Leeds, Chelsea, Crystal Palace: Why have so many clubs chosen short-term managers?
When Javi Gracia made a surprise return to the Premier League in February he signed a contract with Leeds United which the club described as “flexible”. In reality, it meant a short-term deal guaranteed only until the end of the season, when it could be extended if all parties agreed.
Since then, five more clubs have hired managers on similar arrangements – Southampton, Crystal Palace, Tottenham Hotspur, Chelsea and Leicester. It has created a unique dynamic in the top flight, which can never have had so many firefighters in charge.
The results of these experiments vary wildly. Former Watford boss Gracia, whose side host Liverpool on Monday night, has been one of the success stories, winning 10 points from his seven league matches in charge to reverse Leeds’s slide. Only Roy Hodgson, whose return to Palace has sparked a perfect three wins from three, has performed better.
At the other end of the spectrum, Frank Lampard has taken just one point from three league games in his second spell as Chelsea manager. Cristian Stellini averages just over a point per game at Spurs and Southampton’s Ruben Selles just under. Dean Smith, who arrived at Leicester last week, got off to a losing start on Saturday at Manchester City.
So why are clubs using these short-term deals and in some cases appointing managers for explicitly interim spells? In reality there are different reasons.
Firstly it is a function of the record number of coaches sacked in the Premier League this season, itself because the relegation battle has sucked in everyone in the bottom half of the table. That accounts for Leeds, Palace, Southampton and Leicester, while Chelsea and Tottenham made changes because of underperformance in the top half of the league.
At the clubs with Champions League ambitions, the unavailability of some elite managers until the end of the season has forced them to make interim hires. In Stellini and Lampard, both opted for someone who knows the club and had no right to expect a longer deal.
Those fighting for survival, meanwhile, have felt compelled to make a change – in Southampton’s case, for the second time this term – but, given the financial cliff-edge that relegation represents, have been unwilling to offer deals that last beyond the summer and, in Selles, Hodgson, Smith and Gracia, found a coach ready to accept that.
In all six instances, the clubs have rolled the dice. For at least three, the gamble has paid off with improved fortunes. Gracia is one of them, whatever happens against Liverpool. It has bought them time, but the sense of uncertainty swirling around each team remains.