The English Premier League is known for being cruel to managers, and the minute things start to deteriorate, club owners and fans alike turn their backs on their coaches and look to bring in a new face. Sometimes, it’s not always behind closed doors. Premier League bosses are publicly not given the support needed by the hierarchy, resulting in frustration for the supporters. Here, we’ll be taking a look at three managers who are on the chopping block and are likely to leave at the end of the season.
Arsene Wenger
I know what you’re thinking. Same old, same old, right? However, things could be different this time around. That too has become monotonous over the past couple of years, but one gets the feeling that the end is nigh for Arsene Wenger at Arsenal. Club owner, Stan Kroenke, his son Josh, as well as Chief Executive, Ivan Gazidis, have all been working behind the scenes to prevent the club going through a spell of turmoil like Manchester United when they parted ways with Sir Alex Ferguson.
Arsenal have brought in chief scout, Sven Mislintat, a man known as one of the best in the business in his field, as well as Raul Sanllehi, who took charge as head of football relations at the club. Two positions Wenger has previously stopped the club from finding an appointment, as the responsibility was placed on his shoulders.
Now, with the Arsenal boss’ tasks of football relations and scouting taken away from him, there are obvious signs that the board are preparing for life after Wenger. The fans are frustrated to a point where winning the UEFA Europa League might not even be enough to save his job. This could actually mark the season where we see the long-serving tenure of Wenger come to an end at Arsenal.
Antonio Conte
Antonio Conte probably has the hardest job in football – managing Chelsea. It seems building a relationship with Roman Abramovich can be quite easy at first, but when the club endure a bit of a downward spiral, things turn sour between owner and manager.
In this case, it is Conte who looks unhappy as well. Since the start of his second season, the Italian tactician has publicly voiced his frustrations in his dealings with transfers, resulting in the club set to finish outside the top four for the second time in three years.
The Blues haven’t done things the ‘Conte-way’ and it’s had a massive effect on their campaign. With the CV that Conte possesses, he could walk into another job tomorrow. The big issue now is for the Blues to find a suitable replacement.
Paul Lambert
This is one departure that seems almost certain to happen. Paul Lambert went to Stoke City with an impressive record of never being relegated in his managerial career, however, things are set to change this season. Lambert has won just one of his opening 10 games as Potters boss, and with the club set to drop down to the Championship, the head coach seat at Stoke may be vacant come end of the campaign. In every league, there are the same coaches doing the same merry-go-round, so don’t be surprised when you see Lambert back in the Premier League once he receives the inevitable boot from Stoke City chairman, Peter Coates.
Written by Jesse Nagel
