The best available football managers, including potential Man Utd targets and Liverpool legend

A number of high-profile football managers are currently out of work and looking for their next challenge.  

Chelsea, Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Juventus have already made managerial changes this summer and more clubs are expected to follow in their footsteps.

They will be able to appoint former Champions League and Premier League-winning managers without paying any compensation fees.

We’ve taken a look at 10 of the best football managers who are currently out of work and have also included any speculation about their next job.

Thomas Tuchel

Tuchel has managed some of Europe’s biggest clubs in the last 10 years, enjoying spells at Borussia Dortmund, Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea and Bayern Munich.

He has won two Ligue 1 titles, a Bundesliga title, the Champions League, the FIFA World Club Cup, the UEFA Super Cup and five domestic cup competitions.

According to recent reports in England, the 50-year-old is now hoping to receive a contract offer from Manchester United.

“I’d rather not answer,” Tuchel said when asked about a potential return to the Premier League. “But it is no secret that I loved it at Chelsea, I loved it in England, and I loved it in the Premier League for sure.

“It was a very, very special time in England, and I remember it well.”

Roberto De Zerbi

Since joining Brighton & Hove Albion in September 2022, De Zerbi has established himself as one of Europe’s most exciting young coaches.

He guided the Seagulls to sixth position in his debut season before leading the team to the last 16 of the UEFA Europa League.

But they had a difficult end to the 2023/24 campaign and both parties mutually agreed to terminate his contract, which was set to run until 2026.

TEAMtalk understands that the 44-year-old doesn’t currently have any contract offers on the table, but he would like to manage AC Milan or Barcelona.

Jurgen Klopp

Klopp won a Premier League title, the Champions League, the FIFA World Club Cup, a UEFA Super Cup, the FA Cup and two League Cups during his eight-and-a-half-years at Liverpool.

The 56-year-old cited fatigue as a primary factor in his decision to leave Anfield at the end of the 2023/24 season, and he now intends to take a year-long break from coaching.

“Will I ever work again?” he said. “Of course, I know myself, I cannot just sit around. I will find something else maybe to do. But I will not manage a club or a country at least for a year, that’s not possible, I cannot do that and I don’t want to.”

He has also ruled out returning to the Premier League with another club, but a number of European sides will be monitoring his situation.

Mauricio Pochettino

Pochettino forged an outstanding reputation in England after leading Tottenham to three top-three Premier League finishes and the 2019 Champions League final.

He got some silverware at Paris Saint-Germain, winning the French Cup and the French Super Cup in 2020/21 before securing the Ligue 1 title in the following season.

The 52-year-old returned to the Premier League with Chelsea in the summer of 2023 but left the club by mutual consent after just one season at Stamford Bridge.

TEAMtalk understands that he could replace Erik ten Hag at Manchester United if the Dutchman’s tenure comes to an end this summer.

Zinedine Zidane 

Zidane enjoyed two trophy-laden spells in charge of Real Madrid, winning three Champions Leagues, two La Liga titles, two UEFA Super Cups and two FIFA World Club Cups.

The former France international has been out of work since he left Madrid at the end of the 2020/21 season and is now considering his options.

“I am busy in a different way,” Zidane said. “I miss the daily routine sometimes, even if the daily life of a manager is hectic. I took a break which has become a big break but sometimes I miss it.”

The 51-year-old is often linked to managerial vacancies at Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester United and Juventus, but he is reportedly waiting to take charge of the France national team.

Massimiliano Allegri

Allegri has spent his entire managerial career in Italy, working at Aglianese, SPAL, Grosseto, Sassuolo, Cagliari, AC Milan and Juventus.

He won four Coppa Italia crowns and five consecutive Serie A titles at Juventus between 2014-19, adding to the singular Scudetto he won at AC Milan in the 2010/11 season.

Despite returning to Juventus and winning another Coppa Italia title in the 2023/24 season, he was sacked by the club due to his aggressive behaviour in the cup final.

Lazio are reportedly considering an approach for the 56-year-old, who has also been linked with Saudi Pro League side Al-Ittihad.

This is the last moment of Max Allegri’s second stint at Juventus. What a way to go out!pic.twitter.com/hkFGIXuqGf

— Get Italian Football News (@_GIFN) May 17, 2024

Xavi Hernandez

After hanging up his boots in 2019, Xavi started his managerial career at Al Sadd and led the Qatari club to seven trophies in two-and-a-half years.

The 44-year-old returned to Barcelona as head coach in November 2021 and won La Liga and the Spanish Super Cup in his first full season in charge.

Despite revoking his decision to step down at the end of the 2023/24 season, he was then sacked by Barcelona after publicly speaking about the club’s financial struggles.

“Nothing is closed,” he said when asked about his next job. “I’m a professional, let’s see what happens in the future. Of course, I’m open [to a new job], but I think 100% I need to rest a little bit.”

Sergio Conceicao

Conceicao has spent the last seven years at Porto, winning three league titles, four Portuguese Cups, one Portuguese League Cup and three Portuguese Super Cups.

The 49-year-old recently penned a new four-year contract with Porto, but it included a clause that would allow him to terminate the deal early.

After former Chelsea manager Andre Villas-Boas replaced Jorge Nuno Pinto da Costa as club president, he decided to activate that clause and leave the Estadio do Dragao.

Marseille could reportedly offer Conceicao an immediate return to management as they seek to replace interim coach Jean-Louis Gasset.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer

Solskjaer had some great moments in the Manchester United dugout and led the club to two top-three Premier League finishes.

Since leaving Old Trafford in November 2021, he has been working in youth football in his native Norway and has also become a match analyst for UEFA.

The 51-year-old recently snubbed the chance to be the manager of the Republic of Ireland national team, and he has discussed his desire to return to club management.

‘I’ve got at least one club job in me,” he said. “It has to be an interesting one, somewhere, an adventure, somewhere I can be myself.

“No disrespect but after you’ve managed Manchester United for three years it’s like where do you go? I want to feel that pressure again. When you see the games, you miss it.”

Graham Potter

After impressing at Ostersund, Swansea City and Brighton & Hove Albion, Potter established himself as one of the best English managers in the game.

He signed a five-year contract at Chelsea in September 2022, but he endured a difficult seven-month stay at Stamford Bridge.

The 49-year-old hasn’t been short of offers in the last few months, rejecting approaches from Lyon, Ajax and the Sweden national team.

He has recently been linked with the now-vacant Leicester City job but could potentially return to Brighton for a second spell following Roberto De Zerbi’s departure.

Honourable mentions: Joachim Low, Laurent Blanc, Maurizio Sarri, Niko Kovac, Rafa Benitez, Ruud van Nistelrooy, Frank Lampard, Steve Cooper, David Moyes.

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