We are nearing the half-way stage of the season, and with that the potential makeup of final league standings are becoming a little clearer. Job security is beginning to wane for those running out of time to produce the necessary results, so we take a look at some of the best out of work managers, and who their potential best fits might be.
Top 5 Out of Work Managers
5. Graham Potter
Graham Potter’s brief spell at Chelsea has proven particularly damaging to his credentials, after registering the lowest win percentage in the club’s history (39%).
The former Brighton manager arrived at Stamford Bridge with much promise, with his pragmatism, imaginative tactics and ability to galvanise young players deemed the perfect fit for an ambitious new project.
Todd Boehly and the rest of the hierarchy’s confidence was evidenced by handing him a five-year contract, which in hindsight proved to be an expensive and perhaps premature miscalculation.
Attempting to gel 18 new squad players was always going to prove a wearying task for any manager. In particular for Potter, who was thrust into the deep end after swapping one of the most effectively managed teams in Europe, for a club whose new owner arrived in England and infiltrated the transfer market like a bull in a china shop.
Not even his predecessor Thomas Tuchel, nor his interim replacement Frank Lampard could prevent Chelsea from registering their lowest Premier League points tally ever (44) – it all came a little too soon for Potter.
There is no doubting his managerial ability and stellar reputation for cultivating interpersonal relationships with his players. His feel-good management style will almost certainly warrant him another high-level job further down the line, and he has long been thought of as a solid candidate for the England hot seat.
As Gareth Southgate has proven with relative successes at major tournaments, the international set-up thrives on creating a relaxed atmosphere. Gone are the days of relentless hounding by the press, which is likely a prominent reason for the “Golden Generation’s” underwhelming record.
The Three Lions need a steady, well-spoken successor to Southgate to maintain the same zeitgeist, and even implement some of his own progressive tactics.
Best Fit: England
4. Julen Lopetegui
“My wife and I are trying to take advantage of our free time. We want to know more about the culture of England and we love the history. We have visited a lot of cities and will continue.
“At the weekend, I try to see different matches and be aware of what is happening the Premier League. We are very happy here and I have the ambition to stay here for longer.”
These are the words of Julen Lopetegui, who expressed his love of England to Radio 5 Live not long after leaving Wolves.
The Spaniard cut ties with the club on the eve of the 2023/24 campaign, with their worrying financial situation the driving force behind his exit.
The hysteria surrounding Wolves prior to the start led to the vast majority of observers predicting another relegation-threatened season, but Gary O’Neil has quickly squashed any doubts so far.
Lopetegui appears to be biding his time meanwhile, waiting in the wings for another opportunity in the Premier League to arise.
🚨 Understand Julen Lopetegui is now oriented to reject Al Ittihad proposal to become the new manager and replace Nuno Espirito Santo.
Former Sevilla and Wolves coach set to turn down the proposal — told his focus is on Premier League. pic.twitter.com/i1nNye9Unm
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) November 15, 2023
A former Real Madrid, Porto and Europa League-winning manager with Sevilla is a solid resumé, and his premature departure from Wolves has left him yearning for more experience on these shores.
His compatriot Andoni Iraola has had a tough start to life in England, and it would be interesting to see what Lopetegui could do with a Bournemouth squad dotted with talented players.
Best Fit: Bournemouth
3. Hansi Flick
One of Bayern Munich’s greatest ever managers, albeit in a brief spell, is available once again after being let go by Germany following a period of underachievement, by their lofty standards.
Flick won 70 of his 86 games in charge of Bayern prior to leaving for the national team, giving him the highest win percentage of any manager in the club’s history (81%). Add to that seven trophies and a spectacular treble-winning season in 2019/20, where Bayern became the first team to lift the Champions League with a 100% win record.
For whatever reason, his short-lived tenure with Die Mannschaft’s never really got off the ground – he never recovered from crashing out of the 2022 World Cup group stage, a scenario that was near-unfathomable after their previous failure four years earlier.
It is hard to know quite where his future lies, but a ferocious, high-octane management style would suggest a job opportunity in England or his native Germany would suit most.
It wouldn’t be a surprise to see him enter the frame for the Borussia Dortmund job, with last season’s Bundesliga runners-up already trailing Bayer Leverkusen by 10 points.
Although his stock has fallen slightly, he remains one of the best out of work managers around.
Best Fit: Borussia Dortmund
2. Antonio Conte
Antonio Conte’s acrimonious departure from Tottenham last season was perhaps the most glaring example of his true colours so far.
It felt like a plea to the club itself, almost as if to say “sack me, I’ve had enough.” Publicly criticising his players was the norm throughout his time in North London, but a grating relationship reached a remarkable crescendo in March 2023, where he accused his “selfish” squad of thinking only of themselves.
As we have come to expect, Conte never stays put in one place for very long. It is unlikely his antagonistic and disagreeable persona will warrant him another job in England – his episode at Tottenham feels like one too many bridges burnt.
A return to Italy seems likely. The Serie A feels like the final frontier for managers moulded in the shape of Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte; a last vestige of hardline managers, if you will.
Wide spread reports suggest Conte may well be Mourinho’s successor at Roma, with the latter not expected to stay put past this season. The pair share are relatively similar philosophy, so a seamless transition could well be an attractive prospect for all parties.
Best Fit: Roma
1. Zinedine Zidane
Zinedine Zidane declared around this time last year, “I will be back soon. Wait, wait a little bit. Soon, soon. I’m not far from coaching again.”
Whether the enigmatic Frenchman ever does venture back into management is a seemingly unanswerable question. A handful of job offers that would typically be hard to reject for most – the likes of Chelsea, Manchester United and PSG – have been and gone, making him one of the most elusive out of work managers on the market.
Zidane’s trophy haul at Madrid was nothing short of astonishing. Two La Liga titles, three successive Champions Leagues along with a handful of Club World Cups and Super Cups is a collection most can only dream of.
His credentials as a manager can not be doubted, but they fail to stretch out of the realm of Real Madrid. Little is known as to how he might fare without one of the greatest squads ever compiled.
Knockout football is seemingly where Zidane and his serial-winning Madrid side thrived, feeding off the drama and novelty of a ‘winner takes it all’ scenario.
That would suggest becoming the next French national team manager would be the ultimate fit – a job that he has previously described as the “logical next step.” Many believe his hesitancy to step back into management in simply Zidane biding his time, waiting for Didier Deschamps to vacate the Les Bleus spot.
Best Fit: France
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