The Former Premier League Players who Managed in the 2024-25 Championship
The Championship has long been a developing ground for both rising stars and seasoned professionals looking to make their mark in management—and the 2024–25 season was no different.
Among the familiar faces patrolling the touchlines were several former Premier League players who have swapped boots for tactics boards in a bid to relaunch or reshape their careers from the dugout.
These once top-flight names had mixed fortunes and brought plenty of intrigue to the exciting second tier of English football.
That said, with anticipation building for the lucrative play-off final and the Blades well-supported by those placing a Sheffield United vs Sunderland bet, here’s a look at the former Premier League players who took on the challenge of managing in this season’s ultra-competitive Championship.
Scott Parker – Burnley
Scott Parker is one of the more successful ex-Prem players to have tested the waters of management in the Championship.
The former Chelsea, Newcastle United, West Ham United, Tottenham Hotspur and Fulham midfielder earned promotion from the second tier for the third time with as many clubs this season.
Having won the play-offs with Fulham in 2020 and finished runner-up with Bournemouth in 2022, Parker guided Burnley to second this campaign.
The Clarets had one hand on the title on the final day, but a 91st-minute winner by Manor Solomon meant Leeds won the Championship by goal difference right at the death.
Former Liverpool midfielder Jonjo Shelvey spent the second half of the season on loan at Burnley, but was hardly involved in Parker’s plans will be looking for another new club in the off-season.
Goodnight from Jonjo Shelvey 💪
Enjoy your weekend, Clarets 💜 pic.twitter.com/eVC1ydkuHZ
— Burnley FC (P) (@BurnleyOfficial) February 8, 2025
Michael Carrick – Middlesbrough
Former Manchester United stalwart Michael Carrick has been in charge of Middlesbrough since replacing the experienced Chris Wilder at the Riverside Stadium.
The England midfielder took Boro from one point above the relegation to seventh in his first season, and reached the play-offs the following year—but lost to Coventry City in the play-off semi-finals.
The last couple of seasons have been challenging for Carrick, with Middlesbrough slipping to eighth in 2023-24 and a disappointing 10th this year.
The 43-year-old’s future at Middlesbrough is surrounded by uncertainty going into the off-season, with former Wolves manager Gary O’Neill linked with the Teessiders.
Reds loanee Ben Doak had a decent season under Carrick, scoring three times and providing seven assists in 24 matches—potentially putting himself in the shop window this summer.
Frank Lampard – Coventry City
After over a year out of management following his second tenure at his beloved Chelsea, Frank Lampard returned to the dugout to take over at Coventry City from Mark Robins.
The Blues’ all-time top scorer had his work cut out with the West Midlands side, as the Sky Blues were 17th in the second tier.
However, Lampard worked a miracle at the Coventry Building Society Arena—guiding his men to the play-offs on the final day of the season to stun the Championship odds.
It’s a massive turnaround in his managerial career, which many fans and pundits alike thought was dead and buried after his largely unsuccessful stints with Everton, Derby County and Chelsea.
Before Coventry’s second leg play-off semi-final against Sunderland, Lampard was hoping his side would take inspiration from Liverpool’s comeback against Chelsea in the Champions League, but a Dan Ballard header in the dying embers crushed their hopes of Premier League football.
Wayne Rooney – Plymouth Argyle
Given his poor record with Derby, D.C. United in the MLS and Birmingham City—with whom he managed no better than a 28%-win rate—it came as something of a surprise when Wayne Rooney was announced as Plymouth Argyle boss last May.
Whether it was a bold move by the club’s owners to attract a bigger crowd to Home Park or Rooney genuinely convinced the Plymouth decision makers with his philosophy in the interview process, the ex-Man United forward flopped once again.
Rooney won just five of his 25 games in charge of Argyle and was sacked in December, with the club sitting bottom of the Championship.
Plymouth were relegated rock bottom of the Championship, but it wasn’t all doom and gloom for their supporters this season as they beat the Premier League champions 1-0 in the fourth round of the FA Cup in a historic result for the club.
Interim managers
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As the season progressed, we witnessed more and more Premier League players stepping into management in the Championship.
West Bromwich Albion legend James Morrison oversaw the Baggies’ last two games of the season after the dismissal of Tony Mowbray, making a good account of himself with a draw away to Cardiff City and a 5-3 win over Luton Town on the final day.
Elsewhere, former Arsenal teammates Aaron Ramsey and Jack Wilshere took charge of Cardiff and Norwich City, respectively.
Ramsey failed to pick up a win in his three games in charge of the Welsh side as they were relegated to League One, while Wilshere enjoyed a win and a draw in his two games—including a 4-2 win over Cardiff on the final day.