The long-awaited Premier League Hall of Fame recently added its first two inductees, Alan Shearer and Thierry Henry.

You would be hard pressed to find any honest football fan that’ll truly contest that decision.

Of course, you could name multiple viable contenders, but when talking about the cream of the crop, nobody can deny either Henry or Shearer.

The whole idea of a Premier League H.O.F is quite exciting and can lead to some spirited debates amongst fans when talking about future inductees.

Who knows, we may even see the concept of this Hall of Fame expand over time. It could become a physical attraction, or even open different wings to celebrate the greats of the Premier League.

You could have a modern wing, greatest matches wing and even a wing for iconic off-field figures like referees, commentators & fans.

However, one separate wing we’d love to see would be solely dedicated to the finest Premier League managers.

We’ve been blessed to witness some genius gaffers prowl the touchlines since the inception of the Premier League in 1992.

They provide us with real moments of tactical wisdom, entertainment and the odd non-sensical rant.

Either way, the English top tier has had its fair share of well renowned managers throughout the decades. So, we want to chat about which five would be the worthiest of entering the Premier League Hall of Fame.

It goes without saying, a managers Premier League career was only taking into consideration. As was their successes, longevity, and general legacy within the league.

We also didn’t include any managers currently working in the Premier League.

Sir Alex Ferguson

Let’s get the obvious ones out of the way, nice and early.

Manchester United living legend, Sir Alex Ferguson is the most successful British and Premier League manager of all time. You could even go as far as saying he’s the greatest manager of all time.

The Scotland native guided his Manchester United side to the inaugural Premier League title during the 1992/93 season. This set the benchmark for what was to follow, as Ferguson and United would go on to win 13 league titles together.

Ferguson would win an ungodly number of personal accolades along the way too. Including a hatful of Premier League Manager of the Season/Month awards.

Simply put, he’s the best manager to ever grace the league, and his retirement at the end of his title winning campaign in 2013, left a massive hole within both Manchester United, and the league itself.

Plenty of his former players like Mark Hughes, Steve Bruce, Bryan Robson and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer went on to become managers in the Premier League themselves, citing Ferguson as a real source of inspiration.

Meaning the influence of Ferguson can still be felt within the league today.

Arsene Wenger  

Alex Ferguson’s greatest rival was none other than Arsenal hero, Arsene Wenger.

The Frenchman managed the North London side for 22 years, from 1996 until 2018.

Most notably, Wenger guided Arsenal to three Premier League titles. With the most famous of the trio coming in 2004, when the Gunners went unbeaten for an entire league campaign.

To sum up Wenger on his on-field achievements would be simply scandalous.

When he arrived in England, Wenger changed to culture within English football and transcended it into the no nonsense league we know it as today.

He was extremely forward thinking in his approach to training and dieting, completely wiping out the drinking culture that was prevalent in Arsenal at the time.

His role as the first modern international manager in the league will never be forgotten. He drastically changed how managers recruited foreign players within and outside of Europe, and the discipline within a dressing room. Add to that, the fact he’s the only manager to go an entire Premier League season unbeaten, and you got yourself a first ballot Hall of Famer.

Jose Mourinho

The last of the obvious names is, Jose Mourinho.

The self-confessed special one, burst onto the scene as Chelsea manager ahead of the 2004/05 season. He was an instant success, going on to win the Premier League in his first season as Chelsea-boss.

Jose would win a further two league titles, retaining his crown after the 2005/06 season and guiding Chelsea to championship status again, at the tail end of the 2014/15 campaign during his second spell at the London club.

His Chelsea side recorded the highest points total for a Premier League winning team during two of these league winning seasons. Unfortunately, they would be later broken by Liverpool and Manchester City.

Away from Chelsea, Mourinho managed an underwhelming Manchester United side to a runner up slot in the 2017/18 season. The less said about his most recent spell with Tottenham, the better.

While the jury may still be out as Mourinho in modern day management, he certainly gave Chelsea fans and owner, Roman Abramovich value for money during his two spells at Chelsea.

Who knows, the Premier League may not have seen the last of Jose Mourinho just yet.

Claudio Ranieri

Moving on to the man that Mourinho originally replaced at Chelsea, Claudio Ranieri.

While he spent a respectable four years with the Blues, that’s not the reason he finds himself on this list.

After leaving Chelsea, Ranieri bounced around Spain, Italy, and France at club level. He would ultimately return to England to take charge of Leicester City, ahead of the 2015/16 season.

Despite the negativity of many English pundits and media outlets, it’s safe to say it went alright.

Ranieri pulled of the impossible and went on to win the Premier League during his first season at Leicester. It’s easily one of the most impressive title wins in the history of the sport.

While it was a huge collective effort by all at the club, the managerial effect by Ranieri should never be downplayed. It’s crazy to see him get shafted the way he did. It would have been the fairy-tale ending for a well-regarded manager.

Away from a disaster 17 match spell with Fulham during the 2018/19 campaign. For doing what he did with Leicester, we believe his place on this list is completely justified.

Kenny Dalglish

Rounding off today’s discussion is another manager that won a Premier League title with a club outside of the so-called big clubs.

Dalglish is adored in Liverpool due to his victories at Anfield as a player and manager.

After his highly successful managerial run with Liverpool during the 80’s, Dalglish handed in his resignation, and wasn’t seen in a hotseat again until becoming Blackburn Rovers manager in 1991.

Admittedly, he had massive financial backing from the then Blackburn owner, Jack Walker.

However, Dalglish still had to galvanise a team with no discernible record in the early years of the Premier League.

He would recruit marquee signings like Alan Shearer, David Batty and Chris Sutton before lifting the title in the 1994/95 season.

The fact he took over at Blackburn when they were in the old Second Division and won the league so swiftly after, is often overlooked.

While he didn’t reach the same heights at Newcastle in 1997/98, and upon his managerial return at Liverpool in 2011/12. Like Ranieri, nobody can deny the magnitude of what he achieved with a smaller side like, Blackburn.