Rooney Ranks Emery Above Arteta With Pep Untouchable — And Tips Sunderland’s Le Bris For MOTY

Wayne Rooney’s worn enough mud on his boots and medals around his neck to know a top manager when he sees one. After years under Sir Alex Ferguson and a bumpy managerial apprenticeship of his own, the Manchester United legend has nailed his colours to the mast: Pep Guardiola is No.1, Unai Emery sits second, and Mikel Arteta takes third among current Premier League gaffers.

Rooney’s pecking order: Pep, Emery… then Arteta

On his BBC podcast, the 40-year-old praised Arteta’s transformation at Arsenal but put Emery a notch higher. The Spaniard’s Villa have been superb, and Rooney reckons the tough gig of following Arsene Wenger at Arsenal shouldn’t be used to knock Emery’s credentials — much like David Moyes discovering how unforgiving it is to succeed Sir Alex at Old Trafford.

Rooney’s view in a nutshell? Guardiola is still the gold standard after his avalanche of titles at Manchester City, Emery’s in second on the strength of his tactical nous and current work, and Arteta — excellent though he’s been — slots in at third.

Arteta’s rise — brilliant, but judged against the very best

Let’s be clear: Arteta has hauled Arsenal from drifting to driving. The Gunners have been living at the sharp end of the table with three straight runners-up finishes and a cup in his first season. They’ve spent big to bridge the gap — from Declan Rice to Nicolas Pepe and even the headline move for Viktor Gyökeres — and the numbers speak loudly: appointed on 22/12/2019, contracted to 30/06/2027, 313 matches, 191 wins, 53 draws, 69 defeats — a 2.00 points-per-match return. That’s elite territory, but Rooney’s challenge is clear: turn consistent contention into silverware.

Why Emery gets Rooney’s nod

Emery’s Arsenal stint was a poisoned chalice; the first man after Wenger was always on a hiding to nothing. Judge him by what he’s doing now: a side drilled, daring and adaptable, with a knack for improving players and game-planning the life out of opponents. In Rooney’s book, that current body of work nudges him ahead of Arteta — with Guardiola still on his own planet.

Rooney’s shock shout: Sunderland’s Le Bris for Manager of the Year

Here’s the curveball. While the big names dominate the headlines, Rooney’s early frontrunner for Manager of the Year is Sunderland’s Regis Le Bris. The Frenchman, whose background has included analyst work before stepping into the hot seat, earned promotion and has the Black Cats punching above their weight. As it stands, they’re eighth with 24 points from 16 — after a summer that saw Nordi Mukiele, Granit Xhaka, Noah Sadiki, Omar Alderete and Robin Roefs arrive to steady the Premier League ship. Rooney even noted he nicked one of his rare wins as Plymouth boss against a Le Bris side — and he’s clearly a believer.

If you’re weighing up where the smart money might go on the end-of-season gongs, you’ll find guides to the market on the best betting sites. But in pure footballing terms, the Sunderland story is gathering speed.

The verdict

Arteta’s Arsenal are close — very close — to breaking through. Win the title this season and he’ll have a serious claim to leapfrog Emery in the Rooney rankings. Until then, Guardiola is king, Emery the best of the rest, and Arteta the man on the cusp. As for Manager of the Year? Don’t ignore the upstart on Wearside.

For the record, Rooney’s own dugout days brought a 0.97 points-per-match return across 177 games — modest, sure, but he’s played and managed enough to recognise elite coaching when it’s right in front of him.