Five young managers to watch out for in 2017/2018
There’s a smattering of up-and-coming coaches in the world of football, and after strong campaigns in 2016/2017, they are already promising even bigger things next season.
Here are the five most exciting coaches in the game today, featuring a 29-year-old managerial prodigy and two former players continuing to show there is life after their playing careers.
#5 Julian Nagelsmann - Hoffenheim
Without a shadow of a doubt the most exciting young manager in Europe, eyebrows were raised when the 29-year-old was handed the reins at Hoffenheim, but since his appointment back in February 2016, what he has achieved has been nothing short of remarkable. Hoffenheim, still a very young club, have been revitalised by the presence of Nagelsmann.
Hoffenheim were on the brink of the relegation zone when he took charge, but seven wins from 14 games saw the club catapult out of danger.
In 2016/2017, things were about to get even better. Hoffenheim were the last club in all of Europe's top five leagues to lose a game, going undefeated for the entirety of the first half of the season. There was not a single defeat at home in the Bundesliga across the course of the season either.
The reward for this was qualification for Europe, for the first time ever in club history, they made the Champions League play-off rounds. A German Coach of the Year prize followed for Nagelsmann to cap an incredible season.