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Young Managers who Moved to the Top Level too soon

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Some young managers might have made a big move too soon, which impacts their career. 

Being asuccessful young manager clearly leads to the opportunity to join the big league. It is surely tempting to advance their managerial career quicker than expected. This season, Bayer Leverkusen boss Xabi Alonso, Sporting Lisbon’s Ruben Armorim, and Bologna manager Thiago Motta have become the ones in high demand next summer. They are all under 45 years old and have been the target of big teams like Bayern Munich, Liverpool, and Barcelona. 

The Portuguese and Italian bosses seem to have made up their minds for their future next term, whereas the Spaniard has not made any official decisions. Alonso is expected to decide it carefully, as switching sides too soon might jeopardise his managerial career in the future. 

He might need to consider Julian Nagelsmann’s case. The 36-year-old manager was in the same situation in 2021. The current Germany national team has yet to impress the fans after a series of disappointing results in the last few friendly games ahead of EURO 2024. The summer tournament is bound to be his chance to revive his reputation as one of the most wanted coaches in Europe. 

In summer 2021, he was too confident to join Bayern in 2021/22, when he still had a contract until 2023 with RB Leipzig. He was still trophyless while moving to Bavaria. Nagelsmann did win the Bundesliga but appeared to have difficulty dealing with senior stars, something he might still be able to learn more about in Leipzig. The former Hoffenheim boss is the kind of manager who works better under a long-term plan and needs more control over his players, somewhat similar to Jurgen Klopp. Eventually, he was sacked before the season ended in 2023 after Die Roten’s unconvincing form in the German top flight. 

Apart from Nagelsmann, there have been other examples too. Interestingly, they all happen to have been high-profile and famous figures during their playing years. 

 Frank Lampard

Lampard made the same move in 2019/20 when returning to Chelsea. He only had one-year managerial experience at Derby County, a Championship side. Lampard did bring them instantly to the promotion playoffs in his debut. Yet, he should have waited to see out his three-year contract in Derby instead of signing for the Blues instantly. Being a former player does not necessarily help him deal better with management. Although he managed to lead Chelsea to finish fourth at the end of the season, he fell out of favour with the management due to being unable to maximise his squad’s potential. His tendency to focus more on young talents and trust them throughout the season might be better for low- or mid-level teams today. 

If he had stayed in Derby and built his reputation as a more established manager, he might have had a better chance to have more offers than just being recommended for saving teams in a relegation battle but then getting sacked in the following season. Such was what happened to him when he took charge of Everton and Chelsea for his second stint as interim manager before the Blues hired Mauricio Pocchettino last season. He only guided them to finish at the lower table. The once prospective English manager is currently still unattached after his unsuccessful stints at Goodison Park and Stamford Bridge. 

Steven Gerrard

Surprisingly, Lampard’s rival has the same issue. Gerrard started his managerial career quite well by building up a team to success during his time at Glasgow Rangers. He signed Rangers in 2018/19 and guided the Gers to their first league title in 2020/21, the first since returning to the Scottish top flight. However, he did not seem to have the patience to move back to Premier League during the 2021/22 campaign.

At that time, Rangers were still doing well in domestic competition and the Europa League. Gerrard could have stayed at least one or even two more seasons to win more titles for the Gers and do better in Europe. Yet, he opted to move to Aston Villa. His first season was not exactly successful, as the Villans only sat 14th in the final standings. Gerrard was eventually dismissed in his second season, replaced by Unai Emery. He has now been stranded in the Saudi Pro League since summer 2023 by leading Al-Ettifaq instead of continuing his career in Europe. His dream to be at the helm of Liverpool seems to be way too distant now. 

Clarence Seedorf

The 47-year-old manager seemed to have had a positive start while taking charge of his former club, AC Milan, ten years ago. He opted to terminate his contract with Botafogo in January 2014 for such a rare chance. Seedorf managed to lead Rossonerri to 11 wins in 22 games, including a narrow 1-0 victory over Inter Milan. Unfortunately, his spell did not impress the management, as Milan only finished eighth and missed out on the continental campaign. 

The Dutchman then had brief tenures in Shenzhen and Deportivo La Coruna. Nevertheless, his team’s winning ratio was less than 30% when he was in charge, let alone silverware. In fact, Seedorf could not prevent the latter from avoiding relegation in 2014. His last coaching career was with the Cameroon national team for the 2019 AFCON. The Indomitable Lions’ campaign was disappointing despite their