On Sunday, two Premier League managers lost their jobs on the same day, which is a rare occurrence. Brendan Rodgers was involved in both sackings, with Leicester City announcing his departure after the club slipped into the relegation zone. The Foxes were beaten 2-1 by Crystal Palace on Saturday, prompting the decision to axe Rodgers in a bid to avoid relegation. Rodgers became the twelfth Premier League manager to be relieved of their duties in the 2022-23 campaign.
Rodgers arrived at Leicester from Celtic in February 2019 and led them to both the FA Cup and Community Shield in 2021. He also guided Leicester to the Europa Conference League semi-finals last term. However, a miserable run of form this season has led to the Foxes pulling the trigger on his tenure.
Chelsea also announced on Sunday that Graham Potter had been sacked after just six months in charge. Potter was hired on a five-year deal worth £12m-a-year after Champions League-winning manager Thomas Tuchel was axed following a poor start to the season. However, Potter was unable to turn the club’s fortunes around, with the Blues sliding to 11th in the top-flight after their 2-0 home defeat to Aston Villa on Saturday.
Potter leaves Chelsea with the worst record of any Blues manager in the Premier League era, being dismissed after a horror run. The former Brighton boss leaves Stamford Bridge with the worst points-per-game record of Blues managers who have managed more than 20 games – picking up an average of 1.27 points per game. Potter won seven of his 22 league matches in charge of the club, drew seven and lost eight. That translated to the Blues collecting a mere 28 points from an available 66.
Former Spurs and PSG boss Mauricio Pochettino is one of the favourites for the Chelsea job now, with Julian Nagelsmann also available after his Bayern Munich sacking – himself replaced by ex-Blues man Thomas Tuchel. Pochettino, 50, remains a free agent having been sacked by Paris Saint-Germain in June 2022 despite leading them to the French title. Other candidates include former Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane, former Spain manager Luis Enrique, Eintracht Frankfurt’s Oliver Glasner, and even two-time former Blues boss Jose Mourinho.
Interestingly, Rodgers and Potter are the first Premier League managers to lose their job on the same day mid-season since 4 October, 2015. On that day, Rodgers was sacked by Liverpool while Dick Advocaat resigned from Sunderland. The Reds got rid of Rodgers, who had led them to a second-placed finish in 2014, after three and a half years in charge after dropping down to tenth in the table. Dutchman Advocaat kept Sunderland up the year prior and was declared a hero on Wearside but he walked away after failing to pick up a top-flight win in the first two months of the following campaign.
In conclusion, Sunday was a day of upheaval in the Premier League as two managers lost their jobs. Brendan Rodgers was sacked by Leicester City after a poor run of form this season, while Graham Potter was dismissed by Chelsea after just six months in charge. Both managers will be looking for new opportunities, with Mauricio Pochettino and Julian Nagelsmann among the favourites to replace Potter at Stamford Bridge.