The transfer window for players will open when the season ends but the movement of managers has no deadline — anyone can switch roles at any point.
Jurgen Klopp’s announcement in January that he would be leaving Liverpool at the end of this season after nine years at Anfield kicked off speculation over who would replace him.
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Soon after, Xavi said he would be stepping down as Barcelona head coach this summer before Bayern Munich joined the party in February by confirming they would be parting ways with Thomas Tuchel, leaving three of the biggest jobs in European football open for applications. However, Xavi has now reversed his decision and will stay on at Barca.
A disappointing season for Manchester United, meanwhile, has also led to questions over Erik ten Hag’s future and a potential vacancy at Old Trafford.
So who are the managers expected to be on the move in the coming months and who is staying put?
Get the latest transfer news on The Athletic…
Arne Slot
Liverpool and Feyenoord agreed a compensation package on Friday (April 26) that will allow Slot to become Klopp’s successor at Anfield.
After having an opening offer of €9million (£7.7m, $9.6m) for Slot turned down, Liverpool had been working to finalise a deal with the club for the Dutch coach, who has two years remaining on his contract.
On Thursday (April 25), Slot had admitted he wants to take on the role. “It seems clear to me that I would like to work there,” he told ESPN. “The clubs are negotiating, so I am still on hold. We are waiting for an agreement to be reached, but I am confident of that.”
Klopp said on Friday Slot is a smart choice as his successor as he told the incoming Liverpool manager: “You’re getting the best job in the world.”
Slot helped Feyenoord win the Eredivisie title in 2023 and reach the Europa Conference League final in 2022. This season, he has guided them to their first KNVB Cup (Dutch FA Cup) triumph since 2018.
Slot, who is from the Netherlands, met the key criteria Liverpool have set out in their search for a new manager, with a record of playing attacking football and developing young talent.
The Athletic’s Mark Carey says: “The data of Slot’s Feyenoord team points to an aggressive, dominant style of play that is ideally suited to Liverpool’s squad.”
Ruben Amorim
The Sporting Lisbon head coach was in London this week for talks with West Ham United despite David Moyes still being in charge at the east London club.
Moyes, 60, is out of contract this summer and though he said in February he was offered a new deal, his future remains uncertain.
However, Amorim is not expected to join West Ham. Following the meeting, he is believed to feel a move there is not for him.
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On Saturday, Amorim apologised to Sporting fans for speaking with West Ham. “Obviously it was a mistake. The trip, the timing was completely wrong. I didn’t think so at the time but it was wrong … I’m using the conference here to say sorry to the Sporting fans, the staff and above all to say sorry publicly to the players for the mistake that I made.”
Amorim had also been in Liverpool’s thinking for the summer, but their candidate to replace Klopp is Slot.
The 39-year-old Amorim won the Portuguese league title with Sporting in 2021 and is known for promoting young players and improving individuals.
Julen Lopetegui
The 57-year-old is out of work having left Wolverhampton Wanderers days before the Premier League season started, to be replaced by Gary O’Neil.
The former Spain men’s national team, Sevilla and Real Madrid head coach is another to have been assessed by West Ham. With Amorim apologising to Sporting fans for talking with West Ham, that brings Lopetegui and others firmly into the mix.
Lopetegui’s exit from Wolves last summer came after speaking about the financial issues at the club.
Xavi
The former midfielder reversed his decision to leave Barca this summer after discussions with sporting director Deco and club president Joan Laporta.
Xavi will now remain in charge on a contract that runs until the end of June 2025.
The former Spain international won La Liga in his first full season in charge having taken over in November 2021.
However, this season the club are set to finish empty-handed, trailing rivals Real Madrid in the league and knocked out of both the Champions League and Copa del Rey at the quarter-final stage.
On Xavi’s U-turn, The Athletic’s Pol Ballus said: “The lack of consensus around Xavi’s future is without a doubt the biggest concern for Barca fans. The 44-year-old’s support inside the club seems to be at its lowest since taking over in 2021. But for now, Barca players, the board and agents know what to expect from the club as they start working towards next season.”
Ralf Rangnick
The Austria manager confirmed on April 24 that he had held talks with Bayern to replace Tuchel as their head coach.
Speaking to Austrian outlet 90minuten, Rangnick said: “Bayern Munich have contacted me and I have also informed the OFB (Austrian Football Association). We have a very trusting relationship. My focus is on the Austrian national team.”
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The 65-year-old, who was Manchester United’s interim manager in 2021-22 for seven months, is due to lead his Austria side in the upcoming European Championship this summer.
When Rangnick was asked at what point he may consider a switch of roles, he added: “The moment Bayern would say, ‘We want you’. And then I have to ask myself, ‘Do I even want this?’. If I want to do something else, I will first discuss it with the OFB.”
