Former player and pundit Chris Sutton and the Mail’s Football Editor Ian Ladyman have named their Premier League managers of the year on the latest episode of the ‘It’s All Kicking Off!’ podcast.
The hosts debated which of four names, Liverpool’s Arne Slot, Aston Villa’s Unai Emery, Newcastle’s Eddie Howe and Nottingham Forest’s Nuno Espirito Santo were most deserving of the crown.
Sutton declared that Nuno was his winner, given the scale of his achievement in taking a relegation-threatened side to likely Champions League football.
Last year under Steve Cooper, Forest finished 17th, having lost 20 of their 38 league games.
They now sit in third position, above big spenders Newcastle and Chelsea, having won the same number of games as Arsenal and having taken the scalp of probable title winners Liverpool.
‘People get really upset about these things, they’re all deserving winners’, Sutton said.
Chris Sutton declared that Nuno Espirito Santo was his manager of the season, given his achievement in taking a relegation-threatened side to Champions League football. Listen here
Ian Ladyman: ‘As long as Liverpool don’t fall off a cliff before the end of the season, I am going for Arne Slot.’ Listen here
‘But for me, people could have envisaged Liverpool winning the league, or Newcastle winning a trophy – but nobody could have seen Nuno’s Forest in the position they’re in now.
‘Most people had them in a relegation battle. Personally, I thought they’d just escape the drop.
‘An FA Cup semi-final as well, what a job that is! Nobody saw it coming, so Nuno would be my manager of the season.’
While Ladyman conceded there is ‘a very strong case’ for Nuno, he instead backed Liverpool manager Arne Slot for the award.
Slot entered a Liverpool side in transition after beloved coach Jurgen Klopp’s shock exit.
The Dutch manager has seemingly won the league with a side that had no incomings in the summer and has had to contend with the speculation surrounding the expiring contracts of club mainstays Mohamed Salah, Virgil Van Dijk, and Trent Alexander-Arnold.
‘Coming to this country as Arne Slot has, to replace a manager like Jurgen Klopp: it’s the biggest challenge since David Moyes replaced Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United in 2013’, Ladyman said.
‘All he had to do was finish fourth, but to go on to win the Premier League and finish top of that Champions’ League group, it’s a massive achievement.
The hosts debated which of four names, Arne Slot, Unai Emery, Eddie Howe and Nuno Espirito Santo were most deserving of the crown. Listen here
Chris Sutton: ‘The demise of Manchester United was all set up by Erik Ten Hag.’ Listen here
‘As long as Liverpool don’t fall off a cliff before the end of the season, I am going for Arne Slot.’
The pair then debated which manager would come away with the ‘wooden spoon’, the unenviable distinction of worst coach of the season.
The candidates they chose were Southampton’s Russell Martin, Manchester United’s Erik Ten Hag, and Tottenham’s Ange Postecoglou.
Pundit Sutton went all in on Erik Ten Hag, arguing he’d had the time, boardroom backing, and transfer kitty to improve Manchester United.
United will likely record their worst league position ever, languishing 12 points behind Brentford in 12th.
Sutton said: ‘Erik Ten Hag had the time to improve Manchester United. The expectation for them at the beginning of the season was to really start pushing on.
‘He failed and spent an absolute fortune. None of what Manchester United are facing now is on Ruben Amorim.
‘Their demise was all set up by Erik Ten Hag.’
Listen to Chris Sutton and Ian Ladyman’s debate in full on the latest ‘It’s All Kicking Off!’ now, wherever you get your podcasts.