Managers in EURO 2024 who had Stints in Premier League

Several managers in EURO 2024 happen to have had spells in the Premier League in their managerial careers.

Competing in the Premier League is one of the ultimate goals of a football career, either as a player or a manager. Having Premier League experience on their CV gives them a certain boost in their career.

In EURO 2024, several team managers appear to have had a spell in the English top flight. Some have been fairly successful, while others did not have much to impress. Yet, such did not stop them from being appointed as the national team head coach. Here are the EURO 2024 team bosses who once were in charge of EPL sides.

Gareth Southgate (England)

The first on the list is none but the England manager himself, Gareth Southgate. The former defender might have been praised for his contribution in bringing England to the semi-finals of the 2018 FIFA World Cup as well as the final of EURO 2020. However, his spells at the club level were not impressive at all.

He was the successor of Middlesbrough’s Steve McLaren, who was named England boss in 2006. During his stints in Riverside, Southgate only managed to lead them to finish 12th, 13th, and even in the relegation zone from 2006/07 to 2008/09. The former Aston Villa man was eventually relieved from his position in 2009, or in the middle of Boro’s campaign at the second tier in the 2009/10 season.

Southgate’s team’s best results in the EPL were a 2-1 win over Chelsea and a 1-1 draw at Old Trafford in 2006/07, a 2-1 victory against Arsenal and an 8-1 rout against Manchester City in the 2007/08 season, and a 2-0 win over Liverpool in the 2008/09 season. Southgate has yet to win any silverware for his clubs. Before taking charge of the senior team in 2016, Southgate was at the helm of the U21 team for three years, or nearly four years from his last job in Middlesbrough.

Steve Clarke (Scotland)

The current Scotland boss was more famous for his role as an assistant manager. He had been working under top names such as Jose Mourinho at Chelsea, Ruud Gullit at Newcastle, and Kenny Dalglish at Liverpool. However, when it comes to his experience as a head coach, Clarke shares similarities with his English fellow Southgate. The former Reading and Kilmarnock manager has never won a single silverware.

Clarke’s first role as head coach was given in the 2012–13 season for West Bromwich. He managed to guide them to finish eighth on the table, which remains their highest position in the Premier League era. Unfortunately, the Scottish boss could not replicate his success the following season.

However, Clarke’s WBA managed to secure some great victories, such as a 3-0 win over Liverpool and a 2-1 victory against his former club, Chelsea, plus a goal-galore 5-5 draw versus Manchester United in 2012/13. In 2013/14, Gareth McAuley and co. were able to snatch a 2-1 win over United at Old Trafford. He was eventually dismissed in the middle of the season.

Ronald Koeman (Netherlands)

Unlike the previous two, Koeman had a relatively better stint in the Premier League. He was in the dugout of two EPL sides, Southampton and Everton, from 2014 to 2017. He was able to help them finish seventh and sixth with The Saints in 2015 and 2016, respectively, and finish seventh again with The Toffees in 2017. Both of them managed to secure a berth in the Europa League.

Under the Dutch boss, Soton became one of the most feared dark horses in the EPL. In the first season, they beat Arsenal in both fixtures and crushed Manchester United 1-0 on the road. In the second season, Southampton even ran rampant by hammering Arsenal and Manchester City 4-0 and 4-2, respectively, thumped Chelsea, United, and Spurs on the road, and smashed Liverpool 3-2. Meanwhile, during his stay at Goodison Park, the former prolific defender was able to help Everton dismantle Manchester City 4-0 and beat Arsenal again 2-1 in his first season. Sadly, his second season did not work out well, and Koeman was sacked after a 2-5 loss at home to the Gunners in the 2017/18 campaign.

The former Barcelona and PSV man then went on to be at the helm of De Oranje before Barcelona came calling in the summer of 2020. His return to Camp Nou was not entirely impressive, despite still having Lionel Messi and Antoine Griezmann in the squad. Koeman only delivered the Copa del Rey and lost his post in late 2021 before making his comeback to the Netherlands national team in 2023.

Ralf Ragnick (Austria)

The current Austrian boss had a brief spell at Manchester United in the second half of 2022 as an interim manager. He was only leading the team for 29 games in all competitions and could not help them finish higher than sixth place. The Red Devils were at their worst form in history since the Premier League era, as they were hammered by Liverpool and Brighton 4-0 each.

Ragnick was the one who recommended Erik Ten Hag as his successor. He was supposed to continue his role as the management consultant at Old Trafford, but he declined the role due to the offer to take charge of the Austrian national team. The former RB Leipzig boss has been doing quite well with the former Wunder Team.

Roberto Martinez (Portugal)

Roberto Martinez’s managerial career began in England. He first took charge of his former club as a player, Swansea City, in the Championship. Yet, his first Premier League club was Wigan Athletic in 2009. Martinez was not able to prevent them from relegation continuously after struggling at the lower table for three consecutive seasons. However, he made one big difference from his predecessors, as the Spanish boss delivered Wigan’s first-ever FA Cup in 2013, the same year they were going down to the second tier.

The former defensive midfielder then signed for Everton inthe summer 2013 and managed to bring the Toffees to finish fifth in his first season, which also led to the rise of Everton tickets demand. He eventually parted ways with the Liverpool-based club to be at the helm of the Belgium national team, when he was reunited with his former player, Romelu Lukaku. His best achievement with De Rode Duivels was a third-place finish in the 2018 FIFA World Cup.