One per club: Klopp to Liverpool, Ten Hag to Man Utd among PL manager ‘shock returns’ to ex-teams

Lewis Oldham 04 Nov 2025 7:23 AM

Jurgen Klopp, Erik ten Hag and Frank Lampard could all make 'shock returns'.

The manager merry-go-round has been in full swing this season as Nottingham Forest have thrown down the axe twice, while Manchester United and Liverpool have faced calls to join West Ham in sacking their bosses.

Wolves are the latest Premier League club to get rid of their manager, with Vitor Pereira’s overdue dismissal coming as his now-former side sits bottom of the table and winless in ten matches. This also ushers in a new leader of the sack race.

Nottingham Forest’s brainless decision to appoint Ange Postecoglou will be difficult to top this season, though Wolves were plotting a similarly bold decision, with a ‘shock return’ for Gary O’Neil on the cards around 11 months after he lost his job at Molineux until he sensibly decided to ‘withdraw himself from the process’ on Monday evening,

To give you lovely readers a look behind the curtain at F365 headquarters, by this point, we were too far along with this piece to put it in the bin. So you’re getting it anyway, you lucky devils.

The initial talk of O’Neil going back to Wolves got us thinking of more managers who could make unexpected comebacks to their former clubs. So, here are 20 entirely feasible and serious suggestions for ‘shock returns’ to Premier League teams that would give the top flight a significantly more fun line-up of men in suits or tracksuits in the dugout…

Arsenal: Unai Emery

Mikel Arteta should be sent packing if Arsenal don’t win big this season, but it is looking increasingly likely that the set-piece obsessives will at least lift the Premier League.

Should it all go pear-shaped, there is a clear favourite to replace him and that is certainly not Emery. He won’t get another shot at the Emirates after that first stint, but he does deserve a crack at managing an elite club again because it appears he’s taken Aston Villa as far as he can.

READ: Premier League winners and losers: Caicedo, Wolves, Rice, Farke, Liverpool, Frank, Emery and more…

Aston Villa: Martin O’Neill

The straight-talking 73-year-old has graced us with his presence by returning to Celtic as their interim boss and we’ve seen enough from his perfect start of two wins to confidently say that he’s still got it.

Alternatively, it would be Steven Gerrard and Aston Villa really don’t want that…

Bournemouth: Eddie Howe

Bournemouth are among a host of Premier League teams that will *definitely* be searching for a new manager next year as Andoni Iraola is destined for grener pastures.

At which point, the Cherries will at least be an attractive option for ambitious managers and Howe could do a lot worse than return to the club for a third spell in the dug-out as he waits on the England job.

Brentford: Thomas Frank

That set-piece coach is doing pretty well in Frank’s absence, while the lingering feeling of Spursiness has been dragging down the new Tottenham boss.

Under Frank, Spurs are sitting fifth in the Premier League table and are unbeaten in the Champions League, so he’s certainly not had a bad start. But it is becoming apparent that his playing style is going to be a difficult selling point, and he is clearly perfectly suited to an underdog like Brentford.

Brighton: Nathan Jones

Jones’ car crash reign at Southampton is among our favourites in recent Premier League history as he remarkably lost his head, so it’s only fair that he is given a chance to right that wrong.

The easily agitated 52-year-old gets a mention after having a two-game spell as Brighton’s caretaker manager in 2014, which is something that certainly passed us by. He could even end up in the Premier League with Charlton Athletic as they are currently flirting with back-to-back promotions.

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Burnley: Sean Dyche

Dyche is made for Burnley and they are made for him, so it really would be surprising if he does not end up back at Turf Moor at some stage.

Chelsea: Frank Lampard

Lampard’s last spell, albeit only as an interim head coach, at Chelsea threatened to end his managerial career as he only won one game in 11 at the end of their dire 2022/23 campaign.

But Coventry City gave him a chance to redeem himself last November and he’s not looked back since, taking the Sky Blues from 18th to the top of the Championship and this is why his team have become so good. This confirmed his place as the best manager from England’s so-called ‘Golden Generation’ and talk of a return to the Premier League is fully justified, even if it probably won’t be with Chelsea.