However, Bayern supporters petitioned the club to retain Tuchel as their head coach for next season, saying other candidates “don’t hold a candle” to the 50-year-old. A change.org petition entitled ‘We want Juppel (Tuchel) and not (Ralf) Rangnick!’ had almost 10,000 signatures a few days after being launched on April 23.
Despite his time at United ending in failure, Rangnick has previously been successful as a director of football at Red Bull Salzburg and RB Leipzig among other roles.
Xabi Alonso
The former Liverpool and Real Madrid midfielder ended Bayern Munich’s Bundesliga dominance by winning the title with Bayer Leverkusen this month and is one of the most in-demand coaches in Europe.
But Alonso said “(Leverkusen) is the right place for me” in late March and confirmed he would stay at to take them into the Champions League next season.
Liverpool were aware the 42-year-old was unlikely to leave Leverkusen as they searched for a Klopp successor, while Bayern also considered their former player to take over from outgoing manager Tuchel.
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Julian Nagelsmann
The Germany head coach had been linked with a return to Bayern Munich, and last summer had attracted interest from Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur and Paris Saint-Germain.
However, on April 19, he signed a contract extension with the national team to remain in charge until after the 2026 World Cup.
Nagelsmann won the Bundesliga with Bayern in 2022 and reached the DFB-Pokal final in 2021 with Leipzig as well as taking them to the Champions League semi-finals, but will now lead the Germany men’s side for the next two years, having taken over from Hansi Flick on a short-term deal in September 2023.
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Unai Emery
The Spaniard delighted Aston Villa’s supporters — and owners — when he extended his contract this week.
The former Arsenal, Sevilla and Villarreal head coach, a four-time winner of the Europa League, has turned around the fortunes of Villa since taking over from Steven Gerrard in November 2022.
Villa are in the Europa Conference League semi-finals and look set to finish in the Premier League top four, which would secure a Champions League spot.
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Emery had been linked with several vacancies but will now discuss extending his deal with the club further when he meets with Villa owners Nassef Sawiris and Wes Edens in the summer.
The Athletic’s Villa reporter Jacob Tanswell said: “The club has been built and directed in Emery’s image, affording the type of power and environment geared towards his management style. It is why it was always unlikely he would be tempted by reported interest in him this summer.”
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Thomas Tuchel
Tuchel will leave Bayern at the end of the season after being the first of their managers to fail to win the Bundesliga for 12 years. Tuchel has paid the price of Alonso’s Leverkusen, who ended Bayern’s run of 11 titles in a row.
However, as mentioned above, Bayern supporters petitioned the club to retain Tuchel with a change.org petition entitled ‘We want Juppel (Tuchel) and not (Ralf) Rangnick!’ gaining almost 10,000 signatures a few days after launch.
This year, Tuchel discussed the possibility of managing in Spain — with Barcelona looking for a successor to Xavi — at a supporters’ club in Munich and the reporting of his quotes led Bayern to issue a statement. “He (Tuchel) answered general questions from fans about Spain as a footballing country,” it read. “He never spoke about Xavi and his successor, as was falsely claimed afterwards.”
Manchester United would strongly appeal to Tuchel if Erik ten Hag were to leave.
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Erik ten Hag
Scraping past Championship club Coventry City on penalties assured Ten Hag of a second consecutive FA Cup final appearance — but it will not necessarily guarantee his future at Old Trafford.
Ten Hag’s position has been questioned after a series of disappointing results and performances, but he said on April 6 he had “no doubts” he will be in charge next season. However, that was before losing a three-goal lead at Wembley in the semi-final and being a VAR call away from his side being eliminated — and all of this was played out in front of United co-chairmen Joel and Avram Glazer, as well as new technical director Jason Wilcox.
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INEOS taking a minority stake in the club has only heightened speculation over Ten Hag’s future, with the company’s chairman Sir Jim Ratcliffe and director of sport Sir Dave Brailsford to decide on the 54-year-old after this campaign has ended.
Ten Hag can still end the season with a trophy if they do what they failed to do last year: beat neighbours Manchester City in the final. But an absence of Champions League football — and having finished bottom of their Champions League group this season — will not sit in his favour.
Roberto De Zerbi
The Italian took Brighton into Europe for the first time this season after a sixth-placed finish in the Premier League last year.
This success led to De Zerbi being linked with vacancies at Barcelona, Liverpool and Bayern. However, senior sources at Brighton — who were granted anonymity to protect relationships — believe he is now more likely to stay, with two years remaining on his contract.
De Zerbi fuelled discussion about his future in late March by saying he wants to speak with Brighton’s decision-makers to ensure he and the club are still behind the “same plan for the future”.
Liverpool found De Zerbi scored highly on the data produced by their analysts but his confrontational style, as shown in his comments above, could work against him in the eyes of executives at higher-profile clubs.
Additional reporting: Dan Sheldon, James Pearce, Adam Crafton, Andy Naylor, Pol Ballus, Mark Critchley, David Ornstein
(Top photos: Emilio Andreoli; Paolo Bruno; Naomi Baker/Getty Images)