Nagelsmann to Man United? Matching top teams to new managers

The coaching merry-go-round in the Premier League is regularly a heated topic, but there’s a real possibility it goes up another notch this summer. Clubs up and down the English top flight are expected to have vacancies, which will create significant turbulence. We arguably haven’t seen this kind of disruption in the managerial ranks within the top flight of English football for nearly a decade.

The summer of 2016 was seminal for the Premier League, with Leicester City taking advantage of multiple big clubs having down seasons — and a transitional period tactically in England — to win the title against all odds. In response, we saw major hirings from Manchester City (Pep Guardiola), Chelsea (Antonio Conte) and Manchester United (Jose Mourinho). This doesn’t include Liverpool’s switch from Brendan Rodgers to Jurgen Klopp in October 2015. It almost felt like the established giants tried to make sure another miracle wouldn’t happen on their watch.

As such, with the Premier League seemingly facing a summer of flux and turnover, let’s do some matchmaking between managers and available (or possibly available) openings. This piece will look at some of the clubs that need or might need of a new manager for next season.

Manchester United: Julian Nagelsmann

Amazingly, there is an argument for Manchester United to keep Michael Carrick permanently heading into next season. This is partly due to an upturn in results and underlying performance during his second spell as interim manager. Via Scout Lab, both expected points and adjusted goal difference (70% expected goals and 30% goals) have United in the top five. Their performance vs. Manchester City in January remains one of the better tactical game plans from a United manager in some time, stretching their rivals’ narrow press through fluid movement and utilizing quick switches of play.

Another reason there’s logic to keeping Carrick is that the available options to replace him mostly consist of managers who have noticeable flaws within their own respective game models. Iraola and Glasner have been successful when allowed to dictate the terms of engagement out of possession, but being the manager of Manchester United ultimately means you’re judged on what they do with the ball. The same can be said about Howe, and unlike with Iraola and Glasner, there’s term left on his deal past the end of the season, so it’d cost additional money to acquire him.

With the ever-changing tactical landscape, it’s fair to wonder whether someone such as Mauricio Pochettino would be a good fit either, despite his past success in the mid-to-late 2010s. However, if there was one manager who would represent a tangible upgrade over Carrick, it would be Julian Nagelsmann.

Until his second year with Bayern Munich, Nagelsmann’s career had shown an almost linear pattern of progress. He took over a struggling Hoffenheim in February 2016 and helped push them to back-to-back Champions League qualifications in 2017 and 2018. This caught the interest of RB Leipzig, who signed him in 2019. Although he was there for only two seasons, it featured a run to the Champions League semifinals (2020) and a second-place finish in the Bundesliga (2021).

Nagelsmann’s first season with Bayern was close to standard for what you’d expect from someone in the position, winning the Bundesliga title. In comparison, Season 2 was a struggle and led to him being sacked in late March 2023, with the club being one point behind Dortmund in the table.

Though those accomplishments are impressive, Nagelsmann is an attractive coaching candidate due to the tactical diversity he has shown at each of his previous clubs. Hoffenheim had a fun play style that tried to balance patience with verticality. Minimal width and overloading the middle were key components while he managed Leipzig. Although his tenure with Bayern ended in disappointing fashion, few clubs or coaches in Europe could equal his high points.

The combination of tactical acumen, résumé and age (he’ll be 39 in late July) makes him a dynamic choice, and he would represent one of the most exciting hires the club has made since Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement in 2013. The logistics of acquiring Nagelsmann make it a complicated signing. He has signed on as manager of the German national team through the 2028 European Championships, and his reputation remains impressive enough that he could wait it out another year until a more attractive job opens up.

If Manchester United want him for next season, they’ll have to be proactive and put forth a convincing sales pitch.

The hiring of Eddie Howe by Newcastle in November 2021, following the Saudi-led buyout of Mike Ashley’s ownership that October, occurred when the club was considered relegation fodder. In the years since, Howe has helped guide Newcastle to Champions League qualification on two occasions (2023, 2025), along with their first domestic trophy in 70 years (last year’s Carabao Cup). Though they’ve not yet taken the leap toward very good/great, this is the most successful era since 2002-04.

