Southgate, Vieira, Terry among interim PL managers after Carrick if rest of Big Eight copy Man Utd | OneFootball

Each of the so-called ‘Big Eight’ clubs are experiencing differing levels of difficulties at the moment. None more so than Spurs, obviously.

Meanwhile, everything seems to be coming up roses for Manchester United as they look increasingly certain to win a rather pathetic race for Champions League qualification following the interim manager appointment of Michael Carrick.

So, if Man Utd’s rivals also thought: ‘f*** it, let’s also bring in a former player-turned-coach as an interim manager until the summer to turn around our fortunes’, who could they go for?

Well, we are on the side of maximum chaos, so (as you will soon see) some of our recommendations should be taken more seriously than others, but at least a couple could actually come to fruition during the run-in as a four-way Premier League sack race gathers pace… 

Arsenal: Patrick Vieira

Well, all that talk of a Quadruple didn’t last too long, did it?

Still, if Arsenal were going to let one piece of silverware slip through their fingers this season, it would be the Carabao Cup. They also surely have far too much quality in their squad not to end their prolonged trophy drought by winning at least one of the Premier League, Champions League and FA Cup this term.

Still, the way the Gunners weakly conceded the Carabao Cup to arch-rivals Man City was incredibly concerning, and Mikel Arteta’s job should (and probably will) be at risk if their character flaw persists and they fail again in another trophyless campaign.

And should Arsenal’s hierarchy opt to replace Arteta with a short-term manager with a proper winners’ mentality, they should look no further than former Crystal Palace and Genoa boss Patrick Vieira. Alternatively, they could bring back Ashley Cole from Cesena, which would go without a hitch.

Aston Villa: Gareth Southgate

Sunday’s win over West Ham felt huge, and Aston Villa should now qualify for the Champions League, though this may be largely due to Chelsea and Liverpool being so rotten.

So with Unai Emery’s speciality of the Europa League also in the offing, the 2025/26 campaign could still prove a special season for Aston Villa. But there are lingering suggestions of an exit for the highly respected coach, who should be in a position to land any managerial job in Europe and could look elsewhere with the club’s difficult financial position holding him back.

An exit for Emery is virtually impossible before the summer at least, but if the worst happens, they could always turn to former player Gareth Southgate and offer him a return to club management following his England stint, albeit as a huge downgrade.

Chelsea: John Terry

There are far more pressing issues at Chelsea, with their situation not helped by the many occasions BlueCo have insisted on kicking themselves in the balls. The appointment of Liam Rosenior ranks highly among 24 damning mistakes. 

Chelsea’s very own David Brent impersonator has increasingly looked out of his depth as results and performances have taken a drastic downturn in recent weeks, with the club reportedly considering John Terry as an ‘interim fix’.

This is the level of opportunity that Terry has been craving since retiring, but it will likely never come, as the rather large elephant in the room would make his appointment the worst of BlueCo’s many errors. Ex-Fluminense boss Filipe Luis would be a better short-term fit.

Gerrard would be the natural choice as a feel-good appointment before Liverpool likely caves to the huge clamour for Xabi Alonso in the summer, but David Ornstein has indicated that FSG are blindly standing by Slot for the time being at least.

FSG’s stance should change if/when Liverpool fails to qualify for the Champions League, with Slot’s position close to becoming untenable due to the quickly dwindling fan support over his intensity-averse playing style.

Manchester City: Kolo Toure

Pep Guardiola’s beloved Carabao Cup may prove the final trophy he wins as Man City boss, with speculation of an exit at the end of this season still rife. 

Whether Guardiola departs or not, he obviously won’t leave Man City in the lurch by departing before the summer for a cheaper holiday. But if the unthinkable does happen, perhaps via an FFP-enforced crisis that also won’t occur, there are a couple of names they could turn to until the end of the season.

Kolo Toure, City’s current assistant manager, stepping up would perhaps provide the most seamless transition, or they could move with the times and promote Richard Dunne from his role in the academy to rid the Premier League of Pep-ball for good.

Newcastle United: Kevin Nolan

Eddie Howe is also involved in the ongoing sack race in the Premier League, with Sunday’s dire loss to arch-rivals Sunderland leading to reports of ‘patience’ being lost at St James’ Park.

Howe has only played a small part in Newcastle’s decline this season, with the club derailed more by their amateurish board than the head coach. Still, it will be the man in the dugout who is punished first for poor performances, and he could be shown the door soon.

Were that to happen this season, there is someone from Newcastle’s pre-PIF good ol’ days to call upon in recently sacked former Northampton Town boss Kevin Nolan, who could fully get the band back together by getting Sam Allardyce and Sammy Lee on board too.

Tottenham Hotspur: Chris Hughton

Spurs will reportedly soon appoint their second interim manager, with it agreed that Igor Tudor will exit the club by ‘mutual consent’. 

This is the correct course for all parties, with Spurs desperately needing to learn from their last interim manager mistake if they are to crawl over the Premier League safety line.

As revealed by TEAMtalk, Ex-AS Monaco boss Adi Hutter is one of two contenders to replace Tudor. This surely risks ending equally badly due to his lack of affinity with Spurs and/or the Premier League, though he has previously won relegation battles.

Alternatively, Spurs could turn to former player and brief interim boss Chris Hughton, who has always been highly respected, though his lack of recent managerial experience should be a concern. Either way, the north London side may be buggered.