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With Manchester City and Liverpool making the domestic and European stages their own, Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp are presently at the peak of their powers. There was a massive exodus of coaches across some of the biggest powerhouses of Europe at the end of last season and in the summer transfer window. We saw some big names return to management, while some went out of jobs.
The new season has begun, and the European transfer window has closed, but rumours and speculations as always are in the air. Several big managerial names are either on TV doing punditry or are just spending some well-deserved time off with their families. However, we could never be certain as they could be called upon to take up a job at any time during the season should they find the job appealing. Here are four top managers who are without a club right now.
#4 Claudio Ranieri
One of the most likeable managers in world football, the Italian was awarded the FIFA Men's Best Coach in 2016.
In arguably the greatest achievement in his career, Claudio Ranieri led an underdog Leicester City side, who were battling to avoid relegation the previous season, to the Premier League title in 2016. His fairytale season with the Foxes made him only the eighth manager in history to lift the Premier League title.
He was sacked by Leicester the following season, but the love between him and Leicester supporters has never been lost, and fans wanted his statue to be erected outside the King Power stadium to commemorate his incredible, unprecedented achievement.
Since then, he had a short spell at Nantes after which he returned to the Premier League as the manager of Fulham. He didn't stay long at Fulham either and was appointed as the Roma head coach in shortly after. He left the club at the end of the 2018/19 season.
He was being linked to Newcastle earlier this year when they were looking for Rafa Benitez' successor, but now he's emerged as the leading candidate to become the head coach of the Guinea national side. Should he take the job, Ranieri will replace Paul Put, who was sacked after the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations.
#3 Arsene Wenger
One of the greatest managers of all time, the Premier League is what it is today because of the contributions of great minds like that of Arsene Wenger's.
The Frenchman was the manager of Arsenal for more than two decades, winning three Premier League titles and seven FA Cups. He's the only manager in Premier League history to have managed a side that went unbeaten for an entire season. The Gunners had one of the best eras in their history under Wenger.
However, his last Premier League success came in 2004, and Wenger decided to step down in 2017, after a season in which Arsenal finished sixth on the table.
Arsenal's demise in the last decade wasn't Wenger's fault, writes one of his former players Per Mertesacker, in his autobiography. He says that Arsene showed too much confidence in his players, which is why he didn't make many signings.
Wenger remains one of the most decorated managers in world football, and he's without a club right now. Over the past few days, he has expressed his wish to return to football, as he misses the intensity of competition. He says he hasn't retired yet, and he could even settle for a lesser role at a club.
#2 Massimiliano Allegri
The former Juventus boss boasts one of the best resumes amongst football managers, with the only notable absence perhaps being the UEFA Champions League. His time with the Bianconeri was nothing short of glorious, where he won 11 major titles in 5 seasons.
He had spells with Sassuolo, Cagliari, and AC Milan in the Serie A before joining Juventus in 2015. Largely on the back of a rock-solid defence, he led the Old Lady to five consecutive Serie A titles as well as to two Champions League finals in three years, where they were beaten by Barcelona and Real Madrid who were at the peak of their powers.
Some fans had begun to show their discontent with Allegri in his final seasons due to the lack of European success, but most were thankful to the Italian for maintaining their domestic domination.
It will be interesting to see Allegri's next destination, and many suspect it could be in the Premier League.
#1 Jose Mourinho
One of the most controversial yet greatest managers the game has ever seen, The Special One is without a club at the moment.
Even though Mourinho has a long list of incredible achievements such as his Champions League win with Porto, his domestic success with Chelsea, his treble with Inter, and his glittering tenure with Real Madrid, he considers finishing second with Manchester United one of his greatest ever achievements.
It so happens that Manchester United are the only side he has managed with whom he failed to win the domestic league title. His time at United ended in an ugly manner, with the club in shambles and stuttering at 6th on the league table.
In his last season at Manchester United, he openly voiced his discontent with some of the players and had regular feuds with the media. After a string of miserable performances and losses, Mourinho was sacked in December last year.
He now voices his opinion as a pundit for Sky Sports. Despite being linked to a host of clubs such as Real Madrid and PSG, Mourinho does not have a club at the moment and will be looking to return to management soon.
Who is the manager you want to see get back to coaching the soonest?