However, Newcastle are facing a summer of unrest. Their recent spending — roughly £241 million last summer for Nick Woltemade, Yoane Wissa and Anthony Elanga to help replace Alexander Isak — has not panned out. The squad is weaker than last season, and Newcastle are in the lower end of mid-table. Tactically, Howe’s focus on intensity with and without the ball has proven to be unsustainable during a long season, especially when having to juggle multiple competitions.

#NUFC rank 15th in the league for % time spent in build up. The top teams spend 4.5 mins more per game in buildup

IMO they are far too vertical with the ball to be sustainable, when they are also 1st for % sprinting out possession AND juggling multiple comps… https://t.co/8BQalmTUyM pic.twitter.com/BGW4H27FzG

— Andy Forrester (@AndyForrester1) March 26, 2026

If Newcastle decide they need someone new to get them from Point B to Point C, one target could be Hoeness. After being hired in April 2023, he immediately helped Stuttgart survive the relegation playoffs. Amazingly, they finished second in the league in his first full season and qualified for the Champions League for the first time since 2009-10, and this campaign is shaping up to be the second in three in which they finish in the top four.

Hoeness is an intriguing candidate in part because his teams, to some extent, have gone against the Bundesliga ethos of transition-heavy football. The 2023-24 iteration prioritized control through consistently baiting the opposition press before expertly releasing attackers into space. Against deeper blocks, there was a sophistication in using central combinations and crossing from wide areas to create chances. However, losing both Hiroki Itō and Waldemar Anton from central defense in the summer of 2024 made it tougher on Stuttgart’s buildup due to them being very comfortable on the ball. Opponents were able to be more compact out of possession and stifle their intricate movements. This was partly why Stuttgart ended up finishing 9th in the Bundesliga table in 2024-25, to go along with a quick exit in the Champions League.

This season, they’ve figured out more counters against a variety of opponents. In addition, Hoeness has a track record for improving players, such as Hiroki Itō, Serhou Guirassy and Angelo Stiller.

However, making the pitch to him won’t be easy logistically. His contract with Stuttgart goes through 2028, and the German side could be in a strong position with Champions League football appearing to be a real possibility for next season. Reports indicate that a release clause from the previous contract is no longer present. For Newcastle, hiring Hoeness would represent a costly gamble at finding a manager who can help them play a more mature brand of football going forward.

Crystal Palace were in dire straits when Oliver Glasner took over as manager toward the end of February 2024, with only five points separating them from 18th-place Luton Town through 25 matches. Since then, relegation has never been a worry, and for stretches of time, the club has even played at a very high level. Palace’s famous FA Cup title win last May remains the defining moment of Glasner’s tenure, and a second cup victory could be in the cards as they’re in the semifinals of the UEFA Conference League.

Palace will feel that they can cast a wide net for potential targets, and one interesting candidate is Iñigo Pérez. Interestingly, only a work permit issue stopped him from traveling alongside Andoni Iraola to Bournemouth in the summer of 2023 upon Iraola’s hiring. Instead, he took over the reins with Rayo Vallecano and has made a name for himself by keeping the club in LaLiga and even getting them into the Conference League after an eighth-place finish last season.

Similar to when Iraola was manager, Rayo under Pérez initially used a high-octane style out of possession while trying to destabilize opponents through direct play. The latter has remained similar this season — they rank 16th in LaLiga for build-up sequences (open-play sequences of 10+ passes that end in a shot or have at least one touch in the opposition’s box), and fifth for direct attacks through 33 matches, via Opta Analyst — but the former has changed to some extent. They are tied for 14th in final-third possessions won, versus eighth over the past two seasons.

Rayo and Pérez have adjusted their game plan defensively by becoming selective with when they press and focusing on solidity in their mid-block. Against lesser teams, Rayo are more likely to ratchet up the pressure. Although the Spanish side has shown to be more proactive without the ball than Crystal Palace under Glasner, both like to create chances from turning defensive actions into attacks.

