“It’s easier to sack one coach than 11 footballers.”
Those lines have become cliches in fan debates, but they still speak to something important: managers have never mattered more in the modern game. In an era where club identities are shaped as much by tactics as transfers, a great coach can elevate a mid-table side or rescue a sinking giant.
Football has come a long way from the days when training was led by the captain. Now, managers are tacticians, media faces, man-managers, and often the first to take the fall. Without them, the sport wouldn’t be what it is.
Fun fact: Did you know George Ramsay was the first recognized football coach in the world?
As we approach the 2025/26 season, an unusually high number of elite coaches are still on the market. Not just out-of-work names, but serial winners and system-builders. The kind of managers who walk in and change everything.
Here’s a closer look at the sharpest minds still available and why the next club to act could strike gold.
Zinedine Zidane: The Waiting King 🇫🇷👑
--Tactical Formation: 4-3-3
--Number of Trophies: 11
--Coaching License: UEFA Pro License
--Avg. Term As a Coach: 1.79 Years
--Number of Teams Coached: 2
--Total Transfer fees of Players Purchased: €401.6 million
Zidane hasn’t managed since 2021 and frankly, he hasn’t needed to. Across two spells at Real Madrid, he delivered three Champions League titles, two La Liga crowns, and one of the most successful first coaching stints the sport has ever seen.At 53, he’s not chasing a job. He’s waiting for the right one. France has long felt like his next step, but Deschamps keeps surviving tournaments. A Juventus return has also been teased. And if a Premier League giant crashes early think Manchester United or Chelsea Zidane will be one of the first names mentioned.
He’s coaching royalty. And yet, he remains untouched. Still on the shelf. Still the most glamorous option available.
Xavi Hernandez: The Purist Who Wasn’t Protected 🇪🇸🔰
-- Tactical Formation: 4-3-3
-- Number of Trophies: 9
-- Coaching License: UEFA Pro License
--Avg. Term As a Coach: 2.50 Years
--Number of Teams Coached: 2
--Total Transfer fees of Players Purchased: €254. 4 million
When Xavi took over Barcelona in 2021, he inherited a mess. He left with a La Liga title, a youth-led revival, and a club still in transition. In the middle of it all, he quit, came back, and then was pushed out all in the span of a few chaotic months.
Despite the noise, his work on the pitch was solid. He trusted La Masia talents like Lamine Yamal and Pau Cubarsi. He brought tactical structure back. But when results slipped, the boardroom didn’t back him.
Xavi is only 45 and already carries experience few managers his age can match. He needs stability. Any club that gives him time and backing might just unlock something special.
Ange Postecoglou: The Builder Left Behind 🇦🇺📝
--Tactical Formation: 4-3-3
-- Number of Trophies: 21
-- Coaching License: UEFA Pro License
-- Avg. Term As a Coach: 2.74 Years
--Number of Teams Coached: 12
--Total Transfer fees of Players Purchased: €526. 5 million
From Brisbane to Yokohama, Glasgow to North London, Ange Postecoglou has always built things. Teams with belief. Football with identity. And for a while, it looked like he was doing the same at Spurs.
He gave them their first trophy in 17 years. He brought back Champions League nights. Fans sang his name. And then, out of nowhere, he was sacked. It didn’t matter that they won the Europa League. Or that his team had played with bravery.
What mattered was the 17th-place finish in the league—the worst in decades. Still, Postecoglou leaves with his head high. He’s one of the few managers who can walk into any dressing room and build from the ground up.
He’s done it in four countries. He’ll do it again.
Whoever gives him the next project is getting more than a coach. They’re getting a culture.
Joachim Low: The Forgotten Genius 🇩🇪📍
--Tactical Formation: 4-2-3-1
-- Number of Trophies: 5
-- Coaching License: UEFA Pro License
-- Avg. Term As a Coach: 2.45 Years
-- Number of Teams Coached: 8
-- Total Transfer fees of Players Purchased: €27. 9 million
It’s easy to forget, but not long ago, Low was managing Germany to a World Cup title with Toni Kroos and Thomas Muller pulling the strings. He left the national team in 2021 and has kept an incredibly low profile since, no interviews, no club job, no major media presence.
But don’t confuse silence for retirement. Low remains a deep thinker, a multilingual tactician with a strong record of building long-term systems. A Bundesliga return isn’t out of the question. Neither is a move abroad or even a patient national team gig.
At 64, he’s no longer the trendiest name. But under the right conditions, he could still produce something special.
Who Else Is Available 🤔✍️?
The market goes deeper than just the headline acts. These names aren’t getting as much buzz, but they’re still strong options:
🔹Sir. Gareth Southgate🔹Luciano Spalletti
🔹Thiago Motta
🔹Walter Mazzari
🔹Marco Rose
🔹Sergio Conceicao
🔹Edin Terzic
🔹Nuri Sahin
🔹Kasper Hjulmand
🔹Gary O'Neil
🔹Sam Allardyce
🔹Sean Dyche
🔹Domenico Tedesco
🔹Steve Cooper
🔹Lucien Favre
🔹Jorge Sampaoli
🔹Chris Hutton
🔹Jorge Jesus
🔹Chris Wilder
🔹Stefano Pioli
🔹Charles Akonnor
🔹Michael Carrick
🔹Rafael Benitez
🔹Fabio Cannavaro
Why Are They Still Available 🏆💰
Several reasons. First, timing. Most clubs made managerial moves early. Those who didn’t are watching the early weeks of pre-season or waiting for the first bad run of results to trigger change.
Second, some coaches are picky. Zidane won’t take a project he doesn’t believe in. Xavi, Ange, and Spalletti all want long-term backing. Then there’s the money factor top coaches demand serious wages, and some clubs would rather invest in players.
But the reality is simple: one bad result in August, and the carousel starts turning
The Window Is Open — For Now
Managers like Zidane, Xavi, and Low don’t sit around forever. Someone is going to move. And when they do, it could shift the entire power balance of a league, or even a continent.
The question is no longer who’s available. It’s who’s bold enough to strike before someone else does.
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