30 IN-DEMAND COACHES

Ahead of a summer that will be packed with lots of managerial moves and rumours, Nick Bidwell takes a closer look at the most in-demand coaches

It will take a fairly seismic event for January 26 not to go down as the most chaotic day of 2024 for the UK’s sporting media. On that day, Jurgen Klopp announced that this would be his last season with Liverpool after eight-and-a-half years at Anfield and, in response, TV stations, news websites and social media exploded.

The reaction to Barcelona’s announcement a day later that their coach, Xavi, would also step down at the end of the season was less tumultuous – unsurprisingly, given Barca’s stuttering form - and when Bayern Munich confirmed that they would be waving goodbye to head coach Thomas Tuchel this summer, the only surprise was that they weren’t parting ways sooner.

Nevertheless, the upshot of all of the above is that three of Europe’s biggest clubs are searching for new managers to lead them into 2024-25. Throw in the continuing struggles of Premier League giants Chelsea and Manchester United, plus the inevitable chopping and changing of coaches that will follow the European Championship and Copa America tournaments, and this summer could see unprecedented levels of high-profile managerial changes.

Bayer Leverkusen’s Xabi Alonso is perhaps the most in-demand, but he is not the only exciting young coach, nor indeed the only Spanish coach attracting attention. Elsewhere, the Premier League is currently home to a number of impressive managerial talents while other coaches forge their reputations in smaller leagues, with some of the most famous managers in the game out of work and ready to dive back in.

In the race for some of the most prestigious roles in world football, who will come out on top?