Top 8 Mid-season Managerial appointments in Europe
The importance of a manager or head-coach cannot be understated in football. It’s a difficult and unforgiving position especially at the top clubs where results are the marker for a coach’s longevity in the job. The level of expectations is so excruciating that any failure could lead to an immediate exit. Over the years, we have witnessed many managers being sacked due to poor performances mid-season with interim or permanent appointments being made depending on availability and preference.
In many situations, the incoming managers have completely transformed the team and led their clubs to either short-term success or long-term stability and trophies.
This piece will focus on the managers or head-coaches who joined mid-season and made an undeniable impact in the top leagues from mainland Europe.
The criteria for ranking are –
- The competitiveness of the league
- The immediate impact resulting in success or survival.
- The quality of the squad at their disposal
Hence, we take a look at the Top 8 most impactful mid-season managerial appointments in Europe –
8. Pierre Sage (Olympique Lyonnais)
Frenchman Pierre Sage took over the Lyon job as an interim manager in November 2023 after the sacking of Fabio Grosso. When he took over the reigns at Lyon, the club was in a messy situation, sitting at the bottom of the French Ligue 1 table with the axe of relegation hanging over their heads.
However, Sage performed a miraculous recovery with 15 wins out of his first 20 games in charge, leading the club to an unbelievable sixth-place finish and a Coupe de France final. The sixth-place finish led to a Europa League qualification for Lyonnais.
For a manager with no experience, this was a turnaround of epic proportions that saw him being awarded the permanent managerial role at the club. With high hopes from Sage in his first full season, having to play European competition next season along with the league games, Lyon’s performances were underwhelming. After a string of poor results in January 2025, Sage was sacked by the Lyonnais management.
With his current season exploits with Lens in the league, it seemed like a premature move at the time, one which the Lyon management and fans might be regretting. Even though he had a short tenure, he not only brought tactical acumen but a fighting attitude and winning mentality at the club which was down and out and on the cusp of relegation and restored their belief and status as one of the top French clubs.
7. Thiago Motta (Bologna FC 1909)
Former Barcelona midfielder Thiago Motta took over the Bologna head-coach job after his short but impactful stint with another Italian club Spezia in 2021. He helped Spezia escape relegation but departed the next summer with mutual agreement.
Motta was announced the head-coach of Bologna FC early mid-season in September 2022 after the departure of Sinisa Mihajlovic. He led Bologna to a ninth-place finish in the 2022/23 season as they ended up amassing a record 54 points in the Serie A.
In his first full season in the 2023/24 season, the Italian made Bologna one of the most exciting teams to watch in Europe, leading them to an unexpected fifth-place finish and a UEFA Champions League qualification after six decades. This was an exceptional achievement for a club that used to languish outside of European places.
Though Motta didn’t agree to a new contract at Bologna as big Italian club Juventus came calling next season, he instilled an attacking style of play and fostered winning culture and mentality at the club. Under current coach Vincenzo Italiano, Bologna is reaping the benefits of a strong foundation laid down by Thiago Motta in his short tenure.
6. Xavi Hernández (FC Barcelona)
Former Barcelona legend Xavi joined his boyhood club in November 2021 after the Catalan club parted ways with Dutch manager Ronald Koeman. Upon arriving at the Camp Nou, Xavi recognized the gaps in the squad and made vital additions in the January window. Though Barcelona’s performances in the Champions League were underwhelming in the next two seasons, Xavi led Barca to LaLiga title in the 2022/23 season, a first league title after the 2018/19 season.
However, the next season didn’t go as per expectation as Barcelona performed poorly and couldn’t sustain a title defence and ended the season trophyless. Under a lot of pressure and scrutiny from the Barca fans, Xavi decided to part ways at the end of the season.
Although he didn’t have a long reign at the club, Xavi rescued the club from stagnation and delivered a league title after three years. Even with off the pitch financial issues plaguing the Blaugrana, Xavi made the club competitive once again and laid down the foundation for future success as the next manager Hansi Flick went on to win the domestic treble in his debut season.
5. Cesc Fàbregas (Como 1907)
Former Barcelona and Arsenal star Cesc Fábregas was initially handed the head-coach job of the Como Under-19 and B teams in July 2023. However, due to a run of poor results, the senior team head-coach Moreno Longo was sacked and a fairly inexperienced Fábregas was promoted as the first team coach on an interim basis in November 2023. A new manager Osian Roberts was brought in December 2023 to take charge as a caretaker manager until the end of season with Fabregas as his assistant coach.
When the Spaniard took charge of the team, he recorded only one defeat along with three wins and two draws in his six games. Thanks to their performances late in the season, Como gained automatic promotion to the Serie A being placed second in the Serie B table.
The next season, Fábregas was given a permanent head-coach contract and he returned the trust of the management with an impressive tenth-place finish in the Serie A with 49 points, their best finish since 1987 when they secured the ninth place. The 2025/26 season has been superb as well with Como being unbeaten at home up until the first half of the season and currently in sixth place in the league.
Not only was Fábregas a superb player in his heyday, he is also proving to be a tactical genius whose team is playing one of the most attractive and fearless brands of football. If he can lead Como to a European place finish this season, it would further elevate his reputation as one of the top young managers in Europe with many top European heavyweights looking to secure his services in the upcoming seasons.
4. Christophe Galtier (LOSC Lille)
Former French footballer turned coach Christophe Galtier joined Ligue 1 club LOSC Lille in December 2017. At the time, Lille were sitting in a lowly 18th place in the league and looking to just find survival mode. They ended up avoiding relegation by the barest of margins as Galtier looked ahead to the next season with renewed hope.
