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The 2019/20 league season has witnessed several high profile managerial sacking in Europe's top five leagues, which has come as the most clearest indication that football is a cut-throat business. Long-standing managers are sacked after a series of underwhelming results there days and momentarily, all their achievements in the past are forgotten as club's choose to chop and change regularly.
A prime example of a club that discards managers regularly is Premier League side Watford, who have sacked both Javi Gracia and Quique Sanchez Flores this season after a poor run of form. Additionally, a new pattern has also developed in recent seasons, with clubs looking to resort to their former players to take over the reins as managers.
Chelsea have followed a similar path and have ended up with success, at least at the moment, as former club captain Frank Lampard has had a decent time as a manager at Stamford Bridge. Similarly, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is at Manchester United and Arsenal have appointed Mikel Arteta in recent months, indicating that this trend could continue in the coming years.
Here are 5 high profile managers who are currently without a job as things stand, as they look for a swift return to the dugout at the end of the season.
#5 Luciano Spalletti
Inter Milan, since the glory days of Jose Mourinho, have struggled to exert themselves on the European stage, as managers came and went without a sustained period of success. In the summer of 2017, Luciano Spalletti, who was with Roma at the time, moved to fellow Serie A side in a bid to restore the club to where they belong.
In his two seasons at the club, Inter didn't win a single trophy but returned to the UEFA Champions League, which was seen as the minimum requirement for a club of such stature. The Nerazzurri played an attractive brand of football and picked up some notable scalps on their way to securing Champions League football in both seasons, as they left it late to secure a spot in Europe.
Spalletti was sacked in the summer of 2019, as Inter decided to appoint former Serie A winner in the bid to recapture the Scudetto, but the Italian left with his head held high after 2 decent seasons with the club. Inter have kicked on since Conte's appointment and are giving Juventus a run for their money in the race for the Serie A, but the foundation was laid by Spalletti, whose squad has been inherited and built on by his compatriot.
The 60-year-old is currently without a job and it remains to be seen if he returns to the dugout in the summer, with a handful of Italian clubs reportedly looking to appoint him.
#4 Unai Emery
Since his sacking at Arsenal, Unai Emery has maintained a relatively low profile and is without a job, despite being linked with a return to the Premier League. While the Toffees considered the Spaniard after sacking Marco Silva, they opted to make an ambitious approach for Carlo Ancelotti, a move that sensationally came to fruition.
Emery took over at Arsenal and replaced the legendary Arsene Wenger, who departed the club after the conclusion of the 2016-17 season. While the Gunners did not secure Champions League football in his first season at the club, they did, however, reach the final of the Europa League.
The seed for the Spaniard's eventual downfall in North London was sown in Baku, as Chelsea inflicted an embarrassing 4-1 defeat on the Gunners. Despite a summer of heavy spending, Arsenal started the season in underwhelming fashion and the hierarchy wasted no time in giving him the boot, as he was let go off midway through the season in favour of former club captain Mikel Arteta.
In his time in England, Emery's philosophy was criticized heavily and the English media were culprits in the sense that he was a bit of a laughing stock in the media, as his accent was mocked amongst other things. The former Paris Saint-Germain man is reportedly insistent on returning to the touchline next season but he might have to wait to do so, after two high profile failures in France and England.
#3 Ernesto Valverde
Despite winning back to back La Liga titles in his time at Barcelona, Ernesto Valverde divided opinion at the club and his pragmatism, coupled with a poor start to the current campaign, led to his sacking.
Renowned for their free-flowing attacking football, most famously the tiki-taka under Pep Guardiola, the current Barcelona side were a shadow of their former selves and did not have a brand of football despite managing to churn out results.
The former Athletic Bilbao coach was sacked midway through the season, with former club captain Xavi a frontrunner for the job. However, Quique Setien was chosen as the replacement, as the club has courted him for a long time, with their initial interest stretching back to 2018.
Valverde will feel hard done by the fact that despite delivering 2 titles at Barcelona, he never had the unwavering support of the board and in the current season, the Catalan giants were plagued by injuries, which played a part in their poor form.
The Spaniard is not expected to be without a job for too long and only time will tell if he plans to return to the touchline immediately, with a handful of high profile jobs set to open up ay the end of the season.
#2 Massimiliano Allegri
Six-time Serie A winner Massimiliano Allegri is one of the most high profile managers without a job currently, after parting ways with Juventus in the summer of 2019. The Old Lady decided to replace him with former Chelsea manager Maurizio Sarri and its safe to say that it hasn't always been plain sailing for them, since Allegri's departure.
Since joining Juve in 2014, Allegri made winning the Scudetto a norm, as the Bianconeri 5 successive league titles in his time at the club. Juventus also reached 2 UEFA Champions League finals in the same period, as they were beaten by Real Madrid and Barcelona in 2015 and 2017 respectively.
Hailed for his tactical intelligence and versatility in setting his teams up, Allegri's time at Juventus was an unwavering success, as he switched formation between the Serie A and the Champions League and successfully built on the foundation created by his predecessor Antonio Conte.
The Italian has been linked with a handful of high profile jobs including Manchester United and will not be short of offers, as he plans a swift return to management after a year in the sidelines.
#1 Mauricio Pochettino
Hailed as one of the best tacticians in world football, Mauricio Pochettino was all set to kick start a dynasty at Tottenham Hotspur, before his untimely sacking by club president Daniel Lewy after a dismal start to the current campaign.
Spurs replaced Pochettino with Jose Mourinho, who is a proven winner at club level and comes with an accomplished CV.
Since taking over the reins at Tottenham in 2014, Pochettino built the club from scratch without too much backing in the transfer market, making a name for himself as a top-class coach in the making.
Tottenham were finishing in the top 4 consistently, playing an attractive brand of football and even reached a Champions League final against all the odds - all indications that Pochettino's side punched above their weight like crazy.
While he has said that he would rather work in a farm in his native land than manager Barcelona, due to his allegiance with Espanyol, Pochettino has been linked with the job in recent seasons but that remains a distant dream, as Quique Setien only just got the job.
Elsewhere, he has also been eyed up by Bayern Munich, who are still mulling over a long term replacement for Niko Kovac, with Hans-Dieter Flick currently in charge until the end of the season.
Pochettino is keen on a return to the Premier League and has long been linked with a switch to Manchester United, who could well return for him in the summer if Ole Gunnar Solskjaer continues to underwhelm at the club.
