Transferring from a profitable Premier League aspect to a so-called ‘big-six’ membership is typically seen because the pure subsequent step for a supervisor.
By the ‘huge six’ we’re referring to Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester Metropolis, Manchester United and Tottenham.
Commercial
We don’t use that time period to disparage the likes of or Newcastle who’ve certified for the Champions League in current seasons, or certainly some other top-flight crew.
However these six golf equipment have largely dominated the highest of the desk over the previous 15 years or so.
So will Andoni Iraola, , be capable of make the step up from Bournemouth after ending, mockingly, in sixth place with the Cherries?
The info suggests it is without doubt one of the hardest transitions within the recreation – with quick tenures, blended outcomes and no main silverware gained by a supervisor taking that step inside the Premier League.
Commercial
In current seasons, Thomas Frank, Graham Potter and Nuno Espirito Santo all struggled to make the leap.
A collection of quick spells
For managers who earn a transfer to one of many Premier League’s largest golf equipment, the chance can arrive shortly. So can also the scrutiny.
Essentially the most constant sample is how quick these spells are usually. Of the managers BBC Sport has analysed, the bulk didn’t final two full seasons, with a number of dismissed earlier than finishing their first marketing campaign.
David Moyes’ appointment at in 2013 stays one of many clearest examples.
Hand-picked from by Sir Alex Ferguson – who urged supporters to “stand by your new supervisor” in his farewell speech – Moyes arrived with each backing and expectation. He was dismissed simply 10 months right into a six-year contract. The Pink Devils missed out on Champions League qualification for the primary time since 1995.
Commercial
Roy Hodgson’s transfer to Liverpool adopted a special path however ended equally. Appointed in July 2010 after main to the Europa League last, Hodgson stated he was honoured to be taking “the most important job in membership soccer”.
However he was passed by January the next yr – with the Reds twelfth within the league having gained simply seven of their 20 matches.
Different managers adopted an identical trajectory. Potter lasted 22 league matches at after becoming a member of from , whereas Nuno managed simply 10 at Tottenham after taking from the Championship to a Europa League quarter-final.
Extra just lately, Thomas Frank’s time at Tottenham bolstered the identical development, with the Dane becoming a member of Spurs after a formidable spell at Brentford however solely lasting 26 video games.
Commercial
Even when managers have been afforded extra time, success and stability proved elusive.
Mark Hughes spent about 18 months at earlier than being changed, whereas Brendan Rodgers, Harry Redknapp and Mauricio Pochettino all accomplished greater than three seasons at their respective golf equipment however with out successful silverware.
[BBC]
Increased hopes and blended outcomes
The logic behind many of those appointments appears easy – managers who’ve outperformed expectations are tasked with delivering even higher outcomes with stronger squads.
However the actuality is extra sophisticated.
Factors-per-game figures present a blended image. Rodgers improved considerably after transferring from Swansea to Liverpool aged 39 in 2012.
Commercial
He was seen as one of many high flight’s rising managerial stars – and shortly raised hopes, with Liverpool going near the title in 2013-14. However he couldn’t recreate that success and was sacked in October 2015.
Redknapp additionally improved Tottenham’s outcomes after arriving from Portsmouth, guiding the membership into the Champions League and establishing them within the high 4.
Pochettino represents one other instance of relative success. After impressing at Southampton, he joined Tottenham in 2014 and developed a aspect that recurrently challenged on the high finish of the desk.
The Argentine led Spurs to a second-placed end in 2016-17 and their first Champions League last in 2019, the place they have been crushed by Liverpool. However poor outcomes amid heightened expectations led to his dismissal later that yr.
[BBC]
Past these examples, progress turns into much less constant.
Commercial
Hughes’ numbers at Manchester Metropolis have been broadly consistent with his document at Blackburn.
Hodgson’s dipped barely after transferring to Liverpool, whereas Frank’s fell after his change to Spurs.
Elsewhere, the variations have been marginal. Potter’s Chelsea document confirmed solely a slight enchancment on his Brighton common, throughout a a lot smaller pattern.
Whereas a couple of managers improved their points-per-game price, these positive factors have been typically modest and inconsistent.
Briefly, stepping up doesn’t assure higher outcomes and – in some circumstances – efficiency declines.
No trophies – however some near-misses
Maybe essentially the most hanging level is the best.
Commercial
Because the present ‘huge six’ took form after Metropolis’s 2008 takeover, no supervisor has stepped as much as a type of six groups from one other Premier League aspect and gone on to win a significant trophy.
There have been near-misses. Rodgers got here near a Premier League title, whereas Pochettino was 90 minutes away from successful the Champions League..
Enzo Maresca had secured promotion when he swapped Leicester for Chelsea in 2024, however had not but managed a recreation within the high flight earlier than his transfer.
He went on to win the Convention League and the Membership World Cup in what proved to be his solely full season at Stamford Bridge.
Commercial
joined Chelsea from Championship aspect Derby County in 2019 and secured Champions League soccer in his first season, however was dismissed after 18 months.
Michael Carrick, who was just lately , managed within the Championship beforehand with Middlesbrough.
Why is the step up so tough?
The explanations usually are not all the time instantly apparent, however they’re constant.
There are extra matches, together with European competitors, and fewer time to organize.
Within the 2025-26 season, the normal ‘big-six’ golf equipment performed a median of 55 matches throughout all competitions – eight greater than different Premier League groups.
Commercial
Success at different top-flight golf equipment can come from intelligent switch enterprise and overperformance relative to assets.
In lots of circumstances, merely sustaining their Premier League standing is a membership’s major goal, with something past that thought-about a bonus – a distinction to an expectation of delivering trophies.
Expectations shift from exceeding targets to assembly them persistently. Profitable is not an incentive – it’s a minimal requirement.
A run of poor type that is likely to be tolerated elsewhere can shortly grow to be decisive. The strain is bigger, the scrutiny extra intense, and the margin for error smaller.
Commercial
Even managers with robust reputations and clearly outlined kinds have discovered that adjustment tough.
That doesn’t imply the transfer is destined to fail. Redknapp, Rodgers and Pochettino variously present it might work – and Maresca’s trophies present success is feasible.
Iraola left Bournemouth after main them to Europe for the primary time, an increase that makes his subsequent step much more vital.
Would a season in Europe at Bournemouth have been useful to Iraola? Or can the Spaniard buck the development and finish the trophyless streak of managers making a ‘big-six’ transfer?