Crystal Palace: Roy Hodgson

Palace, like Bournemouth, will inevitably be looking for a new manager next year as clubs queue up to appoint Oliver Glasner upon the expiry of his current contract.

Once he’s gone, FA Cup holders Palace can surely only go downhill from their current lofty heights of playing in Europe and 78-year-old Hodgson would not need to be asked twice to come out of retirement *again* to steady the ship.

Everton: Marco Silva

It’s been apparent for several years that Silva would exit Fulham once he receives a good offer for an upwards move, which would be warranted given how well he’s done at Craven Cottage.

Unfortunately for Silva, his hopes of joining a Big Six club are probably over, so he may have to settle for a club in a lesser category with ambitious owners striving to return to Europe. So Everton it is…

Fulham: Scott Parker

As for Silva’s soon-to-be former club, Fulham reappointing Parker could be justified if Burnley continue to defy pre-season expectations as a strong contender for survival with their fellow promoted sides.

Leeds United: Sam Allardyce

It’s currently hard to see Daniel Farke lasting the season at Elland Road, so Leeds United may need a renowned firefighter to return in the final weeks of the season to try to carry them to safety. What could go wrong…

Liverpool: Jurgen Klopp

Until this past weekend, Slot’s sacking a few months after guiding Liverpool to their 20th Premier League title was feasible, and it would remain a possibility if his side falls back into a slump after the 2-0 win vs Aston Villa.

Klopp seems to be loving his current stress-free gig away from management, but it has been reported that he may be willing to throw that away to make a ‘sensational return’ to the Anfield dugout.

READ: Six Liverpool fiascos that will see Arne Slot sacked by Christmas

Manchester City: Roberto Mancini

It has been fascinating to watch Man City become the Erling Haaland team more than ever before as they would have no chance of winning the title without him.

This is the latest of Pep Guardiola’s coaching experiments at the Etihad, and it may be one of his last as he’s due a Klopp-esque break from management. His successor looks likely to be his regen in La Liga, though Mancini proved by talking to Nottingham Forest that he’s keen on a return to the Premier League. His return makes sense, even if that’s purely because it could also lead to Mario Balotelli’s comeback.

Manchester United: Erik ten Hag

Linked with Wolves after being deemed the ‘worst manager’ in Bayer Leverkusen’s injury, Ten Hag’s stock has fallen dramatically after leaving Man Utd as he’s joined a host of players and managers whose careers declined after setting foot inside Old Trafford.

Ruben Amorim is gradually silencing his doubters, but there is a strong argument that the Red Devils would have been better off keeping Ten Hag last season and they are still more suited to the Dutchman’s playing style than their current boss.

Newcastle United: Rafael Benitez

Benitez has reared his head in recent months in search of his 17th managerial job, and he’s landed at Panathinaikos after being swatted away by Premier League clubs.

Nottingham Forest were mentioned, because of course they were, while he could always return to St James’ Park after being adored the first time around. Calm down, Newcastle fans, I could have quite easily said Steve Bruce instead…

Nottingham Forest: Nuno Espirito Santo

Evangelos Marinakis should not be too big to admit his mistake, and everyone concerned would probably be happier if Nuno were still at Forest.

Sunderland: Alex Neil

Sunderland have been a great breath of fresh air this season as one of the few surprise packages in the Premier League, with Regis Le Bris’ side already around halfway to survival.

Should the Black Cats continue on their current trajectory, they will surely face a fight to keep Le Bris and they could turn back to Neil after he left them for Stoke City in 2022. This would not go down well, but he is doing a bloody good job at Millwall as they may finally break their Championship play-off curse this season.

Tottenham Hotspur: Ange Postecoglou

At least Spurs players won’t be ‘bored’ under Postecoglou as they are with Frank.

READ: Thomas Frank is small-timing the Spurs job and that could kill him

West Ham United – David Moyes

The Hammers have learned the hard way that the grass is not always greener, as they have gone backwards ever since parting with Moyes for a second time at the end of the 2023/24 season.

The current Everton boss would probably save them from an overdue drop to the Championship again, though the London outfit really could do with a relegation-enforced reset.