It’s become clear that the boards at Premier League clubs Manchester United and Chelsea are not well-versed in the writings of Albert Einstein.
If they were, they would be familiar with Einstein’s definition of insanity (possibly misattributed) of “doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”
With the sacking of Ruben Amorim, Manchester United is now searching for its eleventh manager since Sir Alex Ferguson departed in 2013. Eleven managers in twelve years is extraordinary in terms of lack of stability and almost unprecedented – until you look at Chelsea, with the sacking of their manager Enzo Marasca this month, leading them to also be searching for their eleventh manager since 2013.
Chelsea has now appointed a ‘permanent’ replacement in Liam Rosenior, a young manager with a growing reputation, but hardly a heavyweight. Rosenior has signed an optimistic six-year contract. United have decided to go a slightly different route and have appointed Michael Carrick as an interim replacement until the end of the season, before appointing a ‘permanent’ replacement in the summer.
United and Chelsea may also need to brush up on the definition of permanent, with the manager’s lifespan at both clubs currently averaging around 12 months. This addiction to changing managers comes at a significant financial cost – Amorim’s severance package amounted to £10million, bringing the total severance paid by Manchester United since Sir Alex Ferguson left to nearly £100million.
So, from a financial point of view the regular replacement of managers doesn’t seem to be a good business model, but presumably the benefits come from results on the pitch? Since 2013, United have won five major trophies and Chelsea have won 10. Contrast that with Manchester City during the same period, and they have had two managers and won a staggering 22 trophies in that time.
However, most tellingly about the trophy stats is how long it took Guardiola to win his first trophy at City – two years. That was the time it took one of the most successful managers the English game has ever seen to win his first trophy – yet odds on that had he been at Utd or Chelsea he would have been sacked following an unproductive first season.
Ironically, the man who sits at the top of the trophy list in English football, Sir Alex Ferguson, spent nearly 27 years at the club. Tellingly, he took four years before his first trophy. At the Manchester United of today there is no way that he would be given that time to bed in, but the patience and long-term investment in Ferguson paid off in spades.
The game of football has undoubtedly changed since Ferguson was first appointed in 1986, and also since he retired in 2013. The huge financial stakes in the game and the insatiable desire of owners (and fans) to get instant success has heaped the pressure of managers to a point where they are, particularly at some clubs, 3 or 4 losses away from being sacked.
Is the six-year contract for Rosenior at Chelsea a signal that the club has learnt the lesson and is prepared to give the talented young manager a real opportunity to succeed? Possibly, until you remember that his predecessor Enzo Maresca was given a five-year contract when he was appointed in July 2024, only to part company 18 months later.
At Manchester United there are signs that fans have had enough, with the supporters’ group ‘The 1958’ publicly slamming the club’s owners and calling for a vote of no confidence. Minority shareholder Sir Jim Ratcliffe, who previously stated that Amorim needed to be given at least three years in charge, has been labelled an “incompetent clown” by the group – perhaps they will now reconsider their description based on Einstein and label him an ‘insane clown’ instead!
Contact our Sports Law Solicitors
David Little is a Partner at Bishop & Sewell in our expert Sports Law and Corporate & Commercial
If you would like to contact him, please call on either 07968 027343 or 020 7631 4141 or email: company@
The above is accurate as at 14th January 2026.
The information above may be subject to change. The content of this note should not be considered legal advice, and each matter should be considered on a case-by-case basis.
