The football world is watching as Andoni Iraola reportedly agrees to take over at Liverpool, stepping up from a Bournemouth side he led to a historic sixth-place finish and a maiden European qualification. The move ticks the classic box for a manager on the rise: impressive achievements at a smaller Premier League club earn a shot at one of the so-called ‘big six’. Yet history cautions that such leaps rarely end in glory.
By the ‘big six’, we mean Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United and Tottenham – the clubs that have dominated English football’s top table for the past 15 years. Managers who excel elsewhere often view them as the ultimate destination, but the data shows a stark pattern: no boss has ever moved directly from another Premier League side to one of these six and gone on to win a major trophy.
The list of those who tried and fell short is long. David Moyes was hand-picked by Sir Alex Ferguson to succeed him at Manchester United in 2013 after a decade of overachievement at Everton. Ten months into a six-year contract, he was sacked with the club missing Champions League football for the first time since 1995. Roy Hodgson’s Anfield reign lasted even less time; appointed in 2010 after guiding Fulham to a Europa League final, he was gone by January with Liverpool languishing 12th.
More recent examples follow the same script. Graham Potter managed just 22 league games at Chelsea after impressing at Brighton, while Nuno Espirito Santo got only 10 at Tottenham despite transforming Wolves from Championship also-rans to European quarter-finalists. Thomas Frank, the latest Spurs casualty, lasted 26 matches after his Brentford success. The average tenure for these movers rarely stretches beyond two full seasons, often cut short before one is complete.
Even those who clung on longer could not claim silverware. Brendan Rodgers took Liverpool to the brink of a Premier League title in 2014 but was dismissed the following year. Mauricio Pochettino built a thrilling Tottenham side that finished second in 2017 and reached the Champions League final in 2019, yet left empty-handed. Harry Redknapp guided Spurs into the top four but never lifted a cup. Mark Hughes saw his Manchester City spell end after 18 months without honours.
A modern anomaly is Enzo Maresca, who won the Conference League and Club World Cup at Chelsea. Crucially, he joined from Leicester City after securing promotion from the Championship but before managing a single top-flight match. That makes his pathway different to the usual Premier League-to-big-six pipeline. Similarly, Michael Carrick’s recent full-time appointment at Manchester United comes after his work at Middlesbrough in the Championship, bypassing the Premier League stepping stone entirely.
Points-per-game data paints a muddled picture. Rodgers improved significantly at Liverpool compared to Swansea, as did Redknapp and Pochettino at Tottenham. But for many others, the numbers barely budged or even declined. Potter’s Chelsea record was only a marginal uplift on his Brighton spell, while Frank’s dropped after joining Spurs. The step up does not guarantee better results, and often brings added pressure that stifles the tactical freedom these managers once enjoyed.
Why does this happen? The reasons are entrenched. Big-six clubs play around 55 matches per season across all competitions – eight more than the Premier League average – thanks to European commitments, leaving less training time and increasing physical demands. Expectations invert: at a Bournemouth or Brighton, overperformance is celebrated; at Liverpool or Chelsea, winning is a minimum requirement. A poor run that might be tolerated at a mid-table club quickly becomes a crisis, with scrutiny magnified and supporters demanding instant success.
Transfers also play a role. At smaller clubs, clever recruitment can yield huge relative gains, but the big-six pressure demands immediate impact from expensive signings. Managers find themselves navigating bloated squads, superstar egos, and boards that act ruthlessly when results dip. The margin for error is wafer-thin.
For Iraola, the challenge now is monumental. He arrives at Anfield on the back of taking Bournemouth into Europe for the first time – a spectacular achievement that proves his coaching pedigree. Yet the leap from the Vitality Stadium to the Kop is arguably the sternest test in English football. No manager in the modern big-six era has turned that move into trophies.
As he prepares for his first season on Merseyside, the question is whether the Spaniard can buck the trend. Will his high-energy, pressing style translate to a squad built to dominate possession? Can he handle the relentless demand for silverware that defines Liverpool’s ambition? The data says it’s the hardest transition in the game. But football loves an outlier.
Based on reporting from BBC Sport.