Christophe Galtier completely transformed Les Dogues from a relegation battling team the previous season to Champions League qualifiers as Lille finished the season in second place in the 2018/19 season. The 2019/20 season was even more impressive as he led Lille to their first League title in a decade and fourth overall. Another noticeable impact was his youth development skills as he massively improved players like Jonathan David, Renato Sanches and Mike Maignan, all of whom moved on to bigger clubs in the future. However unexpected developments ensued as he resigned from his managerial post only two days after winning the league. Galtier is currently the head-coach of Saudi Pro League club Neom.
This was one of the most impressive transformational jobs ever as he joined the club in a distressing situation but managed to bail them out of trouble and also brought success and set them up for consistent participation in European competitions going forward.
3. Rúben Amorim (Sporting CP)
Recency bias can often cloud judgement about a player or a coach and many would consider Rúben Amorim an ordinary coach after his underwhelming Manchester United tenure. However, the reason he got the United job was because of his exceptional stint with Sporting CP in the Primeira Liga (Portuguese First Division).
Amorim took charge of Sporting CP in March 2020 after the sacking of Silas. In the next two months, he worked with the available squad and guided them to a fourth-place finish with Sporting qualifying for the Europa League. Although the season wasn’t deemed as a success, Amorim was able to imbibe his style of play and provided an identity to a team that had long been surrounded by a toxic environment due to the fans being frustrated with the dismal performances and results over many years.
In his first full season, there was a max exodus of players with replacements coming in and he also identified academy players that could step into the first team squad. What followed was an incredible turnaround from previous seasons as Amorim led Sporting to their first league title in almost two decades. Sporting lost only one game all season and directly qualified for the Champions League. Players like Nuno Mendes, Joao Palhinha, Pedro Porro and Matheus Nunes were part of his title winning squad.
Amorim also won Sporting their second league title in the 2023/24 season along with two League Cup trophies. The improvement and consistent success attracted many top European clubs to the Portuguese manager and Manchester United came calling mid-season in the 2024/25 season. Though his stay at Old Trafford wasn’t as per expectations, his success with Sporting CP was undeniable.
Amorim awakened a sleeping giant at Sporting CP and rescued them from the clutches of mediocrity, turning them into consistent title challengers and winners. He was also able to change the environment around the club from one of toxicity to good vibes – a commendable achievement for sure.
2. Zinédine Zidane (Real Madrid)
Zinédine Zidane hasn’t just been a legendary football player but also proved himself in the coaching department. Top players rarely become top coaches as we have seen several times with many top footballers failing as a coach but Zidane has been a rare exception.
Zidane joined his former club Real Madrid as the head-coach after the dismissal of Rafa Benitez in January 2016. He signed a two-and-a-half-year deal with the club. The Frenchman started to weave his magic immediately with the players responding to his methods and tactics. Zidane provided instant success with Madrid ending the season with their 11th Champions League title, defeating derby rivals Atlético de Madrid in the final. They also competed exceptionally well in LaLiga, agonizingly missing the league title by a point.
His first full season (2016/17) in charge brought LaLiga title back to the Bernabéu along with the UEFA Super Cup, FIFA Club World Cup and the UEFA Champions League titles – a massive achievement for a relatively new head-coach working under the pressure of performing at one of the biggest clubs in the world where the margin of failure was significantly low.
By the time Zidane departed Real Madrid after the 2017/18 season, he had established Real Madrid’s supremacy as the best team in Europe. Though Madrid had a highly talented squad of players at the time, competing in Europe’s elite tournament has never been easy, more so for an inexperienced manager. Thus, Zizou’s achievement was even more unbelievable.
Zidane achieved an unprecedented three consecutive Champions League trophies with Los Blancos, making him one of the most impactful mid-season appointments in the last decade.
1. Xabi Alonso (Bayer 04 Leverkusen)
Former Liverpool and Real Madrid midfielder Xabi Alonso joined German Bundesliga club Bayer Leverkusen in October 2022 after the dismissal of Gerardo Seaone due to poor performances. At the time, Leverkusen were sitting second from bottom after eight league games and looking at a certain drop from top flight.
Alonso straight away made an instant impact leading Leverkusen to a Europa League semi-final along with an unexpected sixth-place finish at the end of the season. The 2023/24 season was his first full season in charge and Alonso brought in vital additions in the form of Granit Xhaka, Alejandro Grimaldo and Victor Boniface who became key players in his unbeaten title-winning team that season. Leverkusen became one of the most entertaining teams to watch that season, also winning the DFB-Pokal and losing only one game all season which came in the Europa League final.
In a league that had been dominated by Bayern Munich, Alonso turned a mid-table team into title winners within the span of one season with relatively unknown players. Alonso not only brought an attacking identity and consistency to this team but also developed several young talents and ingrained a winning mentality in the team that saw them not give up after going behind and ended the season with an unbelievable record – a single loss the entire season. The Europa League final defeat against Atalanta was the only blip in a highly successful season that stopped his Leverkusen juggernaut from winning an unbeaten treble.
Alonso deserves massive credit for the unexpected turnaround and the transformation job he did at a club with limited means. He galvanized the environment around the club and also developed potential youth talent into world class players.
Alonso joined a team in turmoil and being an inexperienced coach, he surpassed all expectations, brought consistency and success and also set the team for the future. What was also special was the way he achieved success at a club with limited financial means. All these reasons make him our top pick for the best mid-season managerial appointment in mainland Europe.
