AI model names De Zerbi, Carrick and Arbeloa among five Premier League managers most at risk of sacking

An AI supercomputer study by Tipman Tips has identified Tottenham Hotspur manager Roberto De Zerbi as the Premier League boss most likely to be sacked next, with Manchester United’s Michael Carrick ranked third and Fulham’s Alvaro Arbeloa second.

Spurs sit at the foot of the Premier League table with just two points from their opening five games. De Zerbi, who joined the club after keeping them in the division last season, faces a pivotal test on Saturday when Tottenham travel to Old Trafford. Anything short of three points there could, according to the model’s logic, accelerate a decision on his future.

Arbeloa’s Fulham are level with Spurs on two points, also winless through five games, placing the Cottagers in similarly precarious territory. Carrick’s United sit in 12th place with a single win to their name — a 5-2 defeat of Ipswich Town in August — and the model suggests that a Tottenham draw on Saturday would bring United level with the bottom two, heightening pressure on the former interim manager.

United’s campaign has been uneven. A 2-0 opening-weekend defeat at promoted Hull City was a damaging result for a club with title ambitions, and a derby loss to Manchester City last month, while less surprising given City’s form, added to the scrutiny around Carrick’s position.

Nottingham Forest manager Oliver Glasner is ranked fourth in the study. Forest are level on points with United in 13th after a 1-0 home defeat to Coventry followed their encouraging away win at Aston Villa before the international break.

Pierre Sage, who replaced Glasner at Crystal Palace after joining from Lens and Lyon, completes the top five. Palace sit 15th with four points from five games, having already suffered a defeat to promoted opposition.

The study reflects a broader pattern of instability at the lower end of the Premier League table as the season moves past its early weeks, with several clubs yet to find consistent form under new or under-pressure management.