Key Takeaways
Liverpool lead the Premier League after 13 matches, with Wolves, Ipswich and Southampton in the relegation zone.
Erik ten Hag was sacked by Manchester United in October and replaced by Ruben Amorim.
Steve Cooper was also dismissed from Leicester City, with Ruud van Nistelrooy appointed to take his place.
After 13 matches of the 2024/25 Premier League campaign, Liverpool sit top of the table, ahead of Arsenal and Chelsea. At the other end of the league are Wolves, Ipswich Town, and Southampton, with Gary O'Neill and Russell Martin coming under significant pressure in recent weeks. Despite their struggles in the first few months of the campaign, Erik ten Hag was the first manager to be sacked on 28th October after Manchester United's worst start to a Premier League season.
Steve Cooper was next to be dismissed just under a month later following a string of unconvincing Leicester City performances, which left them just above the bottom three. Last season, nine clubs changed their managers, but only two have decided to make a change so far this year.
2024/25 Premier League Managerial Changes
Team
Manchester United
Leicester City
Manchester United
Erik ten Hag - Sacked
Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag applauding the supporters
Ten Hag's future at United was in doubt in the summer following an eighth-place finish in the Premier League. He won the FA Cup final, beating rivals Manchester City at Wembley Stadium. This result kept the Dutchman in his job after an end-of-season review by new co-owners INEOS in June 2024. In fact, a month later he signed a new contract at the club until June 2026.
The summer arrivals of Leny Yoro, Manuel Ugarte, Matthijs de Ligt, Joshua Zirkzee, and Noussair Mazraoui provided ten Hag with much-needed reinforcements going into the 2024/25 season. Results and performances were unimpressive in August and September, though, with the Red Devils winning only two of their first six matches. As well as this, they were winless in all three of their Europa League games, leaving them 21st out of 36 teams.
On 27th October, United lost 2-1 to West Ham United, which was ten Hag's last game in charge. He was dismissed by INEOS the next day, becoming the sixth manager, since Sir Alex Ferguson, to fail to deliver a Premier League title.
Ruben Amorim - Appointed
MixCollage-01-Dec-2024-08-21-PM-4386
Ruben Amorim was appointed as the new United head coach on 1st November 2024, officially beginning his tenure ten days later. During his period of gardening leave at Sporting CP, he beat Pep Guardiola's Manchester City 4-1 in the UEFA Champions League, a positive sign of things to come for United supporters. His first match in charge was a trip to newly-promoted Ipswich Town on 24th November. Despite Marcus Rashford's second-minute goal, the Red Devils were unable to hang on, with Omari Hutchinson equalising for the hosts.
The new Portuguese head coach picked up his first win for the club in the Europa League, beating Bodo Glimt 3-2 thanks to goals from Alejandro Garnacho and Rasmus Hojlund. Most recently, Amorim picked up his first Premier League victory, comfortably beating Everton 4-0 at Old Trafford.
|Ruben Amorim Manager Stats|
|Club|Matches|Wins|Draws|Losses|Points Per Game|
|---|
|Casa Pia|4|3|0|1|2.25|
|Braga B|11|8|2|1|2.36|
|Braga|13|10|1|2|2.38|
|Sporting CP|231|165|33|33|2.29|
|Manchester United|3|2|1|0|2.33|
Leicester City
Steve Cooper - Sacked
Steve Cooper
The appointment of Cooper at Leicester was a confusing one for fans and pundits alike. Having previously managed East Midlands rivals Nottingham Forest and getting them promoted to the Premier League for the first time in 23 years, the Welsh coach had to start quickly to win over the Foxes supporters. Leicester were winless after six league games and scraped past League Two Walsall in the League Cup, leading to chants from the away fans such as "Cooper sort it out" and "This is embarrassing".
He was able to secure back-to-back wins against Bournemouth and Southampton, lifting them out of the bottom three, but their performances were still unconvincing. Defeats to Forest, United, and Chelsea prompted the club to dismiss Cooper after only 12 games in charge. He left the club two points above the relegation zone, meaning the decision shocked people from outside the club. On 24th November, the Foxes released the following statement that they were parting company with Cooper.
"Leicester City Football Club has parted company with Steve Cooper, who leaves his position as First Team Manager with immediate effect.
"Assistant Manager Alan Tate and First Team Coach and Analyst Steve Rands have also left the Club. Steve, Alan and Steve depart with our thanks for their contribution during their time with the Club and with our best wishes for the future.
"Men’s First Team training will be overseen by First Team Coach Ben Dawson, supported by coaches Danny Alcock and Andy Hughes, as the Club begins the process of appointing a new manager, which we hope to conclude as soon as possible."
Ruud van Nistelrooy - Appointed
Ruud van Nistelrooy during his Manchester United caretaker reign
Following the sacking of ten Hag, van Nistelrooy was appointed as United's interim head coach while they searched for a long-term successor. In four matches, he won three, drawing one against Chelsea. Two of the three wins were against Cooper's Leicester - a 5-2 victory in the League Cup and a 3-0 win in the Premier League, both played at Old Trafford.
Amorim decided not to keep van Nistelrooy as part of his coaching staff, meaning he left the club to pursue his ambition to become a Premier League manager. He didn't have to wait long with Leicester appointing him on 29th November on a two-and-a-half-year deal. Ben Dawson was the caretaker manager for the Foxes' 4-1 defeat at Brentford on Saturday 30th November. Van Nistelrooy's first match in charge of the Foxes will be on Tuesday 3rd December against Julen Lopetagui's West Ham at the King Power Stadium.
|Ruud van Nistelrooy Manager Stats|
|Club|Matches|Wins|Draws|Losses|Points Per Game|
|---|
|PSV U19|51|26|13|12|1.78|
|PSV U18|4|4|0|0|3|
|PSV U21|37|11|10|16|1.16|
|PSV First Team|50|34|8|8|2.20|
|Manchester United (Interim Head Coach)|4|3|1|0|2.50|
Information gathered from Transfermarkt and Leicester City - Correct as of 02/12/24.