Andoni Iraola’s reported verbal agreement to take the helm at Liverpool, following his impressive sixth-place finish with Bournemouth and leading them to Europe for the first time, places him squarely in a managerial spotlight that has historically proven unforgiving. According to BBC Sport, data suggests that moving from a successful Premier League side to one of the ‘big six’ clubs – Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United and Tottenham – represents one of the most challenging transitions in modern football.

The unforgiving big-six transition

As highlighted by BBC Sport, the path from a mid-table overachiever to a ‘big six’ manager is fraught with peril, characterized by short tenures, mixed results and a notable absence of major silverware. Since Manchester City’s 2008 takeover, no manager making this specific step within the Premier League has gone on to win a major trophy.

BBC Sport’s analysis found that the majority of these appointments have failed to last two full seasons, with many dismissed before completing their first campaign.

The increased pressure and demands are stark. BBC Sport notes that ‘big six’ clubs played an average of 55 matches across all competitions in the 2025-26 season, eight more than other Premier League teams. This translates to less preparation time and a shift in expectation from exceeding targets to consistently meeting them, where winning is considered the minimum requirement.

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Several prominent examples underscore this difficulty:

David Moyes: Appointed at Manchester United in 2013 from Everton, he was dismissed just 10 months into a six-year contract. Under Moyes, United missed Champions League qualification for the first time since 1995. As Sir Alex Ferguson famously urged in his farewell speech, supporters were asked to “stand by your new manager,” but the backing proved insufficient.

Roy Hodgson: After guiding Fulham to the Europa League final, he called the Liverpool job “the biggest job in club football” upon his July 2010 appointment. He was sacked the following January, with Liverpool 12th in the league, having won only seven of 20 matches. His points-per-game dipped slightly at Anfield.

Graham Potter: Lasted just 22 league matches at Chelsea after joining from Brighton, with his record showing only a slight improvement on his Brighton average.

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Nuno Espirito Santo: Managed only 10 league matches at Tottenham, despite taking Wolves from the Championship to a Europa League quarter-final.

Thomas Frank: Lasted 26 games at Tottenham after joining from Brentford, with his points-per-game falling after the switch.

Near misses and the Championship anomaly

While outright failures are common, some managers have navigated the ‘big six’ landscape with more longevity, yet still fell short of major honours. Brendan Rodgers, who improved significantly after moving from Swansea to Liverpool in 2012, came close to a Premier League title in 2013-14 before his sacking in October 2015. Mauricio Pochettino, joining Tottenham in 2014 after impressing at Southampton, led Spurs to a second-placed finish in 2016-17 and their first Champions League final in 2019, only to be dismissed later that year after poor results. He was 90 minutes away from winning the Champions League.

Interestingly, managers stepping up from the Championship have shown a different, albeit still challenging, trajectory. Enzo Maresca, for instance, secured promotion with Leicester before swapping for Chelsea in 2024 without having managed a top-flight game. He defied the odds by winning the Conference League and Club World Cup in his only full season at Stamford Bridge. Frank Lampard also joined Chelsea from Championship side Derby County in 2019, securing Champions League football in his first season before being dismissed after 18 months. Michael Carrick, another Championship manager from Middlesbrough, was recently appointed permanent Manchester United head coach.

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For Andoni Iraola, the historical precedent is clear. His success at Bournemouth is commendable, but the leap to Liverpool presents a unique, high-stakes challenge that few before him have truly conquered with major silverware.

Sources: www.bbc.com

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