By Opta Analyst | Created at 2026-08-07 13:42:38 | Updated at 2026-08-07 15:33:44
3 hours ago
We look at the exclusive group of coaches who have won the Premier League title in their first season in charge of a club.
Managers to Win the Premier League in Their First Season at a Club
Alex Ferguson – Manchester United, 1992-93
José Mourinho – Chelsea, 2004-05
Carlo Ancelotti – Chelsea, 2009-10
Manuel Pellegrini – Manchester City, 2013-14
Claudio Ranieri – Leicester City, 2015-16
Antonio Conte – Chelsea, 2016-17
Arne Slot – Liverpool, 2024-25
Alex Ferguson
Manchester United, 1992-93
OK, so this one is kind of cheating. Alex Ferguson had already been in charge of Manchester United for six and a half years by the time the inaugural Premier League season kicked off in 1992-93.
However, as the top flight was rebranded to become the Premier League era, Ferguson technically won the competition in his first season in it.
That campaign ended United’s 26-year wait for a league title and began one of the most dominant dynasties in English football history. Ferguson went on to win 13 Premier League titles in total; at the time of his retirement in 2013, that was 10 more than anyone else (3 – Arsène Wenger).
United didn’t exactly start like champions, though. They collected just one point from their first three games and lost their opening two matches in 1992-93. But they clicked into gear and powered to glory, setting the tone for the two decades of dominance that followed.
José Mourinho
Chelsea, 2004-05
“Please don’t call me arrogant, but I’m European champion and I think I’m a special one.”
Those were the words José Mourinho used to announce his arrival at Chelsea, fresh off a Champions League triumph with Porto. He was brought in to win silverware – and that’s exactly what he did.
In his first season in charge, Mourinho delivered Chelsea’s maiden Premier League title – and their first English top-flight crown since 1954-55. In doing so, he became the first manager to win the Premier League in his debut season in English football.
Chelsea’s campaign was dominant in every sense. Their 95-point haul was a record until Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City surpassed it in 2017-18, while defensively they were nearly impenetrable, conceding just 15 goals – still the fewest in a single Premier League season.
Frank Lampard was the creative heartbeat, registering 18 assists – the most in the league that season, and the most ever in a single Premier League campaign by an English player.
Carlo Ancelotti
Chelsea, 2009-10
In the summer of 2009, Carlo Ancelotti succeeded interim manager Guus Hiddink at Chelsea. After three seasons of also-ran status and the inability to replace serial winner Mourinho, the Italian was hired to bring immediate success.
Ancelotti duly delivered, becoming the first Italian manager to win the English top flight as Chelsea secured their third Premier League title. They scored a record-breaking 103 goals, the most ever in a single Premier League season at the time.
Didier Drogba led the line magnificently, finishing as the league’s top scorer with 29 goals – the highest in a top-flight season by a Chelsea player since Jimmy Greaves scored 41 in 1960-61. Lampard was once again central with 22 goals and 14 assists, meaning he contributed to exactly one goal per game across his 36 appearances.
Manuel Pellegrini
Manchester City, 2013-14
After finishing second to Manchester United in 2012-13, Manchester City turned to Manuel Pellegrini to reinvigorate their title challenge, hiring the Chilean manager from Málaga.
City’s start was inconsistent – they lost four league games before the end of November – but they soon caught fire. A 20-match unbeaten run in all competitions that started in November included big wins over Spurs (6-0), Bayern Munich (3-2) and Arsenal (6-3).
The title race between City and Liverpool was one of the most thrilling in Premier League history. Both teams passed the 100-goal mark – the only time in the competition’s history two sides have done so in the same season. City edged it, with 102 goals to Liverpool’s 101.
In the end, Mourinho’s Chelsea played the familiar role of pantomime villain, beating Liverpool at Anfield to hand City the advantage. City capitalised on the Merseysiders’ defeat by beating Crystal Palace later that day. That win was their second in a five-win streak that edged Pellegrini’s men to their second crown in three seasons.
Yaya Touré had the campaign of his life, scoring 20 goals from central midfield, a feat only previously achieved by Lampard. Sergio Agüero added 17 goals of his own.
Claudio Ranieri
Leicester City, 2015-16
This one doesn’t need much introduction. Leicester City’s Premier League title success in 2015-16 is one of the greatest underdog stories in sporting history.
Unlike every other manager in this list, Claudio Ranieri had managed in the Premier League before, spending nearly four years at Chelsea without winning a league title.
After barely avoiding relegation the season before, the Foxes turned to Ranieri, a veteran manager whose recent stint with the Greek national team hadn’t exactly enhanced his reputation. The appointment raised eyebrows. But it proved to be inspired.
Ranieri built his team around a disciplined core and lightning-fast counterattacks. Wes Morgan, Danny Drinkwater, N’Golo Kanté, Riyad Mahrez and Jamie Vardy became household names.
As part of Leicester’s fairytale story, Vardy broke Ruud van Nistelrooy’s record by scoring in 11 consecutive Premier League matches, netting 14 goals in that run alone. Leicester went unbeaten in 10 of those 11 games, collecting 22 points along the way.
Ranieri, at 64 years and 195 days, became the oldest manager to win the Premier League in his first season at a club – and the most unexpected.
Antonio Conte
Chelsea, 2016-17
In the summer of 2016, all eyes were on Pep Guardiola’s arrival at Manchester City. But it was another import, Antonio Conte, who would steal the headlines by the season’s end.
The Italian had dominated Serie A with Juventus and led Italy to the Euro 2016 quarter-finals before taking over a Chelsea side who’d slumped to 10th the previous campaign.
Conte’s big turning point came after a 3-0 defeat to Arsenal in September. In response, he switched to a 3-4-3 formation – and the rest is history. Chelsea went on a 13-game winning streak from that moment, scoring 32 goals and conceding just four.
In total, they won 30 of their 38 games, becoming the first side in Premier League history to hit the 30-win mark in a single campaign.
Arne Slot
Liverpool, 2024-25
Following the departure of club legend Jürgen Klopp in the summer of 2023, Liverpool entered the 2024-25 season as third favourites for the Premier League title behind the previous campaign’s top two, Manchester City and Arsenal.
But under new manager Arne Slot, the Reds produced a remarkable campaign. They enjoyed a 26-game unbeaten spell and were crowned Premier League champions with a 5-1 victory over Tottenham at Anfield in late April.
Liverpool’s triumph brought them level with Manchester United’s record of 20 English top-flight titles. Crucially, this time they won it in front of a packed Anfield crowd, having been denied the chance to properly celebrate their 2019-20 title due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Slot’s rapid adaptation to life at one of the world’s biggest clubs initially appeared striking during the 2024-25 campaign, but he ultimately left at the end of a disappointing second season.
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