The managerial merry-go-round seems certain to gather pace once again this summer with some of the game’s biggest names currently out of work.
Here, the PA news agency takes a look at some of the leading candidates and where they may be suited to working in the men’s game next season.
Antonio Conte
🚨 | STATEMENT
Official statement from FC Internazionale Milano 👇 https://t.co/GRzpRBMU7A— Inter (@Inter_en) May 26, 2021
Conte left Inter Milan just weeks after leading the club to a first Serie A title in 11 years. He reportedly decided to call it a day in frustration at the lack of funds available to him.
His pedigree is first-class with the former Italy boss having led Juventus to three successive titles and won the Premier League and FA Cup in his time at Chelsea. He has been linked with the vacancy at Tottenham.
Frank Lampard
Lampard’s spell as Chelsea boss saw him initially usher the club’s youngsters into the limelight in impressive style in the face of a transfer embargo. However, having been allowed to invest £200 million in new talent, he was unable to reverse a worrying run of results and was dismissed in January, a decision which was fully vindicated by successor Thomas Tuchel leading the Blues to Champions League glory.
Linked with Bournemouth and England’s Under-21s in the immediate aftermath of his departure, he has been touted more recently as the favourite to replace Roy Hodgson at Crystal Palace.
Zinedine Zidane
Official Announcement: Zinedine Zidane.#RealMadrid
— Real Madrid C.F. 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@realmadriden) May 27, 2021
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Zidane called time on his second spell in charge at Real Madrid last month after his side were pipped to LaLiga’s title by rivals Atletico Madrid. Real were crowned champions under the former France international in the 2019-20 season following his return to the Bernabeu Stadium in March 2019.
Having cited the demands of the job when he walked away from the club in 2018, after winning three successive Champions Leagues and the league, he may opt for a break. But should Mauricio Pochettino’s future lie away from Paris St Germain, his stature could prove attractive to the club’s owners.
Nuno Espirito Santo
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Posted by Wolverhampton Wanderers FC on Sunday, May 23, 2021
Having cut his teeth in his native Portugal with Rio Ave and Porto either side of a period in Spain with Valencia, Nuno established himself as a rising star in England. He led Wolves into the Premier League at the end of his first season and then to seventh-place top-flight finishes in each of the next two campaigns.
He and the club decided to part ways at the end of the season after a disappointing – by their standards – campaign, due in no small part to the extended absence of injured striker Raul Jimenez. Nuno has reportedly attracted interest from Everton, Palace and Lazio, who are looking for a replacement for Simone Inzaghi.
Rafael Benitez
Benitez has been out of work since ending his lucrative spell in charge at Chinese Super League club Dalian Professional in January. He has made no secret of his desire to return to the Premier League after parting company with Newcastle during the summer of 2019 having failed to resolve his differences with owner Mike Ashley.
Magpies head coach Steve Bruce has worked in the Spaniard’s shadow ever since, although with a much-anticipated takeover yet to materialise the prospect of a return for the much-travelled Champions League winner appears remote, in the short term at least.
Linked with Celtic earlier in the year, the former Liverpool, Chelsea and Real Madrid boss has also been tipped as a contender for the Spurs and Everton jobs.
