Wenger’s exit sees Premier League match record for managerial departures
The Arsenal boss becomes the 11th manager to part ways with a top-flight club this season.
Arsene Wenger took his leave of Arsenal at the end of a record Premier League season for managerial departures.
There were 10 changes in the 20 clubs’ hotseats during the campaign and with the end of Wenger’s 22-year reign announced in mid-April before he saw out the season, the total stands at 11 – equalling 2015-16’s Premier League record.
Guus Hiddink was only on an interim contract at Chelsea, Manuel Pellegrini’s Manchester City exit to make way for Pep Guardiola was revealed in February of that season and Watford’s Quique Sanchez Flores announced before the final game that he would not be signing a new contract.
League Managers Association chief executive Richard Bevan told BBC Radio 5 Live’s Sportsweek programme on Sunday: “Loyalty to managers is still the best recipe for success.
“The likes of John Coleman doing a great job at Accrington Stanley, Neil Harris at Millwall, Sean Dyche (Burnley), Chris Hughton (Brighton), there are many examples.”
It follows a season, though, in which Crystal Palace fired the starting gun early by sacking Frank de Boer just four games into the season and his reign.
Swansea dismissed Paul Clement before Christmas, January saw Mark Hughes and Marco Silva leave Stoke and Watford respectively, Mauricio Pellegrino left Southampton in March and the following month, Alan Pardew became the second West Brom boss sacked.
With Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement from Manchester United that season and David Moyes’ appointment as his successor already known before the end of the campaign, there were again three changes already confirmed to take the season’s total to nine.
