Manager madness: European clubs seeking a new coach ahead of 2026/27 season
Last season, we witnessed a number of managerial changes midway through at quite a few European clubs. Some of them changed the fortunes of their teams, while others couldn’t make a real impact, and some were sacked themselves.
Going into the summer, there are many top European sides who are still looking for a manager to take charge ahead of next season.
Here, we take a look at some notable clubs from the big European leagues who, at the time of writing, are still seeking a new manager, and list some options they could go for.
Real Madrid
Real Madrid had brought in Xabi Alonso to succeed Carlo Ancelotti ahead of the 2025/26 season. Alonso didn’t fare too badly, but the extremely high expectations at the club, as well as reports of disagreements with the squad, led to his sacking within a span of months.
Former Real Madrid player and their B-team coach Álvaro Arbeloa took charge on an interim basis, helping Real Madrid to a second-place finish and Champions League qualification, but he could not prevent Los Blancos from having a trophyless season, which by their standards is disastrous.
Recent reports suggest Real Madrid president Florentino Pérez has already lined up José Mourinho for a return to the Bernabéu ahead of next season. However, that will happen only if Pérez wins the club’s imminent presidential elections. If not, his successor is likely to bring in someone else. Rumours have re-emerged regarding former Liverpool coach Jürgen Klopp, though at the moment they remain just that.
Alternative options could be Didier Deschamps and Mauricio Pochettino, both of whom are currently preparing for the 2026 FIFA World Cup with the respective national teams of France and the US.
Manchester City
With Pep Guardiola announcing his departure from the club in May, Manchester City have ended up being another big club looking for a new manager. Replacing arguably one of the best managers of all time is a challenging task, one that is undoubtedly being discussed at length among the Man City hierarchy.
Although the prime candidate seems to be previous assistant coach Enzo Maresca, how he would go about handling the challenging situation at the Etihad is a tough question. Man City are in a transitional phase, with several new players arriving over the past season and a half and trying to find their feet. Alongside Guardiola, experienced players like Bernardo Silva and John Stones are also leaving the club, leaving massive shoes to fill.
Though Maresca is the prime candidate for the job given his time at the club, there have been speculations regarding Man City also looking at other candidates, such as former player and current Bayern Munich coach Vincent Kompany. City have already held talks with Maresca, however, and possibly have a verbal agreement in place with the Italian.
Crystal Palace
Oliver Glasner has left Crystal Palace after a successful two-and-a-half-year tenure, during which time he had led them to winning the FA Cup (2024/25), the FA Community Shield (2025), and the UEFA Conference League (2025/26). Unfortunately, his relationship with the Crystal Palace hierarchy remained strained, which is one of the reasons why he was not able to continue at the club.
Palace are now looking for a replacement, with a number of names making up the rumour mill. Lens coach Pierre Sage is the prime candidate according to recent reports. Sage has done a remarkable job with Lens in Ligue 1, having taken them from mid-table obscurity to the UEFA Champions League with a second-place finish last season.
Palace were also interested in former Bournemouth coach Andoni Iraola, but he understandably preferred a move to Liverpool. The Eagles had also explored other targets like Frank Lampard, who recently guided Coventry City to promotion, but seemed to believe that his compensation package and past Premier League exploits were not worth the risk.
According to the BBC, Palace are set to hold talks with Sage over the next few days. If they do secure his services, it would indeed be a superb signing for the south London outfit.
AC Milan
Italian giants AC Milan are another big European side still looking for a new manager to lead them next season. Head coach Massimiliano Allegri was sacked after the dismal 2025/26 campaign, where the Rossoneri couldn’t even qualify for the Champions League and dropped out of the top four on the final day of the season.
With the Milan management undergoing a restructure, their board, led by Gerry Cardinale and Zlatan Ibrahimovic, is currently looking at several high-profile managerial candidates. Former Crystal Palace coach Oliver Glasner has emerged as a prime candidate and has held positive talks with the club, having impressed many during his time at Selhurst Park. US men’s national team head coach Mauricio Pochettino and Al-Ahli manager Matthias Jaissle have also been identified as potential targets if negotiations with Glasner lead nowhere.
Fulham
Premier League outfit Fulham are also looking for a new managerial appointment after the departure of Marco Silva at the end of the 2025/26 season.
Fulham ended the 2025/26 Premier League season in 11th place, having struggled for consistency all season. Silva had managed to get them promoted to the top division following his first season (2021/22) and turned them into a highly competitive side capable of playing great attacking football during his five-year stay at Craven Cottage. Silva decided to leave after the expiry of his contract this summer.
Fulham are currently looking at multiple candidates, and according to reports, Kieran McKenna, Thomas Frank, and former Liverpool coach Arne Slot are on their radar. However, their prime candidate is Ipswich Town boss McKenna, but they would need to trigger his £8m release clause to pry him away from Portman Road.
With no agreement as yet, it will be interesting to see who ends up in the Craven Cottage dugout come August.
