Mauricio Pochettino was viewed by many as the perfect man for Chelsea's bold new era but unprecedented circumstances in terms of transfer outlay and player turnover have amounted to a very tough hand at Stamford Bridge.
A 4-1 defeat at Anfield to Premier League leaders Liverpool was followed by a 4-2 reverse at home to Wolves to end January and begin February in 2024.
"I think we are all together in this and that's important," Pochettino said when asked about his future head of the FA Cup fourth-round replay against Aston Villa.
"I received very good texts from [the owners]. Of course I am in contact with them and the sporting director every day."
Irrespective of whether that just falls short of the dreaded vote of confidence, one manager who appears to be in bigger trouble in Roy Hodgson.
The veteran's return to Crystal Palace has turned sour and a 4-1 thrashing at the hands of bitter rivals Brighton & Hove Albion felt like a result to take him to the brink.
The Sporting News looks at which Premier League manager could be the next to go.
MORE: Premier League fixtures: Complete schedule, dates, times
Next Premier League manager to leave odds
After Paul Heckingbottom was dismissed following Sheffield United's 5-0 loss to Burnley, the next manager to leave his role this season was Steve Cooper, who was sacked by Nottingham Forest on December 19. Former Wolves and Spurs boss Nuno Espirito Santo replaced him.
Aside from short odds relating to Hodgson and Pochettino, the rest of the betting market speaks of relative stability.
Jurgen Klopp has announced he will end his celebrated Liverpool tenure at the end of the season and that fact alone places him third in the betting.
Newcastle returning to winning ways after four consecutive Premier League defeats with an impressive triumph at high-flying Aston Villa served to quell murmurings around Eddie Howe.
Burnley look increasingly doomed in the relegation battle, causing Vincent Kompany's odds to narrow, although the former Manchester City captain probably has enough credit in the bank after masterminding an unlikely promotion last term.
Odds correct on February 6, 2023
| Manager | Club | Sky Bet (UK) |
|---|---|---|
| Roy Hodgson | Crystal Palace | 2/5 |
| Mauricio Pochettino | Chelsea | 3/1 |
| Jurgen Klopp | Liverpool | 12/1 |
| No manager to leave | — | — |
| Vincent Kompany | Burnley | 12/1 |
| Eddie Howe | Newcastle | 14/1 |
| Erik ten Hag | Manchester United | 18/1 |
| Marco Silva | Fulham | 20/1 |
| Roberto De Zerbi | Brighton | 22/1 |
| Nuno Espirito Santo | Nottingham Forest | 25/1 |
First manager sacked in each Premier League season
The first manager sacked in Premier League history was Ian Porterfield of Chelsea, who lasted 29 matches before being axed in mid-February in 1993.
The fastest manager ever sacked in the Premier League was Kenny Dalglish, who was ousted at Newcastle United after just two matches into the 1998/99 season. Peter Reid, Bobby Robson, Frank de Boer, Javi Gracia and Scott Parker were all given the boot after just four matches.
The first managers to go usually find themselves without a job at some time in the autumn or early winter. However, there was a notable outlier in 1999/2000: it took until March 21, 29 matchdays into the season, for the first manager to leave his role — that was Danny Wilson of Sheffield Wednesday.
Tottenham are the club that appears on this list the most, having been the first to part ways with their manager in four seasons. Newcastle appear three times, as do Chelsea and Sunderland.
Parker's exit in 2022/23 came extremely early: on average, the first Premier League manager is sacked after 10.8 games. It wasn't until 14 games into the 2023/24 that Paul Heckingbottom finally became the first manager to go for the season.
