World Class managers like Pep Guardiola, Carlo Ancelotti, Jose Mourinho and Jürgen Klopp have featured in many great tactical battles and high-quality encounters over the years. However, with most top managers already employed or not working right now, it’s time to usher in a new generation of managers and let their innovative playing style and tactical nous take precedence.
There have been a lot of European clubs who are now showing faith in young managers and investing in them. Several young ex-players who have assisted head coaches have also entered the fray and are performing well.
Here we take a look at a list of European Managers who have the potential to become elite coaches in football –
Will Still (Lens) – 31 years old
Still relatively young, Englishman Will Still turned crisis into opportunity when he was announced as the Head Coach of French Ligue 1 side, Stade de Reims after the sacking of coach Óscar García in 2022. The news created waves as a 30-year-old, former video-analyst had been handed the reigns of a Ligue 1 club. However, he soon proved his distractors wrong as Reims went on an incredible 17-game unbeaten run, finishing in the 11th position. His style of play has been solid rather than experimental which is usually not the case with young inexperienced managers.
Reims played a 4-2-3-1 formation under his tutelage and ended the 2023/24 season in the ninth position. His stocks certainly grew as he had managed them well with limited resources and the beginning of 2024/25 season saw Will Still parting ways with Reims and moving onto another French Ligue 1 club, Lens as their head coach.
Fabian Hürzeler (Brighton and Hove Albion) – 31 years old
After the departure of Head Coach Roberto de Zerbi, the Seagulls hired young German coach, Fabien Hürzeler. A product of the Bayern München academy, Hürzuler retired from football at the age of 23 as he had a vision of being a football coach for a long time.
His induction into a high-profile job like Brighton came from his success with German second division club, St Pauli whom he managed for two seasons and got them promoted to the Bundesliga top-tier in only his second season.
So far, Fabien Hürzeler has done well in the Premier League with Brighton at a respectable sixth position with three wins, three draws and only one loss. Hürzeler has a very attacking and attractive style of play with his side playing a very high line. The Seagulls are proving to be a very dangerous side under his coaching.
Francesco Farioli (AFC Ajax) – 34 years old
Francesco Farioli is a former protégé of the current Marseille manager, Roberto de Zerbi who was also crucial in Farioli’s entry into coaching with Italian clubs Benevento and Sassuolo. It was under Roberto de Zerbi’s guidance, the former Italian footballer learned about the basics of coaching.
He further honed his skills at Alanyaspor in Türkiye where he played dynamic formations with a back-three or back-four defense with a lone striker along with creative midfielders. His performances in Türkiye didn’t go unnoticed and French Ligue 1 club, OGC Nice came calling in 2023. He led Nice to fifth position in his first season at the club, with his team’s approach being hailed as attractive and entertaining.
Most European clubs were interested in Farioli and in the summer of 2024, Eredivisie giants, AFC Ajax appointed him as their Head Coach.
Andoni Iraola (AFC Bournemouth) – 42 years old
Former Spanish footballer turned manager, who played for Athletic Bilbao as a right-back, Andoni Iraola has been plying his trade in the English Premier League as the manager of AFC Bournemouth since 2023. His style of play is reminiscent of the Basque-region – reliable, physical and tough. His Bournemouth side has embodied the same approach in their play with their high-intensity pressing tactics along with great mentality.
His previous job was at Spanish club, Rayo Vallecano where he started his managerial position in 2020. In 2021, his side achieved promotion to La Liga first division via play-offs and he also led them to their first National Cup semi-finals in four decades. These achievements were being watched over in Europe and in mid-2023, Leeds United came calling but he was not allowed to leave Vallecano. However, at the end of the campaign, when the Cherries offered him the managerial post, he decided to move to the Premier league. In his first full season, he took the Cherries to their highest PL points total with 48 points ending at the 12th position.
An exciting young manager for sure, it remains to be seen if he can go better and take them into European places this season.
Sebastian Hoeneß (VfB Stuttgart) – 42 years old
German Manager Sebastian Hoeneß (or Sebastian Hoeness) has been heralded as one of the hottest young prospects in the Bundesliga already being courted by many top European clubs.
Sebastian Hoeneß is a pro-footballer turned manager who couldn’t make it to the elite level. He was appointed the Manager for Bundesliga club VfB Stuttgart in 2023.
His previous job was with Bundesliga club, TSG Hoffenheim who had hired him in 2020 and after ending at the 9th position, Hoffenheim parted ways with the young manager. However, he has performed miracles with VfB Stuttgart earning them a Champions League berth in his first season with the club.
He had also been successful with many youth teams prior to the Hoffenheim jobs but reaching elite levels involves consistent performances at the top level. Hence, it would be interesting to see how his team performs in the ongoing 2024/25 season.
Enzo Maresca (Chelsea FC) – 44 years old
Former player and Italian manager, Enzo Maresca is currently managing London club, Chelsea but his coaching career began with the Manchester City Reserve Team in 2020.
In 2021, he won the Premier League 2 title with the Reserves Team. He was appointed by Italian Club Parma for a season but his inability to get them promoted led to his dismissal. In 2022, he returned to Manchester City as an assistant coach to Pep Guardiola but remained there only for a season moving into a Head Coach role at Leicester City in the Championship in 2023. He finally found success, leading Leicester City to a Championship title and promotion to the top tier division, the Premier League.
