Top 8 mid-season managerial appointments in Europe of the past decade
The importance of a manager or head coach cannot be overstated in football. It’s a difficult and unforgiving position, especially at the very top, where results are often the sole decider of how long a coach lasts in their 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 getting the sack 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 gone on to completely transform the team, leading them to either short-term success or long-term stability.
Here, we focus on the managers and head coaches in top leagues in mainland Europe who joined mid-season and had an undeniable impact at their respective clubs.
Our criteria for ranking are:
- The competitiveness of the league
- The immediate impact resulting in success
- The quality of the squad
Hence, we take a look at the top eight most impactful mid-season managerial appointments in Europe in recent seasons.
8. Pierre Sage | Olympique Lyonnais
Frenchman Pierre Sage took the Lyon job as an interim manager in November 2023 after the sacking of Fabio Grosso. When he took over the reins at OL, the team were in a messy situation, sitting at the bottom of the Ligue 1 table with the axe of relegation hanging over their heads.
However, Sage performed a miraculous recovery, winning 15 of his first 20 games in charge, leading Les Gones to an unbelievable sixth-place finish and a Coupe de France final, earning Europa League football in the process. For a manager with little experience, this was a turnaround of epic proportions, which also earned him the job on a permanent basis.
With high hopes for Sage in his first full season, with European football also in the mix, Lyon had an underwhelming start. After a string of poor results, in January 2025 Sage was sacked by the OL management.
However, given his current-season exploits with Lens, who are miraculously challenging PSG for the Ligue 1 crown, it’s safe to say that Lyon’s decision to dismiss Sage was a bit premature. Despite his short tenure at the Groupama Stadium, however, Sage demonstrated not only tactical acumen but also a fighting attitude, bringing a winning mentality to the club that helped take them away from relegation and back into Europe, which is more befitting of one of France’s most storied institutions.
7. Thiago Motta | Bologna
Former Barça and PSG midfielder Thiago Motta took the Bologna job after a short but impactful stint with another Italian side, Spezia, in 2021. He helped Spezia escape relegation before mutually parting ways in the summer.
Motta was announced as Bologna’s head coach 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 Serie A.
In his first full season in charge at the Stadio Renato Dall’Ara, Motta made Bologna one of the most exciting teams to watch in Europe and led them to an unexpected fifth-place finish as well as UEFA Champions League football after six decades. This was an exceptional achievement for a club that used to languish well outside of the European places.
Though Motta didn’t agree to a new contract at Bologna, as Italian heavyweights Juventus came calling, he instilled an attacking style of play and fostered a winning culture and mentality at the club. Under current coach Vincenzo Italiano, Bologna are reaping the benefits of a strong foundation laid down by Thiago Motta in his tenure.
6. Xavi Hernández | Barcelona
Barça legend Xavi returned to his boyhood club in November 2021 after the Catalans parted ways with Dutch manager Ronald Koeman.
Upon returning to Camp Nou, Xavi recognised the gaps in the squad and made vital additions in the January window. Though Barça’s performances in the Champions League were underwhelming over the next two seasons, Xavi led the Blaugrana to the league title in the 2022/23 season, marking their first LaLiga title since 2018/19.
However, the next season didn’t go as per expectations. Barcelona performed poorly and couldn’t sustain a title defence, ultimately ending the season trophyless. Under a lot of pressure and immense scrutiny, 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 four years. Even with off-pitch financial issues plaguing the club, Xavi made the team competitive once again and laid the foundation for future success, which would see his successor, Hansi Flick, win the domestic treble in his debut season.
5. Cesc Fàbregas | Como
Former Barcelona and Arsenal star Cesc Fàbregas was initially handed the head coach job of the Como U19 and B teams in July 2023. However, due to a run of poor results, senior team head coach Moreno Longo was sacked, and a fairly inexperienced Fàbregas was promoted on an interim basis in November 2023. A new manager, Osian Roberts, was then brought in in December 2023 to take charge as a caretaker until the end of the season, with Fàbregas as his assistant coach.
When the Spaniard took charge of the team, he recorded only one defeat alongside three wins and two draws in his six games. Thanks to their performances late in the season, Como gained automatic promotion to Serie A, having sealed a second-placed finish in Serie B.
The next season, Fàbregas was given the head coach role on a permanent basis, and he repaid the trust put in him by the Como management with an impressive tenth-place finish in Serie A with 49 points, their best finish since 1987, when they secured a ninth-place finish. The 2025/26 season has been superb for Como thus far, with them being unbeaten at home up until the first half of the season and currently lying sixth in the Serie A table.
Not only was Fàbregas a superb player in his heyday, but he is also proving to be a tactical genius as a coach, with his team playing one of the most attractive and fearless brands of football. If he can lead Como to a European-place finish this season, it will further elevate his reputation as one of the top young managers in Europe, with many top European heavyweights already monitoring his Como exploits closely.
