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The 2025-26 season is barely a month old and we've not only already seen a handful of managers sacked, but at least one of them already found a new job. Legendary Portuguese manager Jose Mourinho parted ways with Fenerbahce after their Champions League playoff elimination against Benfica, but then the same Portuguese club hired him and brought the "Special One" back to his country more than 20 years after he won the Champions League with Porto. Former Manchester United coach Erik ten Hag was sacked after two Bundesliga matches by Bayer Leverkusen, who hired former Danish national team coach Kasper Hjulmand to start a new chapter at the club. And on Saturday West Ha, fired Graham Potter after an absolutely terrible start to the season. As jobs change hands, there are still many managers around the world who are waiting for a new team. Let's rank the top ten. 

10. Erik ten Hag

The former Manchester United coach had a short and disappointing spell in Germany where he was hired to replace Xabi Alonso this summer at Bayer Leverkusen. However, things didn't work out at all between the Dutch coach and the German team that decided to sack him after his first two Bundesliga matches and hired Hjulmand as the new head coach during the first International break. However, reports indicate that Ten Hag is already looking around for a new club where he can repeat what he he did at Ajax, where he reached an unforgettable Champions League final during the 2018-19 season. 

9. Sergio Conceicao,

The former Porto and AC Milan manager is now looking for a new team after he coached in the Italian Serie A, leading the Rossoneri last season from December to May, reaching the Coppa Italia final, a loss to Bologna, and winning the Supercoppa Italiana in the final against Inter in his first week in charge. After leaving Porto, where he managed from 2017 to 2024, he's now looking for another long-term project, and remains free despite some interest in the summer. Conceicao proved his status as a manager also in his short spell in Milan, and despite the disappointing end of the season, he would be a great choice for some clubs that need a coach like him. 

8. Edin Terzic

The 2024 Champions League finalist left Borussia Dortmund one month after reaching the final with the same German club, a 3-0 loss to Real Madrid at Wembley. Terzic had some clubs interested in him over the past 12 months, such as AS Roma and AC Milan, and also looked at some opportunities in the summer of 2025. However, he's still available and ready to prove he can repeat what he did at Dortmund when he joined in December 2020 to replace Lucien Favre.

7. Thiago Motta

The former Juventus manager was sacked by the Bianconeri last March and replaced by Igor Tudor on the Italian club's bench. Motta, who previously brought Bologna to a historic Champions League qualification, was sacked after a disappointing spell at Juventus, where he wasn't able to replicate the success and the feeling with the fanbase, but he's a proven coach who can do well in many leagues around Europe. It's no coincidence that even Nasser Al-Khelaifi once considered him a potential candidate for the PSG job. Now, however, he must start over at a new club, where he has the chance to grow and return to the level he previously showed at Bologna and Spezia earlier in his coaching career.

6. Xavi

The former Barcelona legend is still without a job after leaving the Spanish giants at the end of the 2023-24 season, after managing the Blaugrana for two and a half seasons. Xavi proved to be a talented coach, but it's also difficult to predict where he could work in the future, as he was always connected, at least in Europe, to Barcelona before moving to Qatar, where he ended his professional career at Al-Sadd before starting his coaching career in the same team. 

5. Nuno Espirito Santo

The Portuguese head coach was fired by Nottingham Forest right in the middle of the international break and was replaced by former Tottenham coach Ange Postecoglou, who came back to the Premier League a few months after winning the UEFA Europa League with Spurs. Espirito Santo is a manager who would definitely be an asset for clubs that are looking to reshape their status in the league, but also in Europe, as he left Forest mainly because of his broken work relationship with club owner Evangelos Marinakis. 

4. Gareth Southgate

The former England manager is still looking for a new job after he decided to leave the Three Lions in the summer of 2024, after losing a second UEFA Euro final in a row against Spain. Southgate, who led England from 2016 to 2024, was able to restore the winning mentality in the team and reached two finals in a row at the Euros, but wasn't able to bring back a trophy to England despite a roster full of talented players. It will be interesting to see how he will perform if a club calls him in the next few months. 

3. Roberto Mancini

One of the most experienced managers around is looking for a new club. The Italian coach, who also won the 2020 UEFA Euro in the final against England at Wembley, will now look for a new club after the disappointing experience as Saudi Arabia manager after he left his job at the Italian national team in the summer of 2023. It's difficult to imagine where he will coach next, as he might also wait for the summer 2026, when the World Cup will be over, to take charge of another national team. 

2. Luciano Spalletti

After winning the 2022-23 Scudetto with Napoli, Spalletti was appointed by the Italian FA to coach the Italian national team, but the Italian coach failed in his mission, and after the disappointing 2024 UEFA Euro spell and the 3-0 defeat against Norway in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, he was fired by the same federation that hired him two years before. Speaking to the Italian public television in August, Spalletti spoke about the disappointment he's currently living after losing the Italy job.

"What happened doesn't go away and never will. I am a man who does things based on feelings, not on interests. With the national team, I experienced the sensation of being in paradise. I gave it my all," he said. 

1. Zinedine Zidane

And lastly, Zinedine Zidane. The French manager has only coached Real Madrid so far in his career, from 2016 to 2018, when he won three Champions Leagues in a row (the only manager to do so) and then from 2019 to 2021. After almost five years of waiting for the right opportunity, his biggest expectation is set on the summer of 2026, when Didier Deschamps will step down as head coach of the French national team after the World Cup. He hopes to succeed him and take charge of the team he once represented as a player, the same team with which he lifted the 1998 World Cup.