The Premier League has been blessed with hordes of talented managers over the years, with the likes of Sir Alex Ferguson, Pep Guardiola, Arsene Wenger, Jose Mourinho and Jurgen Klopp all having claims to be the best.
For Neil Warnock, it is legendary Arsenal boss Wenger who comes out on top, while Ferguson – despite the dynasty he built at Old Trafford – ranks fourth in his list. Unsurprisingly, his opinion has stirred some heated debates.
After all, Ferguson is the most-decorated coach in the history of the top flight. He won a record 13 titles across his 27-year reign, and regularly bettered his peers. No manager has yet come close to matching his achievements.
Sir Alex Ferguson has been selected by Sportsmail’s experts as the best Premier League boss
But Warnock, who has presided over a record 1,603 games during his 41-year career, said that three other bosses have brought more to life at the top table when asked to name his top five all-time Premier League managers.
As a result, Sportsmail has asked several of our experts for their picks and to explain their decision-making…
Neil Warnock, a coaching veteran himself, revealed that Arsene Wenger takes his No 1 place
Wenger managed Arsenal for 22 years and Warnock claims he changed the outlook of football
ROB DRAPER
1. Sir Alex Ferguson
2. Pep Guardiola
3. Arsene Wenger
4. Jose Mourinho
5. Claudio Ranieri
Not to have Sir Alex No 1 seems to me to be obtuse to the point of perversity. The 13 title wins and the longevity – managing the transition between great teams in a way Wenger didn’t after 2006 – puts him way out in front.
Wenger of course, as Warnock points out, has influence way beyond his three titles but I would argue tactically Guardiola has changed us as much, produced football as sublime as Wenger’s and has three titles in five years.
Klopp will doubtless make this list soon but I think Ranieri edges him for now. They have one title apiece and clearly the Italian’s stands out as the greatest title win in Premier League history, unlikely ever to be surpassed.
Pep Guardiola has produced football as sublime as Wenger’s and has three titles in five years
MIKE KEEGAN
1. Sir Alex Ferguson
By a million miles. Nobody comes close. With every day that passes of the current Old Trafford bin fire, his incredible accomplishments stand even taller.
2. Jose Mourinho
It’s easy to forget that before the Special One turned up, Chelsea were far from that. Yes – he enjoyed financial backing – but his almost instant delivery of success at a perennial underachiever was sensational.
3. Arsenal Wenger
He came, he saw, he revolutionised. His Arsenal machine was a mix of the brutal and the brilliant. A shame he had to spend years paying for a stadium.
4. Jurgen Klopp
Delivered where many others failed in ending Liverpool’s trophy drought in what was one of the Premier League’s greatest achievements. Continues to keep the Reds in the mix despite financial constraints.
5. Pep Guardiola
His impact on the game is there for all to see. His City teams have been a joy to watch while his tactics have redefined the norm.
Chelsea were far from special when Jose Mourinho took the job but he delivered immediately
MATT BARLOW
1. Sir Alex Ferguson
2. Pep Guardiola
3. Arsene Wenger
4. Jose Mourinho
5. Jurgen Klopp
It is impossible to get away from Sir Alex Ferguson’s 13 Premier League titles out of 21 contested before his retirement in 2013. The manager is expected to win. If not why sack him when he doesn’t?
Pep Guardiola and Arsene Wenger are the two great revolutionaries of the Premier League era. Both have instigated radical change and set new trends. Both have won trophies while delivering football with flair and fluency.
But combine their Premier League titles – add in three from Mourinho and Klopp’s win in 2020 – and you are still three short of Fergie. The gulf is simple too great for any other factors to hold sway.
Jurgen Klopp takes fifth spot for this list after leading Liverpool to Premier League success
JACK GAUGHAN
1. Sir Alex Ferguson
2. Pep Guardiola
3. Arsene Wenger
4. Jose Mourinho
5. Jurgen Klopp
The order is debatable but I can’t imagine there will be too many other variations of the top five. Ferguson tops it for his longevity, while Klopp squeezes in for the way in which he has Liverpool playing.
Not a lot needs to be said for Guardiola, whose genius has shone through over the last five years.
Special mentions to Sir Bobby Robson for his triumphant time at Newcastle and Martin O’Neill’s consistency with Aston Villa and stabilising Leicester City as a top-flight club in the 1990s.
Ferguson is widely considered the greatest as a result of the longevity of his top-flight glory
RIATH AL-SAMARRAI
1. Sir Alex Ferguson
2. Pep Guardiola
3. Arsene Wenger
4. Jose Mourinho
5. Claudio Ranieri
Much as I have always enjoyed listening to Neil Warnock, I’m not sure I can buy into a list that doesn’t put Ferguson at No 1. Force of numbers, the creation of an empire, the reinventions of his squad – it’s too hefty a body of work to get silly about it.
Places two to four are largely interchangeable. Guardiola shades it for me by virtue of his innovations and the brilliance of his teams, and Wenger nudges Mourinho for the sheer scale of an unbeaten season.
He also deserves a nod for the consistency of keeping Arsenal in the Champions League for so long while the stadium was being paid off.
I’d have Ranieri at five, though clearly he isn’t the fifth best manager to work in the Premier League. Nor the sixth, seventh or eighth and so on.
But what he did in that one season will surely remain more memorable across time than almost anything else.
Many of the positions are interchangeable, but Wenger ranks highly for his unbeaten season