Ferguson is widely considered to be the greatest manager of the Premier League era, though it’s not beyond the realms of possibility that he’ll eventually face stiff competition for that particular title from Guardiola. The Catalan native has been near perfect since arriving at the Etihad Stadium, guiding the Citizens to six Premier League triumphs and emulating Sir Alex by winning a famous treble in 2023.
While the 55-year-old is currently enduring one of his toughest spells in charge of City – having failed to win a major honour last season (which is the first time since 2016/17) – his period of success has seen him recognised with numerous awards, including several Premier League Manager of the Month awards.
Sir Alex Ferguson, Jurgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola are among the managers that have won the award 10 times or more.
Guardiola’s Manager of the Month Record
The former Barcelona manager hasn’t won the award since 2021
Pep Guardiola
Strangely, Guardiola hasn’t won the Premier League’s Manager of the Month award (at the time of writing) since December 2021. This means that, throughout his treble-winning campaign, the former Barcelona and Bayern Munich coach was not recognised as the best manager once.
Arsenal head honcho Mikel Arteta has won the individual accolade on six occasions since Guardiola was last named Manager of the Month, while Manchester United’s former boss Erik ten Hag has also picked up the award twice. Ange Postecoglou has won it three times, those coming in consecutive months at the start of his reign as Tottenham manager. Even Mike Jackson, who was the temporary manager of Burnley in 2022, has scooped the award.
It means that Guardiola has been stuck on 11 awards for more than four years. However, the revolutionary coach has still won the award more than all but two managers in history – and no prizes for guessing who they are.
Arsene Wenger won it 15 times during his 22-year reign as Arsenal manager between 1996-2018, but it was Ferguson’s tally which left Guardiola gobsmacked. Pep suggested that it wouldn’t be long before he was challenging Wenger and Fergie, only to learn the latter was streets clear of everyone else.
The Premier League’s greatest managers of all time have been ranked in order.
Guardiola shocked by Sir Alex Ferguson’s record
Guardiola remains far behind the legendary Scot
Football – Manchester United v Arsenal Barclays Premier League – Old Trafford – 13/4/08 Manchester United’s Cristiano Ronaldo (L) and his manager Sir Alex Ferguson before the game receive Barclays awards for Manager of the Month and Player of the Month Mandatory Credit: Action Images / Michael Regan
After being told about Ferguson’s record in January 2022, Guardiola conceded that even he stood no chance of matching it. A reporter asked the Man City boss: “You’ve won 11 now, Pep – only Wenger and Ferguson have won more than you. So, is that something for you to be proud of?”
The City boss replied with a wry smile: “Be careful, Sir Alex, Arsene… I’m coming…”. The reporter then said: “[Ferguson] won 27, Pep, so not too many…”. Guardiola was taken aback my the sheer number that Ferguson had to his name and quickly retracted his statment in a hilarious moment.
“How many?!” he said. “Oh my god! Okay… it belongs to him! I will not chase him for sure.” Watch the clip below:
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Guardiola Tops Premier League Points-Per-Game Chart
The Catalan has the edge over Ferguson in this competition
While the vast majority of football fans would argue that Ferguson is still the greatest manager in Premier League history after winning the title on 13 occasions, it’s Guardiola who boasts the best points-per-match record (2.28 points per match). Ferguson is second on the list with a record of 2.16 points per match, but managed a whopping 810 games compared to Guardiola’s 364.
Top 10 Best Premier League Managers – Statistics (minimum 50 matches)
Position
Name
Matches
Seasons
Points
Points Per Match
1st
Pep Guardiola
364
10
830
2.28
2nd
Sir Alex Ferguson
810
21
1,752
2.16
3rd
Jurgen Klopp
334
9
705
2.11
4th
Roberto Mancini
133
4
273
2.05
5th
Jose Mourinho
362
12
735
2.03
6th
Antonio Conte
132
4
268
2.03
7th
Mikel Arteta
233
7
460
1.97
8th
Arsene Wenger
828
22
1,627
1.96
9th
Thomas Tuchel
63
3
122
1.94
10th
Carlo Ancelotti
134
4
246
1.84
Ferguson and Guardiola are certainly part of the conversation when it comes to the debate over the league’s greatest ever manager, while Wenger, Jose Mourinho and Jurgen Klopp would all receive honourable mentions. Roberto Mancini and Antonio Conte picked up more than two points per match during their spells as managers in England’s top league, but neither coach is currently challenging the other five for the title of the Premier League’s best ever.
Despite City’s recent struggles, there’s still time for Guardiola to turn things around and extend his points-per-game average. The legendary manager signed a new two-year deal at the club in November 2024, but has since undergone the worst spell of his managerial career.
All statistics courtesy of Transfermarkt – accurate as of 28/01/2026.
Celtic are pushing to secure a new manager, and an update from Sky Sports has now emerged on their pursuit of Robbie Keane.
Martin O’Neill was brought to the club during the 2025/2026 campaign, but the experienced manager only signed a deal until the summer.
The Glasgow giants are now in the market to find a replacement, despite O’Neill winning the Scottish Premiership title.
Although Celtic lifted the title during the 2025/2026 season, some of their performances were still a concern, so it’s no surprise to see them pursuing other options.
The Bhoys now need a strong summer transfer window under a new manager, if they want to win the league without having to wait until the final day.
According to Sky Sports reporter Anthony Joseph, Celtic have held constructive talks with Keane about taking over as manager.
Further discussions have now been scheduled as Celtic weigh up bringing their former striker to the club.
