As Mikel Arteta is crowned the 2025/26 Premier League manager of the season, many have questioned the value of the award, given the perception that the title winning managers win the award disproportionately.
While winning the Premier League title is a significant achievement, quantifying the value of lifting the trophy as opposed to "lesser" achievements for those lower down in the table can be tricky.
Despite being amongst the favourites to be relegated in the 2025/26 season, both Leeds United and Sunderland survived comfortably in the Premier League, with the latter even qualifying for the UEFA Europa League with a seventh place finish.
Brentford were also heavily tipped for relegation this season, having lost their head coach, captain and two top goal scorers from the 2024/25 campaign, but ended up comfortably midtable.
There is certainly merit to the argument that the manager who wins the title is by definition the best in the league, but has it been and should it be that simple?
Let's find out just how frequently the manager of the season has not been the title winning manager.
Who was the last Premier League Manager of the Season winner who didn't win the title?
You don't actually need to go to far back in history to find the last time a non-title winning manager was given the manager of the season award, with Liverpool's Jurgen Klopp winning the award despite finishing second in the table in 2021/22.
The German manager won the award for a second time that year, after finishing on 92 points - 1 point less than champions Manchester City.
Prior to Klopp's success, you would need to go back as far as the 2013/14 season, which saw Crystal Palace's Tony Pulis win the award, after guiding the newly promoted Eagles to an 11th place finish - four places lower than Regis Le Bris finished with Sunderland this campaign.
Premier League manager of the season previous winners
In total just five managers have won the Premier League's manager of the season award without lifting the title that same season.
A full list of manager of the season winners and their respective league position is below:
Year | Manager | Club | League Finish |
2025/26 | Mikel Arteta | Arsenal | 1st |
2024/25 | Arne Slot | Liverpool | 1st |
2023/24 | Pep Guardiola | Manchester City | 1st |
2022/23 | Pep Guardiola | Manchester City | 1st |
2021/22 | Jurgen Klopp | Liverpool | 2nd |
2020/21 | Pep Guardiola | Manchester City | 1st |
2019/20 | Jurgen Klopp | Liverpool | 1st |
2018/19 | Pep Guardiola | Manchester City | 1st |
2017/18 | Pep Guardiola | Manchester City | 1st |
2016/17 | Antonio Conte | Chelsea | 1st |
2015/16 | Claudio Ranieri | Leicester City | 1st |
2014/15 | Jose Mourinho | Chelsea | 1st |
2013/14 | Tony Pulis | Crystal Palace | 11th |
2012/13 | Sir Alex Ferguson | Manchester United | 1st |
2011/12 | Alan Pardew | Newcastle United | 5th |
2010/11 | Sir Alex Ferguson | Manchester United | 1st |
2009/10 | Harry Redknapp | Tottenham Hotspur | 4th |
2008/09 | Sir Alex Ferguson | Manchester United | 1st |
2007/08 | Sir Alex Ferguson | Manchester United | 1st |
2006/07 | Sir Alex Ferguson | Manchester United | 1st |
2005/06 | Jose Mourinho | Chelsea | 1st |
2004/05 | Jose Mourinho | Chelsea | 1st |
2003/04 | Arsene Wenger | Arsenal | 1st |
2002/03 | Sir Alex Ferguson | Manchester United | 1st |
2001/02 | Arsene Wenger | Arsenal | 1st |
2000/01 | George Burley | Ipswich Town | 5th |
1999/2000 | Sir Alex Ferguson | Manchester United | 1st |
1998/99 | Sir Alex Ferguson | Manchester United | 1st |
1997/98 | Arsene Wenger | Arsenal | 1st |
1996/97 | Sir Alex Ferguson | Manchester United | 1st |
1995/96 | Sir Alex Ferguson | Manchester United | 1st |
1994/95 | Sir Kenny Dalglish | Blackburn Rovers | 1st |
1993/94 | Sir Alex Ferguson | Manchester United | 1st |
