Premier League Manager of the Season award main contenders - from Mikel Arteta to Eddie Howe

Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal side are one example of this and they are currently chasing down a first Premier League title in 19 years after a disappointing fifth place finish last year. Eddie Howe’s Newcastle are another example and the Magpies are currently in contention to qualify for the Champions League after a relegation scrap last term.

Aston Villa have also enjoyed a dramatic mid-season revival following the appointment of Unai Emery and a similarly noteworthy story has taken place at Bournemouth with Gary O'Neill steering the Cherries away from the dropzone when many bookmakers tipped them to finish rock bottom.

But who deserves to be the Premier League manager of the season. Here we take a look at all of the main contenders from the 2022/23 campaign.

Premier League manager of the season contenders

Mikel Arteta - Arsenal

Mikel Arteta has won over a number of his critics this season and he is quickly establishing himself as one of the top young managers in European football. The Gunners narrowly missed out on Champions League football in disappointing fashion at the end of last season and many fans questioned whether Arteta would be the right man to lead the team into the top four.

The Spaniard has defied expectations this campaign and he has implemented an exciting front-foot style of play whilst harnessing the talents of young stars such as Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard and Gabriel Martinelli who have all hit new heights in terms of goals and productivity.

Arsenal have been one of the standout teams this campaign and they are on course to get their highest points tally since their title winning season of 2003/04. The Gunners have been top of the league for a total of 248 days before being leap frogged by Man City and if they fail to win the title it will be the longest period of time to be top of the league in a season lifting the title since Leeds in 1970/71.

Even if they do miss out on the title The Gunners deserve massive credit for the strides that they have taken this year and this has been one of the strongest performances by an Arsenal side in nearly 20 years.

Eddie Howe - Newcastle United

Newcastle United are on course to return to the Champions League for the first time since 2003 and they have enjoyed a rapid turnaround under the guidance of manager Eddie Howe. It’s very easy to forget just how far the club has come in recent times and when Howe arrived at Newcastle in October 2021, he inherited a team with a very different set of circumstances. 

The Magpies failed to win any of their first 14 games last season and they were sleepwalking towards a third Premier League relegation. In 2021, Newcastle were leaking goals and conceded a top-flight record of 80 in a calendar year. No club in history had ever survived relegation after such a poor start but Newcastle, boosted by the new signings of Kieran Trippier, Bruno Guimareas and Dan Burn pulled off a great escape in comprehensive fashion.

Now in his first full season, Howe currently has Newcastle in third place and the Magpies also boast the best defensive record in the top-flight by conceding just 29 goals from their opening 34 games. Newcastle have invested heavily to improve with marquee signings such as Alexander Isak, Sven Botman and Nick Pope all arriving in the summer. 

However, Howe’s development of the team he inherited has also been equally impressive and the likes of Joelinton, Fabian Schar, Miguel Almiron and Sean Longstaff are all now thriving in the top-flight after initially struggling for form under Steve Bruce’s tenure as manager.

Unai Emery - Aston Villa

Aston Villa are aiming to qualify for the Europa League for the first time since they were managed by Martin O’Neill in the 2010/11 campaign. The Villains entered the season with great expectations after high profile signings such as Phillippe Coutinho, Diego Carlos and Boubacar Kamara - but they endured a dreadful start to the season under manager Steven Gerrard who left Aston Villa in 17th position at the end of October with just nine points from their opening 11 games.

Many fans feared a potential relegation battle after such a poor run of form but the arrival of Spanish coach Unai Emery has changed the tide at Villa Park.

Since Emery’s arrival Aston Villa have recorded impressive victories over the likes of Chelsea, Manchester United, Tottenham and Newcastle and they currently find themselves eighth in the Premier League table just three points behind Tottenham in 6th. Emery has largely worked with the same squad as Steven Gerrard since joining the club with only Alex Moreno being signed in January and Emery has helped revitalise the form of players such as Ollie Watkins, Jacob Ramsey and Leon Bailey.

Aston Villa set a club record in the Premier League era by scoring in 20 consecutive top-flight matches between November and April.

Roberto De Zerbi - Brighton

Roberto De Zerbi arrived at Brighton in September 2022 and he was assigned the task of replacing popular head coach Graham Potter. De Zerbi’s arrival in the Premier League raised eyebrows with a few football pundits such as Graeme Souness who criticised his longevity in previous roles and his knowledge of England’s top flight.

Some football experts expected the team to struggle after the loss of Potter, but the Seagulls are once again flying in the Premier League and they have hit new heights under De Zerbi’s management.

Brighton have hit a record points tally in the Premier League this season, whilst also reaching an FA Cup semi-final. The team has thrived under De Zerbi’s expensive and attacking style of play and young prospects such as Moises Caicedo, Kaoru Mitoma have thrived alongside experienced names such as Lewis Dunk, Solly March and Pascal Gross.

Brighton have a number of games in hand on a number of teams in and around the European places and the Seagulls will be aiming to qualify for the Europa League for the first time since their inception in 1901.

Gary O’Neil - Bournemouth

Despite an opening day victory against Aston Villa - many pundits saw it as a formality that Bournemouth would end the season with a relegation straight back to the Championship. The Cherries spent a combined total of just £20.5 million on new recruits which was a far way off the £72.9 million paid out by Fulham or the £152 million paid out by Nottingham Forest.

Bournemouth’s concerns were exacerbated after a run of three consecutive top-flight defeats including a record-equalling 9-0 loss to Liverpool. Bournemouth’s defeat to Liverpool led to the departure of manager Scott Parker after just four games and he famously described the team as under-equipped for the Premier League.

Gary O’Neil arrived as interim manager of the club at the end of August in his first ever spell in charge of a football team. The former West Ham midfielder steadied the ship with victories over Leicester and Nottingham Forest but many eyebrows were raised before the World Cup break when he was assigned the job until the end of the season.

A seven-game winless streak followed when the season resumed in December and many fans were resigned to a second top-flight relegation. Bournemouth have since enjoyed a miraculous recovery since March in the business end of the season and a run of six victories from nine games - including statement victories over Tottenham and Liverpool have helped the Cherries climb to 13th in the Premier League table.

O’Neil’s side are now nine points clear of the relegation zone with just three games of the season remaining and they need just one draw to guarantee their place in the top-flight.

Verdict - Eddie Howe

All five managers are worthy contenders for the manager of the season award and the likes of Thomas Frank of Brentford and Marco Silva of Fulham also deserve honourable mentions.

However, Eddie Howe’s achievements at Newcastle stand-out as the greatest this campaign and he has changed the landscape of the club on a significant level since his arrival. Howe has recruited exceptionally well at Newcastle and the likes of Sven Botman, Nick Pope and Alexander Isak have all been sensational summer signings who look poised to star for the club in years to come.

The former Bournemouth boss has also done an exceptional job to turn the Premier League’s worst defence into a solid defensive unit. Newcastle may have invested heavily in new recruits but that doesn’t guarantee success as we have seen over the years with Everton and more recently Chelsea and away from the transfer window Howe has significantly improved a number of the players he inherited such as Joelinton, Miguel Almiron, Jacob Murphy, Sean Longstaff and Fabian Schar.