The Best Soccer Managers Currently Out of Work

Some of the very best in the business are unattached free agents.

Enzo Maresca is now a free man having left Chelsea. / Michael Driver/MI News/NurPhoto/Getty Images

Being a manager is a brutal business.

When results are flowing and confidence is high, there’s no better job in the world. But the moment performances dip, the mood turns fast—and it’s almost always the manager who pays the price.

Even the game’s elite aren’t immune. Tactical stagnation, public fallouts, boardroom politics or plain bad luck have left a number of top-level coaches currently without a job. And contrary to popular belief, climbing back onto the managerial ladder isn’t always easy.

Here’s some of the top managers currently walking the unemployment line.

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Thiago Motta

Thiago Motta’s stock took a hit at Juventus. / IMAGO/IPA Sport

Thiago Motta seems drawn to taking on projects where the odds are stacked against him. His managerial debut at Genoa was brief and difficult, ending in dismissal after just 10 games. He found his footing at Spezia, though, keeping the club in Serie A despite a looming transfer ban and widespread expectations of relegation.

Motta’s next challenge came at Bologna, where he again overachieved. He led them to a solid ninth-place finish before orchestrating a remarkable campaign that secured Champions League football—Bologna’s first taste of Europe’s top tier since 1965.

Rather than test himself in Europe with Bologna, Motta returned to Juventus, his former club, for a 42-match stint that proved disastrous, producing the lowest win percentage for the Old Lady in well over a decade.

Wherever he lands next, it’s likely to be a smaller club where expectations are manageable, rather than a heavyweight with little room for error.

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Lucien Favre

Lucien Favre was last in charge of Nice. / Getty/Uwe Kraft

Lucien Favre has been a hit-and-miss presence on the touchline throughout his career. He achieved impressive success with Borussia Mönchengladbach and during his first spell at Nice, but struggled to meet expectations after moving to Borussia Dortmund.

A return to Nice proved short-lived and unsuccessful, lasting just half a season, and Favre has been out of work since January 2023. Even so, his tactical intelligence and experience mean he still has plenty to offer the right club.

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Xavi Hernandez

Xavi is yet to return to management since leaving Barcelona. / Joan Valls/Urbanandsport/NurPhoto/Getty Images

Xavi was not quite the idealist many expected, but his pragmatic streak delivered tangible success, most notably Barcelona’s 2022–23 La Liga title.

Initially seen as the figure to guide the club into a new era amid mounting off-field issues, the former midfielder was ultimately swallowed by Barça’s infamous entorno. His final season in charge was turbulent and disjointed, raising questions about his long-term suitability at the very top level.

A good manager, without doubt. Whether he can truly be an elite one remains open to debate.

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Ange Postecoglou

Ange Postecoglou won the Europa League with Tottenham. / Visionhaus/Getty Images

Ange Postecoglou’s latest managerial stint at Nottingham Forest was nothing short of catastrophic. Sacked in October 2025 after just 39 days, he became the shortest-reigning manager in the club’s history, leaving with zero wins from eight games.

In his defence, though, the Australian has a proven track record of success. He’s lifted trophies with South Melbourne and Brisbane Roar in his homeland, won silverware in Japan with Yokohama Marinos, conquered Scotland with Celtic and even guided Tottenham Hotspur to Europa League glory despite finishing 17th in the Premier League.

His relentless, high-octane style may not always endear him to fans—or players who often look exhausted—but as he famously says, he tends to win trophies in his second season ... if he makes it that far.

It’s just who he is, mate.

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Roger Schmidt

Roger Schmidt stepped away from management to take up an advisory role. / Getty/Filipe Amorim

The vastly experienced German coach is back on the market after being dismissed by Benfica at the start of the 2024–25 season.

Roger Schmidt’s teams are typically thrilling to watch, and his Benfica side were often unmissable—particularly during their title-winning 2022–23 campaign.

While Schmidt has since taken up a role as the J.League’s Global Football Advisor, a return to management should not be ruled out if the right opportunity arises.

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Will Still

Will Still's reputation took a hit at Southampton. / Getty/Rob Newell

Not long ago, Will Still was hailed as one of European football’s brightest young managerial talents. At just 30, he was the youngest boss in Europe’s top five leagues when he took over at Reims, where he began with a 14-game unbeaten run across all competitions, impressing the media with his fluent French and tactical acumen.

Since then, however, things have taken a sharp downturn. In May 2024, shortly before the end of the 2023–24 Ligue 1 season, Still left Reims by mutual consent. His team sat 11th, having won only two of their last 14 games. A forgettable season at Lens followed, and most recently he endured a 16-game stint at Southampton, claiming just four victories before being dismissed.

The pace of his decline has been startling, and while he remains young and talented, it’s hard to imagine him attracting many suitors moving forward.

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Sir Gareth Southgate

Gareth Southgate hasn’t been ready to take on a new job after stepping down as England manager. / IMAGO/PA Images

Sir Gareth Southgate restored a long-absent feel-good factor to the England national team, initially uniting players and supporters alike. The former Middlesbrough boss stepped down after Euro 2024 as one of England’s most successful managers by results alone.

It was not all positivity, however. Defeats in two European Championship finals proved difficult to stomach, while Southgate was frequently criticised by sections of the English media and fanbase for his cautious tactical approach.

After eight years in the Wembley dugout, it will be fascinating to see whether Southgate chooses to return to management at all—and, if so, where he resurfaces.

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Erik ten Hag

Erik ten Hag had a very short stint in Germany after losing his job at Man Utd. / Rene Nijhuis/MB Media/Getty Images

Erik ten Hag showed an unusually thick skin during his time at Manchester United, with relentless criticism at Old Trafford rarely appearing to dent his self-belief.

