Leicester City have named former Chelsea boss Claudio Ranieri as their new manager after the sacking of Nigel Pearson.
This isn’t the first time that a Premier League side have made a surprising appointment, and here are six other occasions which have left people scratching their heads…
6) Paolo Di Canio, Sunderland
When the former Swindon Town boss was put in charge of the Black Cats in March 2013 it caused anger from the start. Vice-Chairman David Miliband immediately resigned and the Durham Miners Association removed its banner from the Stadium of Light in protest, both due to his links with supporting fascism. On the pitch there were also fireworks, including a 3-0 win over local rivals Newcastle in his first game. He then signed 14 players in the summer, sold Simon Mignolet and Stephane Sessegnon, and was sacked before the end of September.
5) David Moyes, Manchester United
Old Trafford never seemed the right fit for the former Everton boss. After 11 years of relative success with the Toffees showing some similar attributes to the great Sir Alex Ferguson, it made sense on paper. However, it was hardly inspiring for fans after being linked with Pep Guardiola and Jose Mourinho, which seemed to hamper the Scot’s chances from the beginning. It was over before the end of his debut season, sacked in April 2014 with the side languishing in seventh.
4) Dick Advocaat, Sunderland
The first success in this list, the 67-year-old was given just a handful of games to save the North East club from relegation, and ended up keeping them up with a match to spare. The Black Cats are the 21st side the Dutchman has managed, including the Netherlands national team, PSV Eindhoven, and Rangers. He will also be spending an extra year there now, after persuading his wife to live in Sunderland for another year!
3) Kevin Keegan, Newcastle United (the second time)
Adored on Tyneside after his success with the Magpies in the 90s, Mike Ashley tried to win fans back by appointing the club hero in 2008. However, after guiding them to mid-table safety the former Liverpool star resigned, citing differences in their transfer plans. This caused even more anger amongst supporters, and it even ended up needing a Premier League Arbitration Panel to decide the amount of compensation the ex-England boss should get.
2) Alex McLeish, Aston Villa
Appointing your rivals’ manager rarely goes down well, but that didn’t stop the Villans from taking the former Birmingham boss just five days after he had left the Blues. McLeish went on to become statistically the worst boss the Midlands’ side have ever had with a win percentage of just 21.4%, and was sacked after just one season.
1) Avram Grant, Chelsea
Surprisingly this was nearly a success. The Blues appointed a man who had only ever managed several Israeli sides and their national team to replace the great Jose Mourinho, and amazingly he led them to within two points of the Premier League title and in the final of the Champions League. However, they lost both to Manchester United, with the latter going down to penalties. This wasn’t enough for Abramovich, who promptly sacked him when the campaign ended.