better performances with stronger squads. However, points-per-game figures paint a mixed picture. Rodgers improved significantly after moving from Swansea to Liverpool in 2012, quickly raising hopes as Liverpool challenged for the title in 2013-14. Yet, he could not sustain this success and was sacked in October 2015. ## Tougher expectations at big six clubs Redknapp also saw improvements after joining Tottenham from Portsmouth, guiding the club into the Champions League and establishing them in the top four. Pochettino represents another relative success story, developing a Tottenham side that regularly challenged at the top end of the table. After impressing at Southampton, he joined Spurs in 2014 and led them to a second-placed finish in 2016-17 and the Champions League final in 2019, where they were beaten by Liverpool. However, poor results amid heightened expectations led to his dismissal later that year. ## Points-per-game trends reveal little progress Hughes' numbers at Manchester City were broadly similar to his record at Blackburn. Hodgson's performance dipped slightly after his move to Liverpool, while Frank's declined after his switch to Spurs. Elsewhere, the differences were marginal. Potter's Chelsea record showed only a slight improvement over his Brighton average, though this was based on a much smaller sample size. Overall, stepping up does not guarantee better results, and in some cases, performance actually declines. ## No trophies despite near misses Since the 'big six' took shape following Manchester City's 2008 takeover, no manager stepping up from another Premier League club to one of these six teams has won a major trophy. There have been near-misses, however. Rodgers came close to winning the Premier League title, while Pochettino was 90 minutes away from lifting the Champions League. Enzo Maresca secured promotion when he moved from Leicester to Chelsea in 2024 but had not managed a top-flight game before his arrival. ## European and domestic success at Chelsea Maresca went on to win the Conference League and the Club World Cup during his only full season at Stamford Bridge. Frank Lampard joined Chelsea from Championship side Derby County in 2019 and guided the club to Champions League football in his first season but was dismissed after 18 months. Michael Carrick, recently appointed as Manchester United's permanent head coach, previously managed in the Championship with Middlesbrough. ## Why stepping up proves so difficult The reasons behind these struggles are not always obvious but are consistent across cases. Managers at big six clubs face more matches, including European competition, and less time to prepare for each game. In the 2025-26 season, the traditional 'big six' clubs played an average of 55 matches across all competitions, eight more than other Premier League teams. Success at other top-flight clubs often comes from strategic transfer business and overperforming relative to available resources. ## Shift from exceeding to meeting expectations At other clubs, simply maintaining Premier League status can be a primary goal, with anything beyond that considered a bonus. At the big six, expectations shift from exceeding targets to consistently meeting them, with winning no longer seen as an incentive but as a minimum requirement. A run of poor form that might be tolerated elsewhere can quickly become decisive, with greater pressure, more intense scrutiny, and a smaller margin for error at these clubs. ## Adjustment challenges for even elite managers Even managers with strong reputations and well-defined tactical styles have found it difficult to adapt to the demands of managing at this level. That does not mean the move is doomed to fail. Redknapp, Rodgers, and Pochettino show that success is possible under the right circumstances. Maresca's trophies further demonstrate that winning is achievable. Iraola left Bournemouth after guiding them to Europe for the first time, making his next step even more significant. ## Can Iraola break the trophyless trend? Would a season in European competition with Bournemouth have better prepared Iraola for the challenges at Liverpool? Or can the Spaniard defy the trend and end the streak of trophyless managerial transitions to the big six? The data suggests it is a difficult task, but history shows that it is not impossible.