No English manager has won the Premier League until now? Liam Rosenior’s Chelsea test

January 15, 2026 Oliver Obel

Liam Rosenior’s appointment at Chelsea represents more than a personal breakthrough. It places an English coach at the heart of a Premier League question that has lingered since the competition was formed: why has the most global league in football never crowned an English managerial champion?

For Rosenior, 41, the move marks a rapid rise following spells at Hull City and Strasbourg. For English coaching more broadly, it is another test of whether opportunity rather than ability has been the missing ingredient.

A long-standing anomaly

Since the Premier League began in 1992, no English manager has won the title. Howard Wilkinson remains the most recent Englishman to oversee a league triumph, guiding Leeds United in 1991-92 under the old First Division structure.

BBC Sport reports that 12 managers have since lifted the Premier League trophy, a list dominated by Scotland’s Sir Alex Ferguson, who won 13 titles at Manchester United, and Spain’s Pep Guardiola, who has claimed six with Manchester City. None have been English.

That absence stands in contrast to Europe’s other major leagues, where domestic coaches have regularly won titles in Italy, Spain, Germany and France.

How foreign managers took over

The Premier League’s early years coincided with Ferguson’s Manchester United dynasty, setting a benchmark few could reach. Scottish manager Kenny Dalglish briefly interrupted that dominance with Blackburn Rovers in 1994-95, but the league soon became a magnet for elite coaches from abroad.

Arsene Wenger’s arrival at Arsenal in 1996 proved transformative. His three league titles, including the unbeaten 2003-04 season, reshaped training methods, recruitment and tactical thinking in English football.

Chelsea later accelerated that trend. Jose Mourinho’s appointment in 2004 signalled a willingness among top clubs to prioritise proven international winners, paving the way for managers such as Carlo Ancelotti, Antonio Conte and Jurgen Klopp to claim titles.

Former Aston Villa and Manchester United striker Dion Dublin told BBC Sport that many overseas managers arrived with an established record of winning. “A lot of the foreign managers that have come over here have had success in Europe and won trophies as well,” he said.

Opportunity as much as outcome

English managers, by contrast, have rarely been trusted with title-ready squads. BBC Sport analysis shows that elite clubs have overwhelmingly appointed foreign coaches during the Premier League era.

Tony Pulis, who managed Stoke City during the league’s most competitive years, told BBC Sport that access has been decisive. “I would ask how many English managers have managed the top clubs in the past 25 years,” he said. “This is why no English manager has won it.”

Rosenior’s path to Chelsea reflects a changing landscape. His appointment was enabled by the club’s multi-club ownership structure, offering a route that may not have existed a decade ago and raising questions about whether similar pathways are needed for English coaches to progress.

Who could end the drought?

Among current English managers, Rosenior’s position at Chelsea gives him the strongest platform, given the club’s resources and long-term ambition. Eddie Howe is also frequently cited after leading Newcastle United to their first domestic trophy in 70 years.

Frank Lampard, meanwhile, is rebuilding his managerial reputation at Championship leaders Coventry City after earlier spells at Chelsea and Everton.

Former Manchester United and England defender Phil Jones told BBC Sport that Howe stands out. “I think the number one would be Eddie Howe,” he said, citing his work at Bournemouth and Newcastle.

Wolverhampton Wanderers manager Gary O’Neil believes the drought will eventually end, but not easily. “I do think it will be done,” he told BBC Sport. “It is obviously a very, very difficult task.”

For Rosenior, the challenge is immediate. Success at Chelsea would not just reshape his own career it would rewrite a Premier League record that has stood for more than 30 years.

Sources: BBC Sport