Premier League: Why are there only two English managers in top flight?

In the first season of the Premier League, 1992-93, there was only one non-British manager – and that was Irishman Joe Kinnear at Wimbledon.

In the first four seasons, Ossie Ardiles was the only manager from further afield than Dublin.

As the list of English managers has plummeted, so too has the list of British bosses from 22 in that first season to eight in 2024-25 (all season, including caretakers).

The eight include the five English managers and caretakers, plus McKenna, Brighton-born ex-Scotland international Russell Martin and Welshman Steve Cooper.

The number has not dropped season by season – because in 2011-12 and 2012-13 there were only six English bosses – compared to 15 in 2022-23.

But in those 2011-12 and 2012-13 seasons the number of British managers was 17 and 15 respectively.

There are five Spanish and four Portuguese managers or head coaches currently in the Premier League, to the UK’s three.

About 60% of the current EFL bosses are English.

“The Premier League is the toughest league in the planet and when say, for instance, if you’re coaching in Portugal, Holland, Denmark, Belgium, these leagues are lesser than the Premier League, definitely, but the Championship as well,” ex-EFL boss Michael Appleton told BBC Sport.

“A lot of the British coaches tend to be coaches that have been promoted into the Premier League. So the reality is, unless you’re going to get massively financially backed from getting the jump from Championship to Premier League, you’re going to be fighting to stay in the league.

“You don’t get that recognition [in the EFL] as much as you would, as an example, if you overachieved in the [foreign] leagues I’ve spoken about.

“You’ve got a better chance getting an opportunity with a Premier League club than you have as a really good sort of Championship manager.”