Courtesy of LALIGA Football Intelligence

Crystal Palace are in the midst of another transition. Marc Guéhi left in the January window, and star midfielder Adam Wharton might follow suit this summer. The squad will need some refreshing, in addition to finding the right manager to lead them going forward. Although the résumé isn’t extensive, what Pérez has shown with Rayo should make him a viable candidate to lead Palace into their next era.

Manchester City: Luis Enrique

Being the next one up to replace a legendary manager at a big club is always a tough task, and in England, there are recent precedents that illustrate its precariousness.

Unai Emery had to take over for Arsene Wenger in summer 2018, and that was disastrous. Manchester United have been spinning their wheels for over a decade since Ferguson’s retirement in 2013. Arne Slot has done considerably better in comparison by winning the Premier League title in his first season, but Year 2 after Jurgen Klopp has bordered on disaster despite spending over £400 million last summer.

All of this is to say that the person who replaces Pep Guardiola will have their hands full.

There are several candidates if Guardiola decides this season is his last with Man City. Xabi Alonso did amazing things with Bayer Leverkusen, peaking with a domestic double in 2023-24. Though his time with Real Madrid ended abruptly, one can argue there was a bit of bad luck for why it didn’t work. Enzo Maresca has been seen by some as the natural successor to Guardiola due to previously being a part of his coaching staff, and he did some good things with Chelsea. However, there are questions concerning whether his game model is too focused on territorial dominance, just as we’ve transitioned into an era where that’s less of a priority for superclubs.

Another interesting candidate could be Luis Enrique.

He’s previously benefited from not being the direct replacement for a revered club coach, becoming Barcelona manager a couple of years after Guardiola’s departure in 2012. His three seasons with Barca from 2015 to ’17 were a success — particularly 2014-15, when they won the treble. His next job with the Spanish national team was a mixed bag by comparison.

There were moments where Luis Enrique’s steadfast belief in attacking football showed through with La Roja, such as the 7-0 battering of Costa Rica in the 2022 World Cup group stages. However, his final match saw them lose meekly to Morocco in the round of 16. There were over 1,000 attempted passes, but Spain couldn’t generate much from open play and ended up losing on penalties. Despite the loss, he still maintained hope for his vision of football to come to life in the domestic game, which he got the chance to implement by becoming manager of Paris Saint-Germain in July 2023.

Under Enrique, it took some time before PSG reached their current status as the bastions of fluid football. The Spaniard’s desire to win in an attacking style full of positional rotations and showing bravery out of possession led to an uneasy relationship between himself and Kylian Mbappé during the latter’s final season (2023-24) with the club. The 2024-25 iteration saw them move away from the “Galacticos” superstar-driven model toward a greater emphasis on the collective. By the spring, Enrique’s vision for his team was realized and it won the treble, dominating Inter in the Champions League final.

Vitinha, one of their key players in midfield, described the process behind their eventual dominance.

“The team started the season with principles that were already well assimilated, and the coach tried to incorporate even more mobility. Today, a No. 6 can be an 8, an 8 can be a 10, a 10 can be a 6 and with the forwards, you never know if they’re on the left, the right or in the middle. It’s very difficult for opponents.

“The coach tried to put that in place, and I think that was the key. It’s very difficult for the other teams, whether they press one-on-one or whether they don’t press and choose to stay in a low block.”

In comparison, 2025-26 has been more of a struggle domestically and in the Champions League, with there even being the faint hopes of Lens providing a genuine title challenge. However, PSG are rounding into form at just the right time and could win the league and Champions League double. Their recent 5-4 classic with Bayern in the first leg of the Champions League semifinals showed they still had that top gear they could reach against elite competition.

The success of PSG over the past two seasons, and the manner in which they’ve won, certainly helps Enrique’s standing as a possible replacement for Guardiola. If rumors are to be believed about a long-term extension with PSG nearing completion, then this will likely be for naught. There’s also interest from Manchester United, with a strong sense that he also ticks all the boxes for them if Michael Carrick is ruled out as a permanent option.

However, should there be even the slightest of openings for City to pounce for a successor this summer, they should pull out all the stops to bring Luis Enrique on board.