4. Christophe Galtier | Lille
Former French footballer turned coach Christophe Galtier joined Ligue 1 side Lille in December 2017. At the time, Lille were sitting in a lowly 18th place in the league table and looking to just secure survival. They ended up avoiding relegation by the barest of margins, with Galtier looking ahead to the next season with renewed hope.
Galtier completely transformed Les Dogues from a relegation-battling team from the previous season to Champions League qualifiers the next. Lille finished the season in second place in 2018/19.
The 2019/20 season was even more impressive, as Galtier led Lille to their first league title in a decade, their fourth overall title. Another noticeable impact he made was through his youth development skills, massively improving players like Jonathan David, Renato Sanches, and Mike Maignan, all of whom moved on to bigger clubs soon after.
However, unexpected developments ensued, and Galtier never reached the heights he promised during his exploits with Lille, and now finds himself leading Saudi Pro League side Neom.
This was one of the most impressive transformational jobs ever in French football, as he joined the club in a distressing situation but managed to bail them out of trouble while also bringing success and setting them up for consistent participation in European competitions going forward.
3. Rúben Amorim | Sporting
Recency bias can often cloud judgement about a player or coach, and many may consider Rúben Amorim an ordinary coach after his underwhelming Manchester United stint. However, the reason he got the United job was because of his exceptional stint with Sporting in Portugal.
Amorim took charge of Sporting 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 in the Primeira Liga, which also fetched qualification to the Europa League.
Although this season wasn’t deemed a success, Amorim was able to showcase the style of play he wanted and provided an identity to a team that had long been surrounded by a toxic environment due to the fan base being frustrated with the dismal performances and results over many years.
In his first full season, there was a mass exodus of players, and he also identified academy players who could step into the first team. 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 on the back of winning the Portuguese top-flight title for the first time in 19 years. Players like Nuno Mendes, João Palhinha, Pedro Porro, and Matheus Nunes were part of this title-winning squad.
Amorim also won Sporting their second league title in the 2023/24 season, having also won the Portuguese Super Cup (Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira) in 2021 and the League Cup in 2020/21 and 2021/22. Sporting’s continued improvement and consistent success under Amorim attracted many top European sides, and Manchester United ultimately secured his services early into the 2024/25 season.
Though his stay at Old Trafford did not meet expectations, his success with Sporting remains undeniable. Amorim awakened a sleeping giant at Sporting, having rescued them from the clutches of mediocrity and turned them into consistent title challengers. 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; he has also proved himself in the dugout. Top players rarely become top coaches, but Zidane has been an exception.
Zidane rejoined Real Madrid as the head coach after the dismissal of Rafa Benítez in January 2016, having signed a two-and-a-half-year deal. Right away, the Frenchman started to weave his magic, with players responding to his methods and tactics — not an easy feat at the Bernabéu.
Zidane provided instant success with Real Madrid, who ended the season with their 11th Champions League title, defeating rivals Atlético Madrid in the final. They also competed exceptionally well in LaLiga, agonisingly missing the league title by a point.
His first full season (2016/17) in charge brought the Spanish top-flight title back to the Bernabéu, along with the UEFA Super Cup, the FIFA Club World Cup, and the UEFA Champions League titles — a massive achievement for a relatively new coach working under the pressure of needing to perform at one of the biggest clubs in the world, where the margin of failure barely exists.
By the time Zidane departed Real Madrid, he had established Real Madrid as the best team in Europe. Though Los Blancos did boast a highly talented squad 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 won an unprecedented three consecutive Champions League trophies with Real Madrid, making him one of the most impactful mid-season appointments of the last decade.
1. Xabi Alonso | Bayer Leverkusen
Former Liverpool and Real Madrid midfielder Xabi Alonso joined German Bundesliga side Bayer Leverkusen in October 2022 after the dismissal of Gerardo Seoane due to poor performances. At the time, Leverkusen were sitting second from bottom after eight league games, looking almost certain to drop from the top flight.
Alonso 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 went on to become key players in his unbeaten title-winning team that season. Leverkusen became one of the most entertaining teams to watch that term, also winning the DFB-Pokal and losing only one game all season, which was the Europa League final.
In a league that had been dominated by Bayern Munich for over a decade, Alonso managed to turn a mid-table team into title winners within the span of one season with relatively unknown players. He not only brought an attacking identity and consistency to this side, but also developed several young talents and ingrained a winning mentality into the squad that saw them not give up after going behind and end the season with an unbelievable record. The Europa League final defeat against Atalanta proved to be the only blip in what was otherwise a highly successful season, stopping his Leverkusen juggernaut from winning an unprecedented, unbeaten treble.
Alonso deserves massive credit for the unexpected turnaround job he did at a club with limited means. He galvanised the environment around the club and also developed potential youth talent into world-class players. Arriving amid turmoil while 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 Leverkusen. All these reasons make him our top pick for the best mid-season managerial appointment in mainland Europe of the past decade.
