Chelsea has become one of the iconic English clubs of the Premier League. This is mainly due to the investment from former owner Roman Abramovich. This has led to some big-name appointments in the dugout at Stamford Bridge. Some have delivered success, but some have also failed miserably.
This list excludes short-term caretakers such as Bruno Saltar and Calum McFarlane. We have also not included Xabi Alonso, as he has yet to manage a competitive game for the Blues.
Every Chelsea manager of the Premier League era ranked from worst to best
20. Liam Rosenior
Chelsea fans are used to seeing big-name appointments. Therefore, when Liam Rosenior arrived with a CV that only included Derby County, Hull City, and Strasbourg, it did not go down well with supporters. Rosenior failed to get fans onside with the way he spoke in press conferences and interviews. His businesslike waffle earned him the nickname 'LinkedIn Liam.' He was sacked after the club lost five consecutive Premier League games without scoring. He is now back in France with Paris FC.
19. Graham Potter
Graham Potter was regarded as a highly rated and potential future England manager when he was at Brighton & Hove Albion. However, his seven-month stint at Chelsea ruined his reputation. He then had a disastrous period in charge of West Ham United. Potter is now the head coach of Sweden.
18. André Villas-Boas
Expectations were high of André Villas-Boas, and similarities were drawn to José Mourinho as both managed FC Porto before becoming Chelsea boss. Villas-Boas tried to move on Chelsea's old guard of Frank Lampard, Didier Drogba, and Ashley Cole. However, this backfired, and his assistant Roberto Di Matteo replaced him. Di Matteo went on to win Chelsea the Champions League.
17. Luiz Felipe Scolari
Luiz Felipe Scolari was a big-name appointment but perhaps an unusual one given his lack of experience at the highest level of European club football. His success had come in the international game, winning the World Cup with Brazil in 2002. Scolari lasted just seven months in charge of the Blues, and never managed a top European club again.
16. Mauricio Pochettino
It was a strange appointment given Mauricio Pochettino's affiliation with rivals Tottenham Hotspur. Took the Blues to the EFL Cup final, where they lost to Liverpool. The season ended with a flurry that qualified Chelsea for the Europa Conference League. However, after clashes with the club's hierarchy, Pochettino left the club by mutual consent. He appeared to have had enough of the politics of club football and is now in charge of the USMNT.
15. Glenn Hoddle
Glenn Hoddle's Chelsea were a mid-table Premier League side. However, they were more effective in cup competitions. They reached the FA Cup final in 1994 and the semi-finals of the European Cup Winners' Cup. Credit must go to Hoddle for being player-manager too. He also signed some big names, including Ruud Gullit and Mark Hughes.
14. Frank Lampard
Frank Lampard's second stint in charge of Chelsea as caretaker was a disaster. However, his first spell in charge of the Blues is underrated. Lampard perhaps got the job too early after just one season managing Derby County. However, despite being under a transfer ban, Lampard guided the Blues to the FA Cup final and qualified for the Champions League.
In Lampard's second season, things began to unravel despite a big investment in the side. Lampard was sacked and replaced by Thomas Tuchel, who went on to deliver the Champions League for the club. Lampard has since been rebuilding his reputation with Coventry City, which he got promoted to the Premier League.
13. Guus Hiddink
Guus Hiddink also had two spells in charge of Chelsea. He replaced Scolari in 2009 and went on to win the FA Cup that year. Many top Blues players wanted Hiddink to stay, but he returned to managing Russia full-time. Then in the 2015/16 season, Hiddink steadied the ship after Mourinho had been sacked.
12. Ruud Gullit
Another player-manager, Gullit, ended a 26-year trophy drought by winning the FA Cup for Chelsea in 1997. In his second season in charge of the Blues, Gullit was sacked with Chelsea second in the Premier League. This was reportedly due to a falling out with the club's board.
11. Avram Grant
Avram Grant came into Chelsea as director of football in 2007, which undermined Mourinho's position as manager. When Mourinho was dismissed, Grant took over the team. Despite not being regarded as a top coach, Grant still had a good record as Chelsea manager. He did not lose a home game and had a win rate of 66%. He also took the Blues to the Champions League and EFL Cup finals.
