5) Malaga
Manuel Pellegrini has worked for and is fondly remembered at Malaga FC. During his three seasons in charge at the Spanish club from 2010 to 2013, he guided them to 11th, 4th and 6th place finishes respectively, including the club’s only ever appearance in the Champions League in 2012-13 where they managed to reach the quarter-finals.
In fact, his three-year spell was one of the most successful in the club’s history and since his departure, the club has not managed to finish above 8th in La Liga.
If Malaga do want to break into top 6 next season, the club’s Qatari owners might consider a reunion with arguably the club’s most successful coach as a possible solution to bringing back European football to the club. And with Pellegrini enjoying a good relationship with the hierarchy and possessing inside out knowledge of the club, it could be a match made in heaven.
The only stumbling block, though, could be that the Chilean might consider taking the hot seat at Malaga a backward step. And when compared with some of the other names on this list, he wouldn’t be too wrong.