10 manager appointments you may have missed this summer

It’s been another extremely busy summer in the managerial merry-go-round, but while you may be fully informed of Mauricio Pochettino (Chelsea), Ange Postecoglou (Spurs), Luis Enrique (PSG), Steven Gerrard (Al-Ettifaq FC), and Brendan Rodgers (Celtic), other appointments may have slipped under the radar.

Don’t worry, if you’re in need of a managerial refresh we’ve got you covered with 10 appointments that you may have missed this summer.

1. Robbie Keane at Maccabi Tel Aviv

After various different spells at Indian side ATK (player-manager), Middlesbrough and the Republic of Ireland (both as assistant manager), and Leeds (first team coach), Robbie Keane has ventured over to Israel where he’s become manager of Maccabi Tel Aviv; his first full-time job in the dugout.

The Irishman has replaced Aitor Karanka and brought in Rory Delap as his assistant. Keane will likely need a fast start given that the club have blitzed through eight other managers in the space of three years.

2. Rafa Benitez at Celta Vigo

18 months after his tumultuous spell at Everton came to a grim end, veteran boss Rafa Benitez is back in management at the helm of La Liga side Celta Vigo in their Centenary season; his first job in his homeland since a stint at Real Madrid during the 2015/16 season.

The 63-year-old replaced former Sheffield Wednesday boss Carlos Carvalhal, whose final game in charge of the club was a victory over Spanish champions Barcelona which kept them in La Liga.

3. Marcelo Bielsa at Uruguay

Into the international arena we go where you’ll find the iconic Marcelo Bielsa as Uruguay manager. The former Leeds boss kept us waiting over a year for his next managerial move, with the 68-year-old opting to return to international level where he’s previously had jobs with Argentina and Chile.

It’s so far, so good for Bielsa who has overseen two wins from two matches, while he’ll tuck into a World Cup qualifying campaign in September as he bids to lead La Celeste through to the 2026 edition in Canada, Mexico, and the US.

4. Patrick Vieira at Strasbourg

Patrick Vieira’s near-two-year tenure at Crystal Palace started brightly in the form of an FA Cup semi-final and 12th-place finish but ended on a rotten run of zero wins from his final 12 games, with veteran Roy Hodgson returning late last season to rejuvenate the club.

Vieira has opted to return to France - where he previously managed Nice - to take over from Frédéric Antonetti at Strasbourg. 

5. Rudi Garcia at Napoli

In all the furore of Napoli winning their first Scudetto in 30 years followed by the shock departure of Luciano Spalletti who left to take a sabbatical, you may have missed who exactly the club chose to replace him in the Naples dugout.

The selected manager was Rudi Garcia, formerly of Roma, Lyon, Marseille, Lille, and most recently Saudi side Al Nassr. The three-time French Manager of the Year has huge shoes to fill in what the Italian champions hope will be a smooth transition.

6. Maurice Steijn at Ajax

Ajax endured a season to forget following the departure of Erik ten Hag last summer. The Dutch giants finished 3rd in the league and failed to qualify for the Champions League for the first time since 2009. They also lost both the KNVB Cup and Johan Cruyff Shield finals, exited the Champions League in the group stages, then swiftly lost in the Europa League play-off round.

Ten Hag’s replacement, Alfred Schreuder, was sacked after six months, then John Heitinga lasted all of 22 games. Ajax have since turned to Maurice Steijn, who impressed at 6th placed Sparta Rotterdam last term. A big step up awaits him.

7. Bruno Lage at Botafogo

Former Wolves boss Bruno Lage recently returned to management with Brazilian league leaders Botafogo where he replaced Luís Castro, who was lured over to Saudi Arabia where he’s managing Cristiano Ronaldo at Al Nassr.

Lage, who is on a short-term contract until December, will be looking to fire Botafogo to their first top-flight league title since 1995. At the time of writing they have a 12-point lead at the summit.

8. Slaven Bilić at Al-Fateh

Back in March, Slaven Bilic became the latest pour soul to get axed by Watford. The Croatian lasted six months - longer than a fair few other ex-Hornets - with 10 wins from 26 games.

Bilic has since opted to return to Saudi Arabia as manager of Al-Fateh, having previously managed Al-Ittihad for five months in 2018/19.

9. Andrea Pirlo at Sampdoria

It seems a lifetime ago that Andrea Pirlo was managing Juventus. The Italian icon lasted just a season in that high-profile position, then spent a year out before taking charge of Turkish outfit Fatih Karagümrük where he was axed towards the end of his first season.

Pirlo has now returned to Italy, albeit in Serie B, where he’s taken charge of relegated Sampdoria on a two-year deal, with the club now under he ownership of former Leeds chairman Andrea Radrizzani.

10. Owen Coyle at Chennaiyin

After a year up in Scotland at Queen’s Park where he agonisingly missed out on promotion to the Scottish Premiership, Owen Coyle has returned to India where he’s taken charge of former club Chennaiyin.

In his first spell, Coyle replaced John Gregory and proceeded to take his troops to the final of the Indian Super League where they lost 3-1 to ATK. He then moved to Jamshedpur where he won the ISL League Shield; the club’s first trophy.