High-quality author list Compared with the cold player transfer market this winter**, the market for team coaches has quietly risen a puff of gunsmoke. Including Liverpool and Barcelona, who reported the news of their coach's departure at the end of the season last weekend, as well as Manchester United, Bayern Munich, England and Germany, which have the possibility of a coach reshuffle, many important teams have their positions in the air. We are likely to witness a dramatic shift in the world of football in the coming months.
The beginning of this wave of turmoil was the shock bomb released by "Uncle Scum" Klopp last Friday. He announced his plans to leave the club at the end of the season through an interview on Liverpool's official YouTube channel, expressing his decision to take a break after a long coaching career. In the interview, he talks about his fitness and still loves the team and the city, but he feels that he no longer has the energy he used to have and is no longer the right person for this team.
Not only is the decision a major blow to fans, Liverpool's owners, the Fenway Group, may also be caught off guard. The German coach only extended his contract until 2026 in 2022, and while he has always said that he will need a little rest afterwards, the current decision to leave the club will obviously disrupt the Fenway Group's plans. However, Klopp also said that it was not an easy decision, but his responsibility told him that it was the right choice, and his close relationship with the club's management also made the management understand that attempts to retain him were doomed to be ineffective.
As for the future plan, Uncle Slag said that he knows that he must not be idle, but he still needs to rest for a while, so he will not accept any national team or club contract for at least a year. At the same time, based on his love and respect for Liverpool, he will never coach any team outside of Liverpool in England. Maybe Uncle Scum just needs some breathing space, and he also called on the fans to enjoy the rest of the season together and focus on the game. Maybe at the end of the season, let's say goodbye to Anfield together!
The day after Liverpool dropped the shock bomb, Barcelona boss Xavi also announced to the team that he would step down as coach at the end of the season. After a 5-3 defeat against Villarreal, it took a long time for Xavi to appear in the post-match press conference with his wife and assistant coach. It was the first time Xavi's family had appeared at a press conference, and Xavi announced his departure at the end of the season immediately after he took his seat.
Since Barcelona moved to the Stadio Olimpico for home renovations, the season has not been easy. Considering Barca's poor results for several weeks and the Copa del Rey exit, the news of Xavi's dismissal may not come as a surprise to Barcelona fans, but the timing of the announcement of his resignation may not be too much of a surprise to everyone. In the post-match interview against Villarreal, while players such as Frenkie de Jong, Joao Cancelo and Ronald Araujo have all stood up to defend their coach, Xavi has lost support within the Barca management.
It took me several days to make this decision, just to find a good moment to make the announcement. Just today I told President Laporta...I think it was the right decision. I use common sense that the club needs to change and now we are too passive in all aspects. ”
Commenting on the decision to leave the club at the end of the season, Xavi spoke about the harsh reality of the Barcelona manager's position that left him physically and mentally exhausted, while also sticking to his commitment at the start of the year. "As soon as I started to think of myself as a problem with Barcelona, that was the day I was leaving. In November 2021, Xavi was ordered to return to his old club when Barcelona were at a low ebb, and now that the legendary captain is leaving again, Barcelona still have a lot of problems to deal with, and the pressure will eventually return to the hands of the management.
With the head coach gone, the two European giants Liverpool and Barcelona will have to hunt in this small market this summer.
In the current coaching market, first of all, German head coach Julian Nagelsmann's contract expires after this summer's European Championships, and the German team may have started to wait and see a new manager in recent months. Meanwhile, Bundesliga Bayern Munich head coach Thomas Tuchel is also in danger of being sacked (for a team seeking to win the Bundesliga for 12 in a row, a long period of second place in the league is in itself enough reason to fire the manager).
In addition to this, there may also be manager vacancies in several national teams at the moment. If England fail to do well at this summer's European Championships, manager Gareth Southgate is likely to be sacked before his contract expires at the end of the year. The same is true for Greg Berhalter of the U.S. national team, whose performance in this year's Copa America will be the pressure that Greg Berhalter will have to face**, and the opportunity to co-host the World Cup in 2026 will make the U.S. coach's position even more sought-after.
Not only that, but there are many more clubs waiting for their time to join the wind.
Firstly, Newcastle United have been in a worrying season and a mid-season finish in the Premier League and missing out on European qualification for next season could challenge the patience of Saudi Arabia over manager Eddie Howe. Then there's Old Trafford, which has been in an equally tumultuous situation this season, and it's hard to know for sure if Erik ten Hag is still in the blueprint of the Ineos Group. In addition to the Premier League, Serie A AC Milan boss Stefano Pioli is also under pressure, while other teams such as Walter Mazzari, who is currently in the role of De Rossi until the end of the season and returns to Napoli in the middle of the season, is in a similar situation.
The numerous gaps in the coaching market will certainly create some butterfly effects. Smaller clubs that have performed well, including Brighton, Aston Villa and Bayer Leverkusen, are particularly likely to feel the spillover pressure. Managers Roberto De Zerbi, Unai Emery and Xavi Alonso have all been on the watch lists of the teams this summer, and there are rumours that the pressure could even spill over to Arsenal if Barcelona try to summon Arteta.
Of course, these effects also affect current "unemployed" coaches, such as Graham Potter, who was sacked from Chelsea last April, has the opportunity to take advantage of this big ** to return to the pitch. As things stand, last weekend's announcements from Liverpool and Barcelona were just the first shot in the battle for the manager, and there are bound to be some drastic changes in the coaching sector of football this summer.