Who has managed the most Premier League teams

Sam Allardyce holds the record for most teams managed in Premier League history, after taking charge of eight clubs throughout his managerial career in England’s top tier.

Big Sam’s first role as a manager in the Premier League came back in 2001 with Bolton Wanderers. Allardyce was appointed as manager of the Lancashire outfit in 1999 and led them to promotion in 2001, with a team that featured the likes of Jussi Jääskeläinen, Kevin Nolan, and Ricardo Gardner. Allardyce built up an iconic Bolton team, establishing them as a top ten Premier League side, with stars such as Gary Speed, El Hadj-Diouf, and Jay-Jay Okocha. He led the Trotters to a sixth-place finish in 2005, earning them a spot in the Europa League, before resigning in 2007 with the club in fifth place.

Allardyce then took over at Newcastle in May 2007, which didn’t last long due to poor form and saw him dismissed eight months later. He then had a two-year spell in charge of Blackburn before taking over at West Ham in the Championship in 2011 – guiding them to an immediate Premier League return – where he remained until 2014.

In 2015, the former Bolton centre-back joined Sunderland and kept them safe from relegation, before leaving to pursue the England job, but returned to club management to take the reins at Crystal Palace in 2016. He kept the Eagles up before leaving after one season and announced his retirement, but that wasn’t to be the case and he was announced as Everton manager in 2017. His last role came in charge of West Brom during the 2021/22 season – but he was unable to save the Baggies from the drop, which resulted in his first and only relegation from the Premier League.

Second on the list is Mark Hughes, who managed six Premier League clubs.

After beginning his managerial career in the hotseat of his national side, Wales, Hughes’ first club managerial position came in 2004 when he became Blackburn Rovers boss. Hughes had four good years at Rovers before Manchester City came calling in June 2008.

The former Manchester United midfielder brought in what turned out to be some of Manchester City’s most iconic signings, such as Vincent Kompany and Pablo Zabaleta, as the Sheikh Mansour era began to take shape. Hughes was sacked after a poor run of form in December 2009, before a short stint at Fulham ended after just 11 months.

Hughes took up the role of QPR manager midway through the 2011/12 campaign, keeping the club up and avoiding relegation, but was sacked a few months later after a dire start to the following season. Hughes’ next job came in charge of Stoke City, lasting over four years at the Potters, where he cemented their place in the Premier League before things went awry.

Sparky’s last Premier League role to date was his short stint as Southampton manager in 2018. Hughes lasted nine months before being dismissed.

Roy Hodgson has also managed six Premier League clubs, following a career that has seen him travel the globe.

After spells managing teams in Sweden, the Switzerland national team, and Inter Milan, Hodgson’s first role in the Premier League came in charge of Blackburn in 1997. The former Crystal Palace youth player had a decent first season and achieved UEFA Cup qualification, before a disappointing second season saw him sacked with the club bottom of the table. He then spent some more time managing abroad, making the return to English football in 2007 with Fulham. Hodgson spent three years at Craven Cottage, turning the West Londoners from relegation contenders to Europa League finalists which attracted the interest of Liverpool.

Hodgson was announced as Liverpool manager in 2010 but lasted just six months before he departed. His next job was in charge of West Brom, where he guided the Baggies to a tenth-place finish in 2011/12, before leaving after to pursue the England job.

Hodgson returned to his boyhood club, Crystal Palace, in 2017. He spent four years at Selhurst Park, establishing the South London side as a comfortable Premier League outfit. He decided to step down in 2021, with it looking as though he could retire from management, but that wasn’t to be the case. Hodgson took charge of Watford last season in an attempt to rescue them from the drop, but it ultimately failed, and the Hornets were relegated.

The manager with the fourth most teams managed in the Premier League is Harry Redknapp, who was the manager of five different clubs.

Redknapp’s first managerial job in the Premier League came at one of his former clubs, West Ham. He took over in 1994 and established the Hammers as a Premier League side, bringing through players such Rio Ferdinand, Michael Carrick, Joe Cole, and Frank Lampard along the way before his surprise exit in 2001.

He was then acquired by Portsmouth – firstly as a Director of Football – before taking over as boss in 2002. Redknapp gained promotion to the Premier League with Pompey, then kept them up the following season, before leaving the club. His next club would be rivals Southampton in 2004. He was unable to save the Saints from the drop and resigned in 2005 with the team in the Championship. Redknapp then made the controversial move back to Portsmouth where he kept them in the Premier League and guided them to an FA Cup triumph, before leaving in October 2008 to take the reins at Tottenham.

Redknapp had a memorable four years at Spurs, seeing them finish in the top four on numerous occasions. However, he failed to agree on a new contract and left the North London outfit in 2012. Later that year, he replaced Mark Hughes at QPR, but failed to keep them in the topflight. He led them to an immediate return to the Premier League but resigned from the role in 2015.

The final manager on this list is Alan Pardew, who also managed five Premier League teams across his career.

Pardew’s first Premier League appointment was at West Ham in 2003, where he guided the Hammers back into the Premier League and managed to finish in the top ten, before being sacked in in 2006. Not long after, he was appointed as Charlton Athletic manager, but failed to keep them in the top flight.

In 2010 Pardew became Newcastle United boss, where he won the Premier League Manager of the Season for the 2011/12 campaign after the Magpies’ stellar season saw them narrowly miss out on a top four finish. Pardew left St James’ Park in 2015 to become the gaffer at his former club, Palace. He lasted just short of two years at the Eagles before being sacked.

Pardew’s final job in the top tier was at West Brom, in a bid to save the Baggies’ Premier League status. They went ten games without a win though, and Pardew was sacked after just four months.