It’s the end of the season in major leagues across Europe and expectedly, all attention should be on the UEFA EURO 2020 Championship billed to kickstart next Friday.
But even with the European Championship fever in the air, the managers’ merry-go-round is the order of the day for club sides in Europe this summer. Thus, catching the eye of enthusiasts of the round leather game.
In fact, the exits and appointments of managers have been on before the season ended across Europe, notably, in the Bundesliga. Nonetheless, the recent movements of managers have provided massive expectations for every manager and club involved in the coming season.
Following the exit of Hansi Flick at Bayern, the club have confirmed the appointment of RB Leipzig’s Julian Nagelsmann with Jesse Marsch going to the Red Bull Arena to replace the 33-year-old Nagelsmann.
Spain also had its fair share of managerial exits with Zinedine Zidane from Real Madrid being the most obvious departure in La Liga. In Serie A, Antonio Conte walked away after landing the Nerazzurri’s first league title in ten years, headlining the managerial exodus in Italy.
FootballCastle focuses on the Premier League in this piece as we consider the vacant jobs in the league.
Tottenham Hotspur, Everton, Wolves and Crystal Palace are clubs on the lookout for new managers at the moment and a couple of names have been mentioned as potential managers for each.
Tottenham Hotspur
Seeing that the parley between the club and José Mourinho wasn’t blissful, it’s another time for Spurs owner Daniel Levy to make a significant decision that would either glamorize Spurs’ pedigree on the home front and the continent or exacerbate the club’s horrendous situation.
As such, an appointment of intent is expected from the club this summer as a manager with a lower pedigree than Mourinho will most likely not be welcomed at the club.
According to reports, the club is looking towards the side of its former manager in Mauricio Pochettino while former Chelsea boss Conte has also been rumored to be the frontrunner for the Spurs’ job.
While Conte’s attitude has been a major concern that could impede his chance of working at Spurs, it’s also a gamble for Levy as he looks to convince Harry Kane to stay.
So, with Conte being a winning manager, he could convince Kane to stay and in him the club has a chance of winning trophies, maybe not the Premier League for now, but it’s a seeming upgrade on Mourinho, at least for the time being.
How Do Everton Move On From Ancelotti?
One manager whose exit stunned the world of football this summer is Carlo Ancelotti. The 61-year-old serial winner rejoined Real Madrid to replace Zidane and his departure will cause a huge headache for Everton’s owner, Farhad Moshiri.
One would only pity the British-Iranian businessman who has been working since 2016 on stabilizing and making Everton a successful side. Whoever he appoints this time will be the fifth permanent manager in the five years since he came on board after Roberto Martínez, Ronald Koeman, Marco Silva, and Ancelotti.
Unfortunately for Moshiri, his investment in the club through the said managers didn’t materialize and in Ancelotti, there were genuine glimpses of hope that if given enough time, the Italian manager could jump-start Everton’s ambition of joining Europe’s elite.
Names like Nuno Espírito Santo, Rafael Benítez, and David Moyes have cropped up to replace Ancelotti at Goodison Park but the favorite seems to be the former Liverpool boss, Benítez.
And it’ll be interesting to see Benitez manage the Toffees given the Merseyside rivalry. Nevertheless, who can spur Everton’s key performers like James Rodríguez, Dominic Calvert-Lewin, and others to action? Benitez fits the bill perfectly.
New Era at Wolves
The standards that former goalkeeper, Nuno Espírito Santo, is leaving behind at Wolves is unrivalled in the club’s history. Indeed, having registered the club’s highest league position and points tally in the top flight.
However, the club will in a couple of days announce erstwhile Benfica manager Bruno Lage who has been out of a job for the last eleven months.
Lage is a winner of the Portuguese Primeira Liga and will look to help Wolves grow to a formidable side in Europe because of his experience and antecedents but in a more competitive environment.
Crystal Palace
Of all the Premier League teams without a manager at the moment, Crystal Palace are in the most precarious situation as 15 players’ contracts expire on June 30.
Fortunately for the Eagles, prolific goalscorer Christian Benteke has just extended his contract but the future of Wilfred Zaha remains in the air.
Undoubtedly, the first puzzle the incoming manager has to solve will be the makeup of his playing squad. Again, Nuno alongside Eddie Howe, Burnley Boss Sean Dyche, Swansea’s Steve Cooper and Chris Wilder are all the candidates.
Four of these five managers have lots of Premier League experience but what about the Crystal Palace hierarchy? Can they afford a squad overhaul during a pandemic? Time will tell.
Perhaps the best bet for the Eagles will be the former Wolves boss. Yes, it may seem like a downgrade given the heights his former club side reached but it’ll be a win-win situation for both parties because ostensibly, there’s no other big job left for Santo who is reportedly eyeing an immediate return to management.
