Clubs are rushing to fill vacant football manager jobs once again this summer. The football job market is booming.
Some have already moved ahead, finding their match before others. Barcelona and Bayern Munich are two such clubs who have filled vacancies.
Champions League winning manager Hansi Flick has taken over from Xavi at Barcelona, while Vincent Kompany was hired by Bayern Munich – despite managing a Burnley side which got relegated from the Premier League.
With the Euros set to be a busy month and the transfer market window on the horizon, a host of other clubs are still scrambling to appoint a new manager ahead.
Here are the top 5 jobs up for grabs this summer:
AC Milan
AC Milan have conquered Europe seven times. But now the Italian club are looking for a new manager to lead them to an eighth Champions League title.
After five years in charge, Stefano Pioli left I Rossoneri one year before his contract was due to expire.
AC Milan won their first Serie A title in 11 years in 2022 under Pioli and they reached the semi finals of the Champions League last season, but have fallen short of expectations this year.
Current Lille manager Paulo Fonseca is reportedly set to take the job. The Portuguese coach finished fourth with the French club this season.
Juventus
Things are never normal at Juventus.
High profile manager Massimiliano Allegri lost his temper after the club lost 1-0 to Atalanta in the Italian Cup final. And as a result of “certain behaviours” deemed “incompatible with the values of Juventus”, Allegri also lost his job.
The club are likely to appoint Thiago Motta, who recently left Serie A club Bologna.
He led the club to Champions League qualification this season for the first time in their history.
Motta also drew the attention of football fans all over the world when he was still a youth coach at PSG. In 2018, he unveiled plans to revolutionise football with an unprecedented 2-7-2 formation, suggesting keepers would become outfield, attacking-minded layers.
Brighton & Hove Albion
Shortly before Brighton were set to play in the last game of their season, reports circulated that Italian manager Roberto De Zerbi would be leaving the club.
De Zerbi took the club to sixth last season, allowing them to compete in the Europa League and face big clubs including Ajax, Marseille and Roma this year.
When Brighton were last left without a manager as Chelsea snatched Graham Potter, they had planned ahead. De Zerbi was brought from Shakhtar Donetsk in a matter of days.
The hunt this time has so far proven more difficult.
Reports suggested they were interested in Kieran McKenna from promoted side Ipswich Town, but he has signed a new contract with the new Premier League club.
Graham Potter, who was himself moved on from his Chelsea job in a matter of months, has also been linked with a sensational return.
Napoli
Napoli sacked Walter Mazzarri in February after a dire first half of the season as champions.
Francesco Calzona has been the caretaker manager ever since. As his time is up, Napoli are out to find someone who can take them to a second Serie A title after their historic win in 2023.
None other than Antonio Conte looks set to return to Italy, having won leagues with Juventus and Inter Milan before.
Conte is often a divisive figure: sprinting down touchlines in jubilation, tussling Thomas Tuchel on the field and publicly blaming Spurs players for their lack of “fight”.
Chelsea
Chelsea are used to being in this situation.
Since 2000, Chelsea have had as many managers as there have been British monarchs since 1603.
The club announced Mauricio Pochettino’s surprise departure a few days after the end of the Premier League, in which they qualified for Europe.
High profile names such as Jose Mourinho, Conte and Tuchel have not been linked with a move back to London.
Rather, Chelsea look set to appoint Enzo Maresca as their new manager. He led Leicester to the top of the Championship, having worked as an assistant coach under Pep Guardiola at Manchester City.
But the Italian man, who was sacked by Parma in 2021, has never managed a Premier League side.
More seats to fill
Championship club Hull City are out looking for a new manager after Liam Rosenior was dismissed.
Erik Ten Hag’s job at Manchester United is currently under fire after a poor season, with Sir Jim Ratcliffe hoping to change the club’s fortunes after his minority takeover.
The England job could also be freed up by the end of the year. Gareth Southgate’s contract expires in December, months after at the end of the Euros.
It would all depend on England’s performance and on his own decision.
