Alonso, Fabregas beware: Ranking all 25 ex-players returning to manage Premier League clubs

With all Big Six clubs other than Arsenal either in crisis, on the brink of crisis, battening down the hatches for a stratospheric crisis or already enjoying the benefit of their vibe-based crisis saviour, we’re faced with the very real possibility of all of them following the Gunners’ lead and appointing their very own Knows The Club manager.

Liverpool only have eyes for Xabi Alonso , Cesc Fabregas’ excellent work at Como has caught Chelsea’s attention , Vincent Kompany has put himself at the forefront of Manchester City minds amid doubts over Pep Guardiola’s future, Michael Carrick is doing himself no harm in interim charge of Manchester United and Robbie Keane is in the running to pick up the increasingly scattered pieces at Tottenham.

But should club legends return? Here we’ve ranked all Premier League managers who returned to take the reins at a former club, including their top-flight points per game (PPG).

PPG: 0.63

“‘That’s a good f****** start!’ I thought,” Shearer said, using the players’ training tardiness as evidence of their poor attitude. One win and four goals in eight games when you have Mark Viduka, Michael Owen, Obafemi Martins and Shola Ameobi suggests the coaching wasn’t all that great either, Alan.

PPG: 0.86

Lombardo was handed the reins as player-manager for Palace’s final seven games of the 1997/98 season after Steve Coppell decided to swap the dugout for the office of director of football. Unsurprisingly, seeing as Lombardo had no managerial experience whatsoever, Palace lost five of those seven games and were relegated.

PPG: 0.81

Brought Palace up to the Premier League, but even 21 goals from love child Andy Johnson couldn’t prevent immediate relegation.

PPG: 0.77

The ball striker extraordinaire turned managerial journeyman just about saved Southampton from relegation in 2017/18 before being shown the door 14 games into a second season with the Saints 18th and just one point off the foot of the table.

PPG: 1.00

Secured a mid-table finish in his first season in charge but was sacked before the end of a second in what would prove to be Wednesday’s last in the Premier League.

PPG: 0.74

They played some half-decent stuff but 27 goals in 38 games was never going to be enough to avoid relegation.

PPG: 1.07

Brought Bolton’s 12-year stint in the top flight to an end and they’ve not looked like returning since.

PPG: 1.05

12th in his first season and relegated the next, England’s most successful manager since Sir Alf Ramsey has plenty to prove in club management and is perfectly happy to keep us all guessing .

PPG: 1.91

“They love homegrown players at Liverpool. Tottenham fans like signings,” said Sherwood as Harry Kane watched from the bench ahead of scoring 31 goals in his next season. He blagged Spurs to a sixth-placed finish they would currently bend over backwards for.

PPG: 1.27

An exciting, effective footballer, he left most of the effectiveness behind in management, trading it for all that karma bullsh*t.

PPG: 1.26

Led City to ninth in the inaugural Premier League season after fifth-placed finishes in the two previous campaigns. Was sacked having picked up one point from four games of his fourth campaign.

PPG: 1.52

Finished his first stint at Chelsea with a perfectly acceptable PPG of 1.76 before five points from nine games on his return to Stamford Bridge left his reputation in tatters.

PPG: 1.58

Did a perfectly serviceable job across two interim spells and that PPG across a third would see Spurs finish on 41 points.

PPG: 2.00

A draw with Chelsea and a win over Leicester to persuade those poor Foxes to hire him as their permanent boss and condemn them to the Championship. Still, he can boast a better Premier League PPG at Man Utd than every boss since Sir Alex Ferguson, other than Sir Michael of Carrick.

PPG: 1.21

The late, great Wilkins led QPR to eighth after he took over as player-manager before they were relegated in his first full season. A fantastic footballer, an excellent coach and a wonderful human being…

– Monday, 14 September 2020

PPG: 1.81

Did a decent job as a returning club legend before reaching the limit of his capabilities and that is the fear the INEOS bosses are currently wrestling with as they ponder a long-term future under Michael Carrick.

PPG: 1.20

Took Boro to two domestic cup finals but saved “the best of the lot” for West Brom as they pulled off the Great Escape, becoming the exception to the Bottom At Christmas rule of relegation.

PPG: 1.15

Strachan survived the drop with Coventry for four successive seasons before eventually taking them down. The quintessential late 90s Prem boss.

PPG: 1.31

‘Aren’t you putting your boots on Gaz?’ ‘It’s Gaffer to you now, son.’ We assume it went something like that, as Monk hung those boots up and grasped the managerial reins. He dragged Swansea to safety in his first season and led them to eighth in the following campaign. He was sacked the next year after one win in 11.

PPG: 2.25

Impossible to tell quite how much of the United uptick is down to relief of Ruben Amorim’s exit and the concern among the Red Devils chiefs will be that Carrick’s side aren’t winning games through control but moments of quality from very good players who are getting an awful lot of rest between games compared to their Champions League qualification rivals. Still, some record that.

PPG: 1.63

Won the FA Cup as player-manager in 1998 and led them to their highest Premier League finish of fourth.

PPG: 1.33

Achieved West Ham’s record Premier League points tally (62) in 2015/16 before it was broken under David Moyes (65) in 2020/21.

PPG: 1.83

Sacked 12 games into the 2012/2013 season with Chelsea third, six months after winning both the Champions League and FA Cup. Forever an absurd football club.

PPG: 2.00

Yeah OK, he’s been pretty good. But Arteta being so clearly the best of the returnees suggests the rivals looking to follow suit this summer, if not before, should be wary of appointing former players based on their knowledge of clubs that are all very different to the ones they used to play for.