We rate the 20 Premier League managers against each other by how effective, or otherwise, they have proven to be at operating in the transfer market.
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20) Alan Irvine (West Bromwich Albion) – It is early days for Irvine, of course, but his one big purchase in Ideye Brown has been hopeless so far and there has been no obvious successes from the Baggies’ summer.
19) Harry Redknapp (Queens Park Rangers) – Judging Redknapp off his time at QPR, it’s largely been a disaster – there have been far too many expensive flops arrive at Loftus Road for him to climb any higher.
18) Neil Warnock (Crystal Palace) – Too early to judge Warnock based on his current spell at the club, but the experienced gaffer is more of an organise than a master scout.
17) Brendan Rodgers (Liverpool) – Sturridge and Coutinho are the saving graces, but 90% of Rodgers’ signings since he took charge at Anfield have turned out to be duds, whether he is making them or not is a different matter.
16) Paul Lambert (Aston Villa) – Christian Benteke stands out as a wonerful find, but other than that Lambert’s record in the transfer market at Villa has been average at very best.
15) Nigel Pearson (Leicester City) – Perhaps harsh, because in the Championship he was able to come up with some fantastic bargains, but Pearson’s summer work always looked ill suited to a Premier League campaign.
14) Gus Poyet (Sunderland) – The jury is very much still out when it comes to Poyet and the transfer market – some successes, at both Brighton and Sunderland, but plenty of misses.
13) Manuel Pellegrini (Manchester City) – The likes of Negredo and Navas have proven to be good buys, if expensive, but Stevan Jovetic, Eliaquim Mangala and Martin Demichelis have all been questionable purchases.
12) Mark Hughes (Stoke City) – Another who has a generally inconsistent record, Hughes has plucked some gems out of thin air but also had some frustrating flops.
11) Garry Monk (Swansea City) – The jury is yet to return its verdict on Monk, after just one transfer window, but Jefferson Montero looks like he could be a particularly impressive buy.
10) Arsene Wenger (Arsenal) – Far lower down on this list than he would have been once, the rest of football seems to have caught up with the Frenchman’s methods.
9) Sean Dyche (Burnley) – His success at Turf Moor has largely been down to bringing the best out of what he had, but the likes of Tom Heaton and Scott Arfield have been real bargains.
8) Mauricio Pochettino (Tottenham Hotspur) – Based more on his time at Southampton than at Spurs, Pochettino clearly has an eye for a player, but will Daniel Levy let him use it?
7) Louis van Gaal (Manchester United) – Van Gaal’s illustrious career has been based on his tactical insights rather than his scouting, but the Dutchman is still capable of plucking a rabbit from a hat.
6) Steve Bruce (Hull City) – Bruce has a reputation for being able to put together surprisingly good teams but not quite knowing how to get the best out of them.
5) Alan Pardew (Newcastle United) – Newcastle’s record in the transfer market since Pardew took over is exemplary – but how much of it is down to the manager?
4) Roberto Martinez (Everton) – Has done a wonderful job at Goodison Park, combining eye-catching buys such as Romelu Lukaku with real bargains such as James McCarthy.
3) Sam Allardyce (West Ham United) – Good work in the transfer market has been the hallmark of Allardyce’s career and that has continued this year with the likes of Diafra Sakho and Cheikhou Kouyate.
2) Jose Mourinho (Chelsea) – Mourinho generally brings in exactly what is required, but generally has a huge amount of backing to be able to pull it off.
1) Ronald Koeman (Southampton) – Had a reputation for rebuilding after losing players at Feyenoord and has truly enhanced that with his stunning work since taking over at St. Mary’s.