Top 5 longest-serving managers in Premier League right now

The English Premier League has been exciting as Manchester City won their third Premier League title in four years, while Sheffield United, West Bromwich Albion, and Fulham were relegated. Manchester United finished second in the Premier League with 74 points from 12 games, 12 points behind champions Manchester City. After defeating Crystal Palace, Liverpool finished third in the Premier League table. Despite losing 2-1 to 11th-placed Aston Villa, Chelsea finished fourth, while Leicester City were defeated 4-2 by Tottenham Hotspur and failed to qualify for the Champions League. The Foxes would be heartbroken on the final day of the Premier League 2020-21 season, the Blues would be relieved, and the Reds would be overjoyed to have finished a terrible season with a positive outcome.

As the English Premier League has come to an end, we have decided to take a look at the longest-serving football managers in the Premier League right now. So, without further ado, let’s start.

1. Sean Dyche - Burnley (8 years, 206 days)

Sean Dyche took over as Burnley’s manager in the 2012 mid-season. The Clarets had their best start to a season since they were formed in 1882, and Dyche was voted Championship manager of the month for September 2013. After a four-year absence, the team smashed several club records and was promoted to the Premier League. However, their stay in the Premier League was short-lived, as they were relegated to the Championship with two games to spare. In the 2015–16 season, he led Burnley to the Premier League for the second time. In 2018, he led Burnley to a seventh-place finish in the top-tier. For the first time in over half a century, they qualified for the Europa League, and it was their highest finish in a top-tier season since a sixth-place finish in 1974.

2. Jurgen Klopp - Liverpool (5 years, 228 days)

Second on our list is German manager Jurgen Klopp. Klopp agreed to a three-year contract to replace Brendan Rodgers as Liverpool manager on October 8, 2015. He led Liverpool to their first European final since 2007 in his first season, defeating Villarreal 3-1 on aggregate in the UEFA Europa League semi-finals. Liverpool lost 1-3 against Sevilla in the final. The Reds finished fourth in the Premier League in 2017–18, qualifying for the Champions League for the second year in a row. After a 7–6 aggregate triumph over Roma in the semi-final, Klopp led Liverpool to their first UEFA Champions League final since 2007. However, they lost the final to Real Madrid. Next season, they managed to lift their sixth Champions League, beating Tottenham. In the 2019-20 Premier League season, Klopp guided Liverpool to its first Premier League title.

Also Read | Jurgen Klopp’s first Liverpool line-up: Where are they now?

3. Pep Guardiola - Manchester City (4 years, 327 days)

Former Barcelona and Bayern Munich manager Pep Guardiola joined Manchester City in 2016. He helped Manchester City lift their third Premier League title. The team smashed many records as they managed 100 points in the league, which is still a record. Next season, he guided his team to a domestic treble, winning the FA Cup and EFL Cup. In the 2019-20 season, they failed to defend the league title but lifted the EFL Cup for a third consecutive time. In the recently concluded Premier League, Guardiola guided City to its fifth Premier League title and eighth EFL Cup.

Also Read | Stats show how Pep Guardiola has raised the standard of the Premier League

4. Marcelo Bielsa - Leeds United (2 years, 343 days)

Bielsa signed a two-year contract with then Championship side Leeds United in 2018.  In doing so, he became the highest-paid manager in Leeds United history. Despite an impressive start in his first season as Leeds manager, the Peacocks failed to qualify through automatic promotions and lost against Derby in the promotional playoffs. Next season, Leeds returned stronger to lift the Championship title and gained an automatic promotion to the Premier League. He led his team to finish ninth in the recently concluded Premier League, three points shy from European spots. 

5. Dean Smith - Aston Villa (2 years, 343 days)

Dean Smith was named manager of 14th-placed Championship team Aston Villa on October 10, 2018, with John Terry as his assistant coach. In his first season itself, he guided the team to the playoffs, where they defeated West Brom and Derby County to win the promotion to the Premier League. However, Smith’s Villans were threatened with relegation in the 2019-20 season, but they managed to draw their last game of the season and avoided relegation. In the third game of the 2020-21 Premier League season, Smith’s Aston Villa thrashed defending champions Liverpool 7-2 at home. Dean Smith’s Aston Villa made a brilliant comeback in the 2020-21 season and ended up 11th in the league table.

Here's the full table:

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