Who will be the first Premier League manager to get sacked?

• Nuno Espirito Santo, Ruben Amorim and Graham Potter are among the favourites to be the first sacked Premier League manager this season
• Vitor Pereira and Oliver Glasner could also be in line to leave their clubs
• Erik ten Hag, Ange Postecoglou and Gareth Southgate are among the managers currently out of work

Three games into the new Premier League season and the mood is very different from club to club. Reigning champions Liverpool sit at the top of the table with three wins from three and Championship play-off winners Sunderland are already on six points going into the international break. 

In contrast, Wolverhampton Wanderers don’t have any points on the board yet, while Aston Villa are a place and a point above them. Manchester United, after finishing 15th last term, sit ninth but needed a 97th-minute penalty to beat promoted Burnley at the weekend.

So, with such varying fortunes, who could be the first Premier League manager to get sacked this season? Let’s take a look at some of the main contenders, those who could be in line to replace them, and the managers whose jobs are near untouchable. 

The current favourites to win the sack race

The favourite to get sacked, per most bookmakers, is currently in the top half with his team. Indeed, Nuno Espirito Santo is the favourite to lose his job after what appears to be a breakdown in his relationship with Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis.

Espirito Santo took Forest to seventh last season, their best finish in the league pyramid since 1994-95. Yet, he said last month ahead of a game against Crystal Palace that the pair are “not as close” as they were last season and he’s spoken about the team’s transfer activity and squad after losing Anthony Elanga to Newcastle United. They weren’t able to get this season’s squad together fast enough for his liking. 

However, manager and owner are reportedly set for peace talks during the international break. It remains to be seen whether Espirito Santo will remain in the hotseat. 

A perhaps more unsurprising favourite to leave his club, meanwhile, is Man United’s Ruben Amorim. He’s had a torrid time at Old Trafford since joining 10 months ago, but he’s now had two transfer windows and a full pre-season to help shape his squad and the expectations will be higher. 

There’s no European football to contend with, out-of-favour players Alejandro Garnacho, Antony, Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho won’t be around, and Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbuemo, Benjamin Sesko and Senne Lammens have all joined.  

But the loss to League Two’s Grimsby Town on penalties in the League Cup was hugely embarrassing, with the sight of Amorim cowering in the dugout an image that could define his tenure. It came 11 years and one day after they lost 4-0 to League One Milton Keynes Dons in the same competition, and feels just as devastating. 

Next up is West Ham United’s Graham Potter. It must be galling to see former manager David Moyes doing so well at Everton, particularly with fans divided over his exit. Julen Lopetegui didn’t work out and Potter is in a similar situation to Amorim where he’s now had time to shape his squad. They’ve spent over £100 million on new signings, with Mohammed Kudus, Edson Aguerd and Emerson Palmieri departing & Edson Alvarez being sent on loan to Fenerbache. As well as that a whole host of the old guard (Zouma, Ings, Coufal, Cresswell, Fabianski & Antonio) have been released. What is perceived to be a lack of ambition in the transfer market has lead to discontent amongst sections of the West Ham fan base and there is talk of protests and boycotts ahead of the next home game against local rivals Tottenham.

Losing 5-1 to Chelsea came after a 3-0 defeat to newly-promoted Sunderland on the opening day. Potter was hoping for some respite in the Carabao Cup, but  after overturning an early deficit to go 2-1 ahead, they collapsed late on, conceding twice in just two minutes to suffer a 3-2 defeat. Beating Forest 3-0 last time out in the Premier League was a great result, but is it merely a sticking plaster?

Other managers under pressure 

Vitor Pereira at Wolves is another who could be in line for the sack if results don’t improve, while even Villa’s Unai Emery has had to deal with some discontent following a poor start to the season. Then there’s the inexperienced Keith Andrews at Brentford following a summer that saw them lose long-serving manager Thomas Frank to Tottenham Hotspur and key men including Mbuemo, Yoane Wissa and Christian Nørgaard. A win against struggling Villa and 2 defeats mean that the jury is out on the new manager. 

And, whisper it quietly, could Pep Guardiola be in danger? It’s unlikely, admittedly, but Manchester City haven’t started the season well, didn’t have a great time last season either, and will be hoping to put up an impressive fight for the Premier League title this time around after significant investment.

Who could be in line to replace them?

There aren’t lots of big names out of work at the moment. After former Man United boss Erik ten Hag was sacked by Bayer Leverkusen, he could be someone in line for a job at a team like West Ham or Nottingham Forest. Ange Postecoglou, out of work since leaving Tottenham, could return to the Premier League, and former England manager Gareth Southgate, linked previously with Man United, may also decide to return to management. 

Barcelona legend Xavi has said before that he’d be interested in managing in the Premier League, too. Zinedine Zidane, however, is unlikely to manage anyone other than Real Madrid or France, while Jurgen Klopp has said he wouldn’t return to the Premier League after developing such a connection with Liverpool. 

What about the Premier League managers with greater job security? Of course, the likes of Liverpool’s Arne Slot and Newcastle United’s Eddie Howe are unlikely to go anywhere, but could Oliver Glasner at Crystal Palace or Andoni Iraola at Bournemouth be tempted by another club further down the line? 

Glasner has had to deal with the sale of Eberechi Eze to Arsenal as well as confusion surrounding captain Marc Guehi’s future, the latter now staying at the club after a transfer to Liverpool fell through. 

Eagles supporters on social media expressed concern, albeit before the Guehi transfer was called off, that Glasner might be tempted to leave following the window, but would he prefer to stay and give the Conference League a good go? 

But not every manager will have the luxury of leaving, should they wish, on their own terms. Unless things change quickly, Amorim could be leaving Man United, while Espirito Santo could be heading out of Nottingham Forest if talks with Marinakis don’t go well. Unless there’s a major surprise, it looks to be one of the Portuguese duo or perhaps Potter at West Ham who will be out the door first.

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