The departure of Carlo Ancelotti from Everton to rejoin Real Madrid came as a shock to many especially those in and around the club. Having only hired the Italian 18 months ago in what at the time was deemed as a masterstroke, Everton now find themselves with a massive gap to fill and a search for their 6th manager in five years. But Ancelotti’s return to the Bernabeau only came about when Zinedine Zidane decided enough was enough and walked away. The sentiment from the Frenchman was that he no longer felt that the club had faith in him or the willingness to support his longer term vision so taking his leave seemed to be the only solution. His actions however as well as the actions of a few other high profile managers in Italy, Germany and France have acted as the catalyst for change in the managerial world and kick started the merry go round of moves that we are now witnessing across Europe’s top five leagues.
The question is not really where to begin but instead where to stop given the vast number of changes that have and are set to happen. Managerial changes throughout Europe’s leagues are at an all time high with adjustments being made both by the clubs due to the after effects of a global pandemic which crippled the football financial ecosystem and by the managers themselves who need change after an intense pressure filled season. No league felt this more than Italy so it seems like a good a place as any to start.
Antonio Conte’s decision to leave Inter only days after guiding them to their first Scudetto in 11 years highlighted the financial impact of the pandemic which has ravaged the game. Unable to strengthen his squad in the summer due to financial cut backs at the club, Conte decided like Zidane to quit. He was quickly replaced by Simone Inzaghi who led Lazio to a sixth placed finish. Simone faces the prospect of taking Conte’s squad and selling off one or two of its prize assets as the club looks to pull back €80m. Lazio are yet to announce their new manager but are being heavily linked with Maurizio Sarri.
The former Chelsea manager has been out of work since leaving Juventus in 2020 when they decided to test out Andres Pirlo as manager with the hopes that the former midfield maestro could have the Zidane effect on Juve. That didn’t work out in the end and he will depart this summer with Massimilano Allegri returning to the club he left in 2019. Jose Mourinho is also returning to Italy this time with Roma after they let Paulo Fonseca go last month. Fonseca has yet to decide on his next move but has been heavily linked with Tottenham and Wolves as well as several other clubs across Europe.
The one season manager does seem to be a reoccurring trend in Italy with Conte only lasted at Inter a year having replaced Luciano Spalletti in 2019. Incidentally, Spalletti himself is also on the move this summer joining Napoli after the exit of Gennaro Gattuso to Fiorentina. Gattuso is the long term replacement for Cesare Prandelli who sensationally quit in March citing a feeling of distress as well as personal reasons behind his decision. Gattuso spent two years at Napoli after replacing Carlo Ancelotti who was sacked only a couple of weeks before he showed up at Everton.
Speaking of Everton, the race to replace Ancelotti is well under way with former Everton and now West Ham boss David Moyes tipped for a sensational return. However the club is also rumoured to be considering Eddie Howe (out of work since leaving Bournemouth) and Nuno Espírito Santo who left Wolves just a few weeks ago. Howe who was in advanced talks with Celtic before turning them down, is also in the running for the vacant role at Crystal Palace after Roy Hodgson took his leave. Ex Chelsea boss Frank Lampard is also in the frame for that role as is ironically Santo who could spur a tug of war between the two clubs as they jostle for their number one pick. Meanwhile at Celtic, they are looking more seriously at Ange Postecoglou having failed to get Howe or Jesse Marsch in earlier attempts.
Marsch chose to move to RB Leipzig this summer from Red Bull Salzburg as the automatic replacement for Bayern bound Julian Nagelsmann. It will be an exciting challenge for the American that will have him pitting his wits against one of the brightest young coaches in the game right now in Nagelsmann. The 33 year old german takes over at Bayern Munich from Hansi Flick who will take the reins of the German national team following the completion of Euro 2020. Elsewhere, Marco Rose will join Borussia Dortmund as manager in the summer, with Borussia Monchengladbach hiring Adi Hutter from Eintracht Frankfurt as his replacement. They in turn hired Oliver Glasner from Wolfsburg who in turn then appointed former PSV boss Mark van Bommel as their new manager. Finally Leverkausen grabbed Gerardo Seoane from Young Boys Berne as they looked to make a quick replacement for the Lyon bound Peter Bosz.
In France, the big news surrounds Christophe Galtier and his next destination after he sensationally steered Lille to the French title last season. Days later he would quit the club and has been linked with a host of jobs including Spurs and indeed looked likely to end up at OGC Nice before a gap in the compensation package appeared too big to bridge. There are also rumours starting that Zidane could replace Mauricio Pochettino at PSG if the Argentine makes a sensational return to Tottenham.
This summer will see changes at a host of other European clubs including Montpellier HSC, RC Strasbourg Alsace, Angers SCO in France, a new managerial appointment at Valencia with Jose Bordalas signing on from Getafe and in England, West Brom and Sheffield United are at different stages of their process with West Brom still considering candidates whilst Sheffield United have moved quickly confirmed Slavisa Jokanovic as their new boss.
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