Premier League: Mid-Season Manager changes in the Tournament so far

Ruben Amorim

Ruben Amorim was appointed as United’s new head coach on November 1, 2024, and his official stint began ten days later. During his gardening vacation from Sporting CP, he scored a significant victory over Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City, 4-1 in the UEFA Champions League, which provided hope for United fans. On November 24, his first match as head coach was against newly promoted Ipswich Town. Although Marcus Rashford scored in the second minute, the Red Devils were unable to preserve their lead, as Omari Hutchinson equalized for the home team.

Ten Hag’s future at United was called into question in the summer after the club finished ninth in the Premier League. He won the FA Cup final, defeating Manchester City at Wembley Stadium. This achievement secured the Dutchman’s employment during an end-of-season evaluation by new co-owners INEOS in June 2024. A month later, he signed a new contract with the club through June 2026.
However, the Red Devils’ results and performances were underwhelming in August and September, with only two wins in their first six matches. Furthermore, they went winless in all three Europa League games, finishing 21st out of 36 clubs.

Ruud van Nistelrooy

Following the dismissal of ten Hag, van Nistelrooy was named temporary head coach as United looked for a long-term replacement. He won three of his four matches and drew one versus Chelsea. Two of the three victories came against Cooper’s Leicester, 5-2 in the League Cup and 3-0 in the Premier League, both at Old Trafford.

Amorim chose not to keep van Nistelrooy on his coaching staff, therefore he departed the club to pursue his aim of becoming a Premier League manager. He didn’t have to wait long, as Leicester signed him on November 29th for a two-and-a-half-year contract. Ben Dawson was the temporary manager for the Foxes’ 4-1 defeat to Brentford on Saturday, November 30th.

Van Nistelrooy’s debut game in command of the Foxes took place on Wednesday, December 4th, against Julen Lopetagui’s West Ham at the King Power Stadium. They won this game 3-1, then drew with Brighton & Hove Albion and lost to Newcastle United in their following two encounters.

Vitor Pereira

Wolves confirmed on December 19th that Al-Shabab manager Vitor Pereira had replaced Gary O’Neill as Wolves coach. The 56-year-old has led 13 different clubs throughout his coaching career and won league titles in Portugal, Greece, and China. The Premier League club had to pay Al-Shabab £825,000 in compensation to lure him away from the Saudi Pro League club.

Pereira will play his first game against Leicester City this weekend at the King Power Stadium. Wolves are now five points from safety in 19th place, with the opportunity to narrow the gap to two with a win at Leicester.

Simon Rusk

Interim Southampton manager Simon Rusk believes it will be a “great honour” to lead the squad against Liverpool, they lost the match to Liverpool and the next three games led by him. Rusk, who joined the club as manager of the under-21s in the summer, has been appointed interim manager following Russell Martin’s dismissal on the 16th of December following the Saints’ 5-0 home defeat to Tottenham. Southampton’s under-21s are 16th in the Premier League 2 table, with 13 points from 10 games.

Having only had one permanent role as a first-team manager when asked in his pre-match press conference if this would rank among his experiences.