10. Claudio Ranieri
Claudio Ranieri became Chelsea manager in 2000, three years before Abramovich took over the club. The Italian took the Blues to the FA Cup final in the 2001/02 season. Nicknamed the 'Tinkerman' for his ever-changing lineups. It was always going to be difficult for Ranieri to stay as Chelsea manager when Abramovich arrived. Despite finishing second in the Premier League, Ranieri was sacked and replaced by Mourinho.
9. Maurizio Sarri
Maurizio Sarri was never that popular with Chelsea fans. However, he did win them the Europa League. His authority was undermined when Kepa Arrizabalaga refused to come off in the EFL Cup final defeat to Manchester City on penalties. He left Chelsea after just one season and went on to manage Juventus.
8. Rafael Benítez
Rafael Benítez was also never going to be popular amongst Chelsea supporters due to his Liverpool connections. However, Benítez also won the Europa League with the Blues. Benítez replaced Di Matteo as manager and was only in charge until the end of the season. It is a theme that Chelsea changes coaches mid-season and goes on to win a European trophy.
7. Enzo Maresca
Enzo Maresca was a surprise appointment after he had just won the Championship with Leicester City. However, the Italian would go on to win the Club World Cup and the Europa Conference League with the club. He also qualified the Blues for the Champions League. However, he engineered his exit to replace Pep Guardiola at Manchester City.
6. Roberto Di Matteo
Di Matteo's stint as Chelsea manager was short, but he did win the Champions League and FA Cup. The European title was particularly memorable as the Blues defeated Barcelona in the semi-finals. They then beat Bayern Munich, whose Allianz Stadium was hosting the final. The Italian then got the job on a full-time basis, but was sacked following a poor run of form in the 2012/13 season.
5. Thomas Tuchel
Another manager whose stint at Chelsea was short. He replaced fan-favorite Lampard in the dugout but went on to win the Champions League. He also won the Club World Cup and Super Cup. However, they did lose the FA Cup final twice and were also runners-up in the EFL Cup.
The re-signing of Romelu Lukaku became a disaster for Tuchel. Also, Abramovich's exit, which was a result of Russia's war on Ukraine, led to the BlueCo consortium taking over the club. Tuchel reportedly clashed with one of the club's new co-owners, Todd Boehly. The manager was then replaced by Graham Potter.
After a spell managing Bayern, Tuchel became the England manager, no doubt due to his experience of winning the Champions League with Chelsea. However, Tuchel's Three Lions failed to win the World Cup this summer, but did beat France in the third-place playoff.
4. Antonio Conte
Antonio Conte is an intense coach, and his methods often lead to initial success, which is followed by burnout. Conte won the Premier League with the Blues in his first season at the club. They also got to the FA Cup final that campaign. However, they lost to Arsenal in the final.
Conte made amends for this by winning the cup the following season, as they defeated Manchester United at Wembley. They finished fifth that season, which meant no qualification for the Champions League, and the Italian manager was sacked.
3. Carlo Ancelotti
Carlo Ancelotti is the perfect boss for managing players with big egos. This is why he has been successful at the biggest clubs in Europe. Ancelotti won Chelsea the Premier League, FA Cup, and Community Shield. Ancelotti was sacked at the end of the 2010/11 season, when Chelsea finished second. This was the harshest dismissal in Premier League history.
1. José Mourinho
Mourinho has to be number 1. He came into the club after winning the Champions League with Porto and declared himself a 'Special One.' With the backing of Abramovich's investment, Mourinho built a top Chelsea side with a core of Petr Čech, John Terry, Frank Lampard, Ashley Cole, Joe Cole, and Didier Drogba.
The Portuguese manager backed up his talk by delivering Chelsea the two Premier League titles, the FA Cup, two League Cups, and the Community Shield in his first stint as Chelsea boss. His departure broke the hearts of many Chelsea players and fans. However, Mourinho returned after spells with Inter Milan and Real Madrid.
The sequel looked to be going just as well as the prequel when Mourinho won another Premier League title and the League Cup with the Blues. However, poor results and a controversial incident involving a row with club doctor Eva Carneiro led to Mourinho departing the club once again.
Despite going on to manage Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur, Mourinho remains well thought of by most Chelsea fans. It had looked like his time managing top clubs had come to an end before he got the Real Madrid job once again.
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