| Season | Manager | Club | Date | Premier League matches played |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992/93 | Ian Porterfield | Chelsea | Feb. 15, 1993 | 29 |
| 1993/94 | Peter Reid | Man City | Aug. 25, 1993 | 4 |
| 1994/95 | Osvaldo Ardiles* | Tottenham | Nov. 1, 1994 | 12 |
| 1995/96 | Roy McFarland | Bolton | Jan. 3, 1996 | 22 |
| 1996/97 | Howard Wilkinson | Leeds United | Sept. 9, 1996 | 5 |
| 1997/98 | David Pleat | Sheffield Wed | Nov. 3, 1997 | 13 |
| 1998/99 | Kenny Dalglish | Newcastle | Aug. 27, 1998 | 2 |
| 1999/00 | Danny Wilson | Sheffield Wed | Mar. 21, 2000 | 29 |
| 2000/01 | Gianluca Vialli | Chelsea | Sept. 12, 2000 | 5 |
| 2001/02 | Peter Taylor | Leicester City | Sept. 30, 2001 | 8 |
| 2002/03 | Peter Reid | Sunderland | Oct. 7, 2002 | 9 |
| 2003/04 | Glenn Hoddle | Tottenham | Sept. 22, 2003 | 6 |
| 2004/05 | Bobby Robson | Newcastle | Aug. 30, 2004 | 4 |
| 2005/06 | Alain Perrin | Portsmouth | Nov. 24, 2005 | 13 |
| 2006/07 | Iain Dowie | Charlton Athletic | Nov. 13, 2006 | 12 |
| 2007/08 | Martin Jol | Tottenham | Oct. 25, 2007 | 10 |
| 2008/09 | Juande Ramos | Tottenham | Oct. 25, 2008 | 8 |
| 2009/10 | Paul Hart | Portsmouth | Nov. 24, 2009 | 13 |
| 2010/11 | Chris Hughton | Newcastle | Dec. 6, 2010 | 16 |
| 2011/12 | Steve Bruce | Sunderland | Nov. 30, 2011 | 13 |
| 2012/13 | Roberto Di Matteo | Chelsea | Nov. 21, 2012 | 12 |
| 2013/14 | Paolo Di Canio | Sunderland | Sept. 23, 2013 | 5 |
| 2014/15 | Neil Warnock | Crystal Palace | Dec. 27, 2014 | 18 |
| 2015/16 | Brendan Rodgers | Liverpool | Oct. 4, 2015 | 8 |
| 2016/17 | Francesco Guidolin | Swansea City | Oct. 3, 2016 | 7 |
| 2017/18 | Frank De Boer | Crystal Palace | Sept. 11, 2017 | 4 |
| 2018/19 | Slavisa Jokanovic | Fulham | Nov. 14, 2018 | 12 |
| 2019/20 | Javi Gracia | Watford | Sept. 7, 2019 | 4 |
| 2020/21 | Slaven Bilic | West Brom | Dec. 16, 2020 | 13 |
| 2021/22 | Xisco Munoz | Watford | Oct. 3, 2021 | 7 |
| 2022/23 | Scott Parker | Bournemouth | Aug. 30, 2022 | 4 |
| 2023/24 | Paul Heckingbottom | Sheff. United | Dec. 5, 2023 | 14 |
*In 1994/95, West Ham manager Billy Bonds resigned before the official start of the season
Betting on first manager sacked or next manager
When betting on the first manager sacked in a Premier League season, it's important to pay close attention to the title of the bet.
Sometimes, managers can depart of their own accord, or by "mutual consent", leading to some questions around what constitutes being "sacked".
Officially, the bet is often titled "Next Premier League Manager to Leave their Club", which eliminates much of the confusion around what constitutes being fired, released, let go, or departing by mutual consent. For example, Pep Guardiola is highly unlikely to be sacked by Man City any time soon, but bookmakers think it's conceivable he could leave amid the investigation into the club's finances.
Additionally, when placing bets involving "Next Manager" for a club, the word "Permanent" is often included, meaning interim managers are not given consideration for a winning bet. Thus, if a manager is given an "interim" tag as a replacement, the bet remains open until the "interim" tag is removed or a new permanent boss is hired from elsewhere.
Premier League 2023/24 TV channels, live streams
MORE: Watch every Premier League match in Canada on Fubo
| Region | TV | Streaming |
| Canada | — | |
| UK | Sky Sports, TNT Sports | NOW TV, Sky Go, Amazon Prime |
| USA | USA Network, Telemundo, Universo | Fubo, Peacock |
UK: Matches are carried across Sky Sports and TNT Sports streaming and TV platforms, with select matches on Amazon Prime.
USA: Select matches are televised on USA Network (English) and Telemundo or Universo (Spanish), and all three channels can be streamed on Fubo. The rest of the matches are streamed on NBC platform Peacock for subscribers.
Canada: Every Premier League game this season is live streaming exclusively via Fubo in Canada.