Modern football has seen the emergence of young and exciting managers who carry with them innovative ideas on how to play the beautiful game.
The footballing world has already seen some such managers set to join big clubs in the summer. While Borussia Monchengladbach coach Marco Rose will take over at Borussia Dortmund, RB Leipzig boss Julian Nagelsmann was announced as the next Bayern Munich manager today.
There is likely to be a merry-go-round regarding managers in the summer. We look at the 5 managers who can join bigger clubs come next season.
#5 Roberto De Zerbi (Sassuolo)
Sassuolo have been an extremely entertaining side to watch this season, and Roberto De Zerbi has earned plaudits for his side's attacking style of play.
De Zerbi has been the manager of Sassuolo since 2018, and the club has shown clear signs of improvement under his management. They finished 8th last season, and they are 8th this season as well, and have won their last four league games.
Attackers Domenico Berardi and Francesco Caputo have benefitted immensely from the arrival of De Zerbi, while midfielder Manuel Locatelli could leave the club in the summer, with Manchester City and Juventus linked as potential destinations for the Italy international.
The Italian manager was linked with the Barcelona job very briefly in the past and has been suggested as a potential option to replace Rudi Garcia at Ligue 1 side Lyon.
#4 Simone Inzaghi (Lazio)
Simone Inzaghi's Lazio have been consistently good in the Serie A for some time now, and it is slightly surprising to see the likes of Inzaghi, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic and Luis Alberto still at the club.
Inzaghi spent much of his playing career with Lazio and became their manager in 2016. The Italian has guided Lazio to Coppa Italia and Supercoppa Italia success, and the likes of Milinkovic-Savic, Alberto and Ciro Immobile have all shone for Lazio. Immobile, in particular, has scored goals at an extremely consistent rate.
Lazio are currently 6th in Serie A, having finished 4th last season. Inzaghi's side have won five of their last five legamesames, and are currently five points behind 3rd-placed Napoli.
It remains to be seen what Inzaghi's future holds, but the 45-year old will not be short of suitors if he decides to leave in the summer.
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#3 Christophe Galtier (LOSC Lille)
It takes a lot of work to challenge Paris Saint-Germain in Ligue 1, but LOSC Lille have a good chance of winning the league this season.
Lille are top of the league table, one point ahead of second-placed Paris Saint-Germain with four games to go. Christophe Galtier has earned praise for the work he has done with the Lille squad, which features talented young stars like Sven Botman, Jonathan David and Renato Sanches, as well as experienced players like Jose Fonte and Burak Yilmaz.
Lille's defence has been highly impressive, having conceded only 22 goals this season. They have scored 57, with 35-year old Turkey international Burak Yilmaz the top goalscorer with 12.
Galtier has been linked with Lyon and OGC Nice recently. Lille is the 54-year old's second job in management; he was the manager of Saint-Etienne for eight years before that.
#2 Jesse Marsch (Red Bull Salzburg)
Jesse Marsch is expected to become the RB Leipzig manager, with Julian Nagelsmann set to take over at Bayern Munich in the summer.
Marsch became the manager of Red Bull Salzburg in 2019, and won the Austrian Bundesliga as well as the Austrian Cup in 2019/20. Apart from this, the American has overseen the development and subsequent sale of stars like Takumi Minamino, Erling Braut Haaland and Dominik Szoboszlai.
With Nagelsmann announced as Bayern Munich manager today, it is expected that Marsch will climb the Red Bull managerial ladder to take over at Leipzig. Plenty of former Red Bull Salzburg players are at RB Leipzig right now, including Szoboszlai, Hwang Hee-chan, Peter Gulacsi and Konrad Laimer.
Before the Nagelsmann-to-Bayern Munich development, Marsch was linked with the Celtic job. The 47-year old will be no stranger to the RB Leipzig environment, having worked as an assistant coach there during the 2018/19 season.
#1 Steven Gerrard (Rangers)
Merseyside legend Steven Gerrard's playing career at Liverpool might not have ended in fairytale fashion, but the former midfielder is excelling as manager of Rangers.
Rangers recently won the Scottish Premiership, ending Celtic's dominance in the process. This was Rangers' first league title in 10 years, and they did so in record fashion. Rangers' defence was in impeccable form as they romped to the title and Gerrard's work has not gone unseen.
The 40-year old, who has been at Rangers since 2018, will surely have piqued the interest of many big clubs. While the dream will be to manage Liverpool one day, Gerrard might have to take another step before realising that.
For now, the focus will be Rangers. Celtic will surely strengthen their squad during the summer, and will appoint a new manager as well, with Jose Mourinho linked to the job. It will be intriguing to see what Gerrard does next.
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