Top 5 football managers who are unemployed at the moment
The news of PSG parting ways with their erstwhile manager Thomas Tuchel left much of the football world in shock, as the former Borussia Dortmund tactician had delivered a lot of silverware at the club. What didn't come as a surprise, though, was the appointment of the former Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino at the PSG helm
Pochettino had been unemployed for over a year but is one of the most highly-rated managers in the game; naturally, PSG did not hesitate to bring back their ex-player as their manager.
Top five football managers who are unemployed at the moment
Over the past few seasons, many highly reputed managers have been sacked, left their jobs or haven't joined a new club yet after completing their last managerial assignments.
On that note, let's take a look at five of the top unemployed managers available at the moment.
#5 Lucien Favre
Lucien Favre was sacked by Borussia Dortmund after a string of poor results this season.
Despite his sacking, there remains no doubt that Favre is one of the most tactically astute managers and is excellent in developing young talented footballers.
While Favre is more renowned for his time with Borussia Monchengladbach and Nice, his stint at Dortmund proved that he is more than capable of managing a big team.
Borussia Dortmund finished second in the league in both seasons Favre was in charge, which included losing out the title by a mere two points in 2018-19. He also won the DFL Supercup with Dortmund in 2019.
Favre boasted a win percentage of 61.82 and tallied 2.01 points per game at Borussia Dortmund, numbers which are better than that of a certain Jurgen Klopp, who delivered two Bundesliga titles.
Nevertheless, Favre is the first manager in Bundesliga history to win his first 15 league matches with Dortmund. However, owing to a string of indifferent results tis season, he was shown the door.
World-class players like Marco Reus and Marc-Andre Ter Stegen owe a lot to Favre, as he was key to their development while at Monchengladbach. Young players like Jadon Sancho, Erling Haaland, Giovanni Reyna and Achraf Hakimi have developed under the erstwhile Borussia Dortmund manager's guidance.
Favre isn't one to jump straight back into management; there have been instances previously where he was unemployed for well over a year. Nevertheless, considering his pedigree, he would be in the radars of many top clubs in the continent.
#4 Ernesto Valverde
The manner in which he was sacked by Barcelona and the circumstances surrounding the same might have tarnished Ernesto Valverde's reputation.
However, there is hardly any doubt surrounding his managerial pedigree despite being unemployed for almost a year now. Ernesto Valverde is one of the most experienced top-flight managers, who has been around for almost two decades.
Best known for his second tenure at Athletic Bilbao (2013-17), where he guided the club to a top-7 finish in each of his four seasons in charge, Valverde also took Espanyol to the Europa League final in 2007.
Even at Barcelona, the Spanish manager delivered two league titles, including the one in 2017-18 season when Barcelona almost finished the season as invincibles (they lost their penultimate game to Levante 5-4).
Valverde was the recipient of the UEFA La Liga manager of the year in 2015-16 for his exploits with Athletico Bilbao.
His 2-year spell at Barcelona saw him register an impressive winning percentage of 66.90 and a tally of 2.23 points per game. Outside Spanish football, Valverde enjoyed great success with Olympiacos, where he won the double twice.
Despite his sack at Barcelona, Valverde enjoyed good relations with all his players and the staff. However, Champions League losses to AS Roma and Liverpool in successive years turned the fans against him. Nevertheless, it won't be too long before the Spanish manager is back at the helm of a top-flight club.