Premier League 2018/19: 5 managers who could be gone by Christmas
2018/19 has been somewhat of an odd season thus far in the Premier League, and with one big reason – we’re into November now, four months since the season began, and not one manager has been sacked yet.
Sure, other leagues have seen managers dispensed of already – Aston Villa got rid of Steve Bruce, Real Madrid sacked Julen Lopetegui – but every boss in England’s top division remains intact. In contrast, 2017/18 had already seen 4 bosses fired by this point in the season.
How much longer this can continue is anyone’s guess, with a number of clubs either struggling or failing to meet pre-season expectations. Here, then, are 5 managers who may well be out of a job by Christmas.
#1 Slavisa Jokanovic
Serbian boss Slavisa Jokanovic did a great job in bringing Fulham back into the Premier League via the Championship play-offs last season, but his debut Premier League season with the Cottagers has been an absolute disaster thus far.
Following last night’s dismal defeat to fellow strugglers Huddersfield, Fulham are now rooted to the bottom of the table, and more worryingly, they’ve somehow managed to concede 29 goals in just 11 games. That’s an average of 2.6 goals per game, and if they continue at that rate, they’ll end the season with a total of somewhere around 99 goals conceded – not far off Swindon Town’s record of 100.
What makes things worse for Jokanovic is that he doesn’t enjoy the same kind of long leash that the likes of Neil Warnock and David Wagner – who manage fellow strugglers Cardiff and Huddersfield – currently do. That’s because he spent a hefty amount of money to bring in 14 players this summer – including big names like Andre Schurrle and Jean-Michael Seri.
Jokanovic himself has admitted that whether he keeps his job is now out of his hands, and despite reports suggesting chairman Shahid Khan is willing to offer him more time, unless Fulham can turn their current slide around, he’s probably doomed.