That resilience eventually ran out. Despite lifting the Carabao Cup and FA Cup, Ten Hag was dismissed early in the 2024–25 season after failing to sustain momentum. A fresh start followed at Bayer Leverkusen in May 2025 but it proved brutally short-lived, with the Dutchman sacked in September after just three competitive matches, setting an unwanted record in German football.

That one might have knocked even his confidence.

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Marco Rose

Marco Rose did a decent job at Leipzig. / Getty/UEFA

Aside from solid, if unspectacular, spells at Borussia Mönchengladbach and Borussia Dortmund, Marco Rose has found his greatest success with the Red Bull clubs—Salzburg and Leipzig.

At Salzburg, his first managerial role, Rose led a young squad to back-to-back Austrian Bundesliga titles, remarkably going unbeaten at home throughout his tenure.

His time at Leipzig, which followed his other stints in Germany, saw him guide another relatively youthful team to the DFB-Pokal in 2022-23 and the 2023 DFL-Supercup, while nurturing talents like Xavi Simons, Benjamin Šeško, Josko Gvardiol and Dominik Szoboszlai—all of whom would later make high-profile moves abroad.

Rose’s tenure at Leipzig ended during a challenging third season, but overall he demonstrated a tactically flexible and entertaining approach, coupled with an exceptional ability to get the best out of young players. That skill alone makes him an attractive option for clubs aiming to develop the next generation of stars.

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Joachim Low

Joachim Löw hasn't had a job since 2021. / Getty/Bongarts

Joachim Löw spent 15 years in charge of the German national team, overseeing one of the most successful periods in the country’s footballing history.

His reign peaked with World Cup glory in 2014, having already guided Germany to the Euro 2008 final six years earlier.

What remains unclear is whether that success would translate back to club football. Löw has been out of work since stepping down in 2021 and has not managed a club side since 2004, leaving a significant question mark over his next move.

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Enzo Maresca

Enzo Maresca’s relationship with Chelsea’s hierachy broke down quickly. / Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC/Getty Images

How good Enzo Maresca really is as a manager remains tough to judge.

His first taste of the hot seat came at Parma, where he was sacked after failing to get them out of Serie B. Following a brief stint as one of Pep Guardiola’s assistants at Manchester City, he then led Leicester City back to the Premier League in style, earning him the Chelsea job.

At Stamford Bridge, Maresca’s tenure was a mixed bag. Sometimes the Blues looked unplayable; at other times, chaotic. Constant squad rotation, puzzling selections, questionable signings, mishandling of unwanted players and public outbursts at the club hierarchy all contributed to his downfall. To be fair, he was dealt a very difficult hand, and many decisions seemed to be either out of his control or heavily influenced from above.

Still, the manner of his departure—refusing to speak to the media after his what proved to be his final game—and his inability to get the best from a billion-pound squad will make any prospective employer cautious.

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Edin Terzic

Edin Terzić was last in charge of Borussia Dortmund. / Getty/Thomas Coex

A lifelong Borussia Dortmund supporter, Edin Terzić will still be remembered fondly at Signal Iduna Park, even if his time in the dugout was defined by near misses.

His side suffered a heartbreaking collapse on the final day of the 2022–23 Bundesliga season to surrender the title, before finishing as beaten finalists in the 2024 Champions League.

While silverware ultimately eluded him, Terzić arguably coaxed more out of his squad than expected, showing a willingness to adapt and tweak his generally progressive ideas in pursuit of results.

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Laurent Blanc

Laurent Blanc most recently managed in Saudi Arabia. / Getty/Marcio Machado

Laurent Blanc was a serial winner as a player and has carried that pedigree into management.

He’s lifted Ligue 1 titles and multiple other honours in France with Bordeaux and Paris Saint-Germain, and most recently guided Al-Ittihad to the Saudi Pro League crown in 2024–25—only to be controversially dismissed after just one defeat in the following season.

Sadly, Blanc is often remembered for his ill-fated stint with the French national team, stepping down after Euro 2012 quarterfinal elimination amid rumours of dressing-room unrest. Aside from a few short and less-successful spells at Al-Rayyan and Lyon, however, his managerial record has been mightily impressive.

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Zinedine Zidane

Zinedine Zidane is biding his time until he accepts a new job. / Sebastian Frej/MB Media/Getty Images

Zinedine Zidane has been out of work for some time, though it remains unclear whether he is actively seeking a return. There is little doubt that clubs and national teams have sounded him out, yet he has not stepped back into the dugout since leaving Real Madrid.

Zidane departed the Bernabéu for the second and final time in 2021, having returned in 2019 after his initial exit a year earlier. His time in Madrid was laden with silverware, but debate has always followed him over how much of that success stemmed from his managerial acumen versus the star-studded squad at his disposal.

Widely believed to be holding out for the France job, Zidane’s next move, if it comes at all, will be one of the most intriguing managerial stories in the game.

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Jurgen Klopp

Jürgen Klopp has stated he won’t manage again—but you can never say never. / Michael Regan/Getty Images

Jürgen Klopp has publicly stated that he has no intention of taking another managerial role—but the fact he ended a year-long sabbatical to join the Red Bull group as Head of Global Soccer suggests he’s got an itch that needs scratching.

The German’s status as one of the world’s elite coaches is undisputable. First, Klopp ended Bayern Munich’s domination of the Bundesliga to win two titles in a row with Borussia Dortmund, before a legendary tenure at Liverpool yielded the club’s first-ever Premier League crown—ending a 30-year top flight drought in the process—and a sixth Champions League triumph.

In addition to other cup successes, Klopp popularised high-intensity pressing and transformed the careers of Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mané and Virgil van Dijk to name just three, helping transition them and many others into global superstars. The fact his name will always come up in conversation whenever a big job is available tells you everything you need to know.

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