Copy linkFacebookXPinterestEmailShare this article 0Join the conversationFollow usAdd us as a preferred source on GoogleNewsletterSubscribe to our newsletterThe Basque province of Gipuzkoa is famous for its scenic coastline, foodie hotspots and stunning mountainous terrain.But this small area of northern Spain, with a population of less than one million, has also become notable for producing multiple elite football managers, including four current Premier League head coaches: Xabi Alonso, Mikel Arteta, Unai Emery and Andoni Iraola.It meant that there were more managers hailing from Gipuzkoa than from England on the opening weekend of the Premier League season, putting renewed focus on the lack of home-grown coaches in the top flight.Pick the ultimate 4-4-2 line-up from players in FourFourTwo's definitive Top 100 ListWhy are there so few English managers in the Premier League? The three men flying the flag for English managers in the Premier League are Michael Carrick at Manchester United, Coventry City head coach Frank Lampard and Ipswich Town boss Gary ONeil.This is not a new phenomenon. Go back 10 years to the start of the 2016/17 season and there were just four English head coaches - Bournemouths Eddie Howe, Sean Dyche at Burnley, Crystal Palace manager Alan Pardew and Mike Phelan at Hull City. It was the same number on the opening weekend of the 2021/22 campaign. You may like Why Eddie Howe is in an elite club with Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp... and Kevin Keegan If you've written off Frank Lampard as a Premier League manager, you're in for a shock Why Newcastle, Everton, Crystal Palace and others must be wary Look down into the Championship and just 10 of the 24 clubs are led by English managers. If that seems low, it may be a surprise to learn that this isnt a new phenomenon either. Just nine second-tier teams had English head coaches at the start of the 2016/17 campaign, while there were 10 going into 2021/22.This doesnt include the odd manager who was born in England and represented another country as a player, but the point still stands: the number of home-grown coaches at the top of the domestic game has been low for some time.Get FourFourTwo NewsletterThe best features, fun and footballing quizzes, straight to your inbox every week.Contact me with news and offers from other Future brandsReceive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsorsBy submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.When you look at the identities of the three Englishmen currently managing in the Premier League, you start to see why.Lampard and ONeil both entered the division with promoted clubs, albeit the latter was hired over the summer after Kieran McKenna left Ipswich. Meanwhile, Carrick got the United job only after a trial run as interim head coach during the second half of last season.Despite a generally positive two-and-a-half years in the Championship with Middlesbrough, it is hard to believe that Carrick would have been considered by the Old Trafford hierarchy if he hadnt played for the club. Similarly, go back to summer 2019 and it is unlikely that Chelsea would have hired the coach that had just taken Derby County to the Championship play-off final in his first season in management if it wasnt Lampard, a Blues legend. What to read next Chelsea and Fulham's managers both suffered the Real Madrid curse - we're about to learn what they're made of Thomas Tuchels team never had us dreaming, and at no point during this World Cup did it ever feel like it was Coming Home Hes failed, and hes failed in the same way as before Former England international calls for Thomas Tuchel sacking with Gareth Southgate nod It suggests that unless you are a famous ex-player, the most likely route into the Premier League for a second-tier boss is by getting your club promoted. But none of the current English managers in the Championship are in charge of one of the promotion favourites, so that is a tall order for the current crop.You would think that if a coach performs well enough over a long period they would get a Premier League role sooner or later, but it rarely works out that way. Just three times in the past five years has a Premier League club plucked a manager directly from a Championship job - Wolves swoop for Rob Edwards from Middlesbrough last season, Chelsea hiring Leicester Citys Enzo Maresca in summer 2024 (and the Italian had just led the Foxes to the second tier title), and Southampton appointing Luton Town boss Nathan Jones in 2022.In that time, 14 different English managers have been hired by Premier League teams, but only four hadnt previously been a permanent head coach in the division. Those were Steven Gerrard at Aston Villa in 2021, ONeil at Bournemouth in 2022, plus Liam Rosenior and Carrick this year. Once again, two of those were big-name former players, while Rosenior came from Chelseas sister club, Strasbourg.It shows that almost every avenue to managing at the top level has been closed off. So, why is that the case?Probably the most obvious explanation, although not the only one, is that the stakes are now so high at the top of the game that clubs arent willing to gamble on unproven coaches. As the riches on offer continue to grow, owners of Premier League teams are increasingly desperate to stay in the division, while those in charge of Championship sides are increasingly desperate to get there.It means that new faces rarely get to ride the proverbial managerial merry-go-round - in the last five years, Keith Andrews at Brentford and ONeil at Bournemouth were the only bosses hired permanently by Premier League clubs who were entering their first full-time role as a No.1.Many young coaches have spoken out about their struggle to land a job. After becoming manager of Italian Serie B side Cesena in March, former England left-back Ashley Cole said he had felt discouraged by a lack of opportunities at English clubs.He told BBC Sport: They like to throw the you dont have experience line. And Im like, I get what youre saying, I agree - but how am I going to get experience?Thats the battle you have to fight as a number two for six or seven years - you have to take a leap of faith, but a club also has to take a leap of faith.Coles former Chelsea and England team-mate John Terry echoed those sentiments last year. Its really disheartening, actually, he told BBC Sport. I have interviewed for a few jobs myself and not got them due to my lack of experience as a number one, but having captained Chelsea and my country, Im not sure you can do much more in terms of leading teams and people.Terry holds a UEFA Pro Licence, which brings us on to another contributing factor. Here, England has traditionally lagged behind other major European nations, with a Guardian report in 2017 stating that 1,796 people in this country held a Pro or A Licence, compared to 15,089 in Spain. In 2021, the FA revealed that fewer than 500 coaches had completed their Pro Licence with England Football.With a limited number of qualified English coaches in supply, and clubs unwilling to gamble on the ones that do have the necessary badges, it is no surprise that so few are managing in the Premier League.Contrast that with Spain, where 12 of the 20 La Liga clubs are managed by Spaniards, while the national team won Euro 2024 and World Cup 2026 under a head coach, Luis de la Fuente, who led the countrys age-group teams for almost a decade.Meanwhile, despite Gareth Southgate enjoying relative success after being promoted from England Under 21s to senior head coach, the FA replaced him with Thomas Tuchel in 2024 to win the World Cup - insinuating that they felt no home-grown coaches could achieve that goal.It all adds up to a wider cultural issue that starts from the top. Whereas Spains FA and domestic league are committed to giving home-grown coaches opportunities, that is of secondary importance in England. That mentality has been ingrained for so long that it is difficult to see it changing.No wonder Basque managers outnumber their English counterparts in the Premier League.TOPICSGary O'NeilMichael CarrickFrank LampardPremier LeagueJames RobertsFreelance writerJames Roberts is a freelance sports journalist working for FourFourTwo and other titles. He started his career at the Oxford Mail, where he covered Oxford United home and away, before becoming a sports sub-editor for various national newspapers.