With Chelsea looking for a new manager after parting ways with Mauricio Pochettino, he was finally appointed as Head Coach by Chelsea FC on a five-year contract with an option to extend. So far, he has been impressive with the Blues as they are looking dangerous upfront and playing an aggressive brand of football, though they haven’t been very solid at the back.
Still early days but Chelsea have made a decent start under him and it would be deemed a success if they can qualify for the Champions League next season.
Arne Slot (Liverpool FC) – 46 years old
Former Dutch footballer turned Manager, Arne Slot probably took the toughest job in club football, replacing the legendary manager Jurgen Klopp at one of Europe’s elite clubs. To the surprise of many, the Liverpool management decided on hiring the services of the relatively inexperienced Dutch manager as their Head Coach.
Even though Arne Slot’s reign as a coach hasn’t been long, it has been successful. His first two seasons with Eredivisie club, Feyenoord Rotterdam had already attracted the interest of PL Club, Tottenham Hotspur but he rejected their advances and continued for one more season at the club. His tenure of three seasons saw Feyenoord win an Eredivisie League title, a KNVB Cup along with qualification for the Champions League.
His start at Liverpool has been excellent to say the least. He has won 8 out of 9 games as Liverpool manager. His style of play is generally a 4-2-3-1 or a 4-4-3 depending on the opposition and plays a more controlled and possession-based football in contrast to Klopp’s heavy metal pressing style. It’s a big responsibility for the Dutchmen but it’s been so far so good. He hasn’t looked out of sorts and if he can manage to win Liverpool even a one trophy this year, it would be viewed as a successful season in transition.
Thiago Motta (Juventus) – 42 years old
Thiago Motta was a former Italian midfielder who plied his trade for the top clubs in Europe and its hardly a surprise that the former Barcelona midfielder is on his way to becoming a top coach as well.
Motta’s coaching career didn’t really start well with Italian club Genoa as they dismissed him with just three months into the managerial role with Genoa languishing at the bottom of the table.
In 2021, he joined another Italian club Spezia and even though they were destined for relegation with an impending transfer ban, Motta miraculously saved them from relegation but parted ways mutually at the end of the season as he was appointed by Bologna for the 2022 season. Bologna finished the season in ninth place with a record 54 points for the club. The 2023/24 season was an unforgettable season for the Serie A club as they ensured a top-five finish and qualified for the Champions League after a six decade long wait.
However, his impressive performance didn’t go unnoticed as Juventus poached him ahead of the 2024/25 season. Still early days, but the Old Lady are a defensive rock under his guidance and are currently third on the league table having conceded only one goal in seven games so far.
Rúben Amorim (Sporting CP) – 39 years old
At 39 years only, Rúben Amorim has achieved much success with Portuguese club, Sporting CP in his four-year tenure. In his first full season only, he led Sporting to their first league title in almost two decades with his new signing Pedro Gonçalves making instant impact with 23 goals and six Sporting players in the Primeira Liga Team of the Year. In his second season, his team finished runners-up in the league but Sporting CP qualified for the Champions League Round of 16 after the 2008/09 season.
Sporting again won the Primeira Liga title in 2023/24 under his tutelage. The young manager was also rumoured to be courted by English clubs Chelsea and Liverpool but the move didn’t materialise and he continues to head the Leões.
Rúben Amorim has been known for his intense pressing style. He prefers the 3-4-3 formation with two midfielders assisting the defense and utilising the wingbacks to attack. His team has been known to be solid defensively and their attackers press high up the pitch to open up spaces and find a chance to attack.
He is also popular for his man-management skills and extracted superb performances from his new players specially his front line with the likes of Pedro Gonçalves and Viktor Gyökeres grabbing eyeballs by their performances in the League. He has also coached the likes of João Palhinha and Matheus Nunes who have moved on to bigger European clubs.
Having achieved domestic success already, it’s time for him to prove himself in Europe’s top competition to really stamp his authority as an elite coach.
Xabi Alonso (Bayer 04 Leverkusen) – 42 years old
Former Liverpool and Real Madrid midfielder, Xabi Alonso has been a surprise package when it comes to the coaching role. Undoubtedly a world class midfielder who played for the biggest clubs in Europe, it has been refreshing to see his growth and journey as a coach so far.
He took up the Bayer Leverkusen Head coach role in October,2022 with the club struggling to stay up in the Bundesliga. However, he turned their fortunes around, leading them to a sixth-place finish and ensuring qualification to the Europa League.
If the first season was about surviving relegation, the second season was a dream run with Leverkusen ending Bayern Munich’s supremacy with an unbeaten League double. They could have won a treble if not for the loss to Atalanta in the Europa League final. It was mind-boggling that a team led by a relatively inexperienced manager lost only one game all season!
His playing style is possession-based football with quick intricate passing and prefers a 3-4-2-1 formation which includes three centre-backs, two wingbacks, a double pivot in midfield and three forward players. He has instilled in his Leverkusen side a competitive edge with a never give up mentality which has seen them winning games from losing positions more often.
Having won trophies already he has proven that he is a talented coach but his team needs to win consistently and also perform in the most elite competitions in Europe for him to achieve World class stature.
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