8 British Coaches Who Achieved Success in Foreign Leagues

It's rare you see a British coach go abroad, but there have been some highly successful managers who have tested themselves outside of the British Isles.

There has been a new wave of players going abroad - with the likes of Jadon Sancho, Reiss Nelson and Reece Oxford all trying their hand in different leagues - yet there are little signs of managers moving abroad.

This list ranks the top British coaches who have worked abroad for some of the biggest clubs in the world.

Graham Potter - Ostersund

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Graham Potter joined Ostersund in 2010, in the fourth tier of Swedish football. He won consecutive league titles with the club and in 2015 they achieved promotion to the top flight for the first time in the club's history. 

In 2017 they won the Swedish Cup, and therefore qualified for the Europa League. They miraculously beat Galatasaray and PAOK to qualify for the Europa League group stage and finished second in the group, drawing Arsenal. 

Despite beating the Gunners 2-1 at the Emirates in a famous, famous win, they were knocked out 4-2 on aggregate.

Graeme Souness - Galatasaray, Torino and Benfica 

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When you think of Graeme Souness managing abroad, your mind goes to the time when he planted a Galatasaray flag in the middle of their arch rivals Fenerbahce's pitch - a very bold move. During his time in Turkey he won the Turkish Cup with Galatasaray and also lifted the Super Cup the following year. 

Souness managed Torino in Italy for only four months in 1997, partly because he was given no say in who the club brought in. 

Following a disappointing spell in Italy he moved to Benfica, where he famously refused to sign a young Deco and brought in several English players instead.

Vic Buckingham - Ajax, Ethnikos Piraeus, Barcelona, Sevilla, Olympiacos, Rodos

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Vic Buckingham is perhaps the most obscure name on this list to a modern football fan. He joined Ajax in 1959, at a time where British managers never moved abroad. He went on to win the Dutch Cup and the Eredivisie title. 

One of his most famous moments in management wasn't lifting a trophy though - it was discovering Johan Cruyff. 

Buckingham also went on to manage Barcelona where he took over the team fourth bottom of La Liga and arrived as their third manager of the season. The following season, he lifted the Copa del Rey with Barca and just lost the league to Valencia on a head to head record.

Terry Venables - Barcelona

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Terry Venables only managed once abroad, though it doesn't get bigger than Barcelona. 

He was incredibly successful with the Catalan giants and won La Liga in his first season with the club in the 1984/85 season.

In the following campaign he came incredibly close to lifting the European Cup, but his Barca team were beaten by Steaua Bucharest on penalties - it was the first time since 1961 that they had been in the final. He also won the League Cup with the club the following season and brought in likes of Gary Lineker and Mark Hughes during his time.

Roy Hodgson - Halmstad, Oddevold, Orebro, Malmo, Neuchatel Xamax, Copenhagen, Inter Milan, Grasshoppers and Udinese

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The former England boss has quite the CV behind him, and has managed in several different European countries as a national team coach and in club management. 

He first managed Swedish side Halmstad, where he won the league title in 1976 and 1979. He moved to Orebro in the 1980s and won the Swedish second division in 1984. 

His best time in Sweden was with Malmo, as he won an incredible five league titles in a row. After performing well in some of Europe's lower leagues, in 1995 Hodgson got the job at Italian giants Inter. He guided them to a UEFA Cup final in his second season where they lost to Schalke over two legs. 

John Toshack - Sporting CP, Real Sociedad, Real Madrid, Deportivo, Besiktas, Saint Etienne, Catania, Real Murica, Khazar Lankaran, Wydad Casablanca and Tractor Sazi

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John Toshack had a stellar career, not only in England but across Europe.

His first major trophy abroad was the Copa del Rey as he won it for Real Sociedad in 1987 for only the second time in the club's history. He managed at Real Madrid on three occasions and in his first spell he took Los Blancos to the summit, as they lifted the Spanish title in 1989/90.

With Deportivo, he also went on the win the Super Cup in 1995. Following a time in Spain, he moved onto Turkey and in the 1997/98 campaign, he won the Turkish Cup for Besiktas.

Steve McClaren - FC Twente & Wolfsburg

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McClaren spent two spells in the Netherlands with Twente and had a spell in Germany with Wolfsburg, but with the Dutch side he won the Eredivisie title for the first time in the club's history under the former England boss.

In his second season he managed to guide the team to their first ever league title, and became the first English manager to win a foreign league title since Bobby Robson in 1996 with Porto. 

One of his most unusual moments and often seen on funny football highlight reels, was in his press conference where he spoke with a Dutch accent. However, it should not undermine his  achievements with the club.

Bobby Robson - PSV, Porto & Barcelona

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There's one word to describe Bobby Robson - legend. 

He was incredibly successful in England and had a brilliant time with Ajax, Porto and Barcelona. 

During his time in PSV he won the Eredivisie twice in successive seasons in 1990/91 and 1991/92 as well as the Johan Cruyff Shield (Super Cup).

He moved on to Porto and won the league twice in two years again from 1994 to 1996. He also won the Portuguese Cup and Super Cup during his time with the the club.