The managerial merry-go-round has yet to fully start to turn in the Premier League this season, but it is just a matter of time.
Last season, a whopping 14 managers were sacked, as Chelsea and Leeds both dispensed with the services of multiple coaches. With the standard and pedigree of coaches out of work incredibly high, here are our picks for the top 10 best available managers.
Top 10 best available managers – our picks
10) Frank Lampard
Though Lampard has seen his managerial stock steadily fall since his first season in charge of Chelsea, he remains a fairly attractive proposition for many.
He is not considered a fantastic coach, but such is Lampard’s legend within the game that he can immediately command a degree of respect in the dressing room few can match from day one, as well as a reputation for youth development.
He also has an impressive contacts book, particularly his strong relationship with Chelsea and their prestigious academy. Lyon were reportedly close to hiring the Englishman in September.
9) Jesse Marsch
If one can put the image of Ted Lasso-come-to-life to one side for a moment, Marsch is an impressive coach.
He kept Leeds up in 2022 against the odds with his uber-energetic pressing football, and according to the underlying expected goals data, would likely have kept them up again.
He also boasts an impressive body of work with RB clubs Leipzig and Salzburg.
8) Ruud van Nistelrooy
The Premier League golden boot winner won PSV the KNVB Beker last season and guided them to second, despite losing key men Cody Gakpo and Noni Madueke in January. His side also scored the most goals in the league, led by the electric Xavi Simons.
With “tensions within the club” being reported as the reason for his departure, the former Man United star might have seen his stock fall in the eyes of some clubs. Yet, if the Dutchman can learn from his mistakes, he is an attractive proposition for future employers.
7) Oliver Glasner
Poor Oliver Glasner. The Austrian was sacked after winning Eintracht Frankfurt their first European trophy in over 40 years in 2022 and a seventh-placed Bundesliga finish in 2023, as well as reaching the Champions League last 16. With such a record, expect Glasner in a top job soon.
6) Graham Potter
Graham Potter had a torrid time at Chelsea, but such was the quality of his work at Brighton, that he remains a hot commodity.
Potter steadily modernised Brighton and improved every player under his charge, recording famous victories along the way.
The Englishman turned down advances from Leicester City earlier this year, and will be discerning in choosing where he goes next. Here’s where we think Potter may end up next.
5) Joachim Low
The 2014 World Cup winner is an outside pick for many roles, having not managed a club since 2004. However, he could be an excellent choice as an interim manager to steady a ship.
Low is not short of willing: he recently said “I would like to coach a club again. That would be fun for me.”
4) Julen Lopetegui
Wolves had to scramble to appoint a manager after Lopetegui, who saved them last season, walked away as it became clear he wouldn’t get the backing he felt necessary to sculpt the Black Country club into a top side.
Wolves have not looked bad on it – Gary O’Neil has done a terrific job – but Lopetegui has a solid, adaptable record at all kinds of clubs, from Sevilla to Porto. It won’t be long until we see him back in a hotseat.
3) Hansi Flick
Returning to Die Mannschaft bosses, Hansi Flick will still be reeling from his sacking as German manager, after just 12 wins from 25 and a disastrous World Cup.
Future employers will not be discouraged though. German football is in something of an existential crisis, with gaping holes in the squad at striker and full-back. And Flick conquered all before him in 2020 as he guided Bayern to a treble with high-octane exciting football.
2) Zinedine Zidane
As strange as it sounds for a man with three UCL and two La Liga titles to his name (as a manager, that is), Zinedine Zidane is still something of an unknown quantity in management.
The Real Madrid job is such a unique one that it is hard to predict how he would fare in another environment. Zidane’s greatest skill is his ability to manage the big personalities in a colossal dressing room and keep them motivated – he reportedly left most of the coaching and tactical decision making to his staff and extraordinarily gifted and experienced players.
Zidane has been linked with Manchester United, PSG and Chelsea before, but seems to be very picky as to which job to take. And who can blame him, given what he has achieved already?
1) Antonio Conte
Who will be next to drink from the Antonio Conte chalice? The Italian can turn water into wine in his first season or so in charge – but that wine quickly sours and turns poisonous the longer he stays.
The Italian has been successful everywhere he’s gone. He whipped Spurs into an outstanding side at the end of 2021/22 to secure Champions League qualification, won Inter their first Scudetto in a decade, won Chelsea the Premier League despite the club finishing tenth the season prior, made Italy a force again and laid the foundations for Juventus’ decade of domination.
Conte’s record speaks for itself. He will bring you success, and do it fast. Whether it is worth the pain and drama that comes after it is up to his future employers to decide.