Sky Sports also shared the ‘breaking news’ live on air, with Celtic pushing to secure Keane as their manager.
It looks as though Keane could be their man, although Dermot Desmond does want to understand if O’Neill would be interested in taking the job on a permanent basis.
Arsenal are showing an interest in signing one of the brightest young talents in England ahead of the summer transfer window, and he wants to join the club.
The Gunners enjoyed a phenomenal season, finally winning the Premier League after over 20 years.
Arsenal did miss out on lifting the Champions League, however, losing in the final on penalties. As a result, they won’t want to stand still with their recruitment.
The summer window is an opportunity for the Gunners to go to the next level once again, potentially pushing to win a European trophy.
It’s also a chance for them to invest in young talent from around the world, knowing they already have a squad capable of winning the Premier League and reaching the Champions League final.
According to GIVEMESPORRT correspondent Ben Jacobs, Arsenal are in talks to sign Leicester City winger Jeremy Monga ahead of the summer transfer window.
The 16-year-old is attracting interest from a number of clubs, including from the Premier League, with the Foxes receiving as many as eight enquiries.
It’s claimed that Monga could cost in the region of £10m, while it’s possible that a deal could go to a tribunal to determine a fee, due to his age.
Monga Wants to Join
According to reports, Arsenal are confident that they can secure the signature of Monga in the upcoming transfer window.
It’s also claimed that Monga does want to join Arsenal this summer, despite interest from other clubs such as Manchester United.
Monga, described as ‘generational’, is almost guaranteed to leave Leicester in the coming weeks after they were relegated from the Championship, with a host of Premier League clubs battling to secure his signature.
It appears Arsenal could be leading the race as they prepare to build a squad for the future after already winning the Premier League title.
There were a few standout performers in the 2025/26 Premier League season.
The likes of Declan Rice, Gabriel Magalhães and David Raya were all brilliant as Arsenal’s 22-year wait for a Premier League title came to an end.
Erling Haaland was brilliant as he hit the back of the net 27 times. The Norwegian’s Man City teammates, Jeremy Doku and Rayan Cherki, also excelled.
Elsewhere, Bruno Fernandes enjoyed a record-breaking campaign for Man Utd as he registered 21 assists, while Dominik Szobolszlai impressed despite a dismal season for Liverpool.
Wolverhampton Wanderers had a dismal campaign. They managed to win just three matches and accumulate just 20 points as they finished rock-bottom.
It is, therefore, no surprise that three of their players feature among the worst players in England’s top tier in 2025/26: Rodrigo Gomes (6.43), Hwang Hee-chan (6.41) and Jean-Ricner Bellegarde (6.40).
Leeds United signed Lukas Nmecha in the summer of 2025 hoping he could help them preserve their Premier League status. Leeds managed to do comfortably, but Nmecha himself didn’t have the best of campaigns.
The 11th worst player in the Premier League in 2025/26, according to statistics, was West Ham’s Callum Wilson. The 34-year-old features despite scoring seven times. He is searching for a new club this summer after departing the Hammers following the expiration of his contract.
15 worst players in the Premier League in 25/26 (15-11)
Rank
Player
Club
Nationality
Rating
15
Rodrigo Gomes
Wolves
Portugal
6.43
14
Lukas Nmecha
Leeds
Germany
6.42
13
Hwang Hee-chan
Wolves
South Korea
6.41
12
Jean-Ricner Bellegarde
Wolves
Haiti
6.40
11
Callum Wilson
West Ham
England
6.40
10-6
Anthony Elanga was maginificent in the 2024/25 campaign as he inspired Nottingham Forest to a top six finish. His brilliance caught the attention of Newcastle United, who signed him for £55 million. He proved to be one of the worst signings of the season as he failed to find the back of the net and recorded just one assist in 32 matches.
Burnley suffered relegation back to the Championship with Loum Tchaouna (6.33) and Josh Laurent (6.31) both flattering to deceive. They were statistically the ninth-worst and seventh-worst players in England’s top tier respectively.
Rodrigo Muniz, who managed just one goal, and Sunderland’s Wilson Isidor also feature among the worst players in England’s top tier in 25/26.
15 worst players in the Premier League in 25/26 (10-6)
Rank
Player
Club
Nationality
Rating
10
Anthony Elanga
Newcastle
Sweden
6.39
9
Loum Tchaouna
Burnley
France
6.34
8
Rodrigo Muniz
Fulham
Brazil
6.33
7
Josh Laurent
Burnley
England
6.31
6
Wilson Isidor
Sunderland
Haiti
6.31
5-1
Action Images via Reuters/Andrew Couldridge
Jacob Bruun Larsen’s average of 6.30 places him among the five worst players in the Premier League this season.
Tottenham Hotspur signed Randal Kolo Muani on loan with the hopes he could fire them back to Europe. The north London side will be relieved the deal did not contain an obligation to make the switch permanent, with the Frenchman managing just one goal in England’s top tier.
Liam Delap’s performances for Ipswich Town during the 24/25 campaign attracted the attention of some of England’s top clubs. Chelsea won the race for his signature as he signed for the club in a £30m deal, only for him to have a disastrous campaign where he hit the back of the net just once.
Only two players in the Premier League were statistically worse than the Chelsea striker: Lyle Foster and Jorgen Strand Larsen.
Strand Larsen, who made the £55 million from Wolves to Crystal Palace in January, recorded an average rating of 6.23, the lowest of any player in the Premier League.
15 worst players in the Premier League in 25/26 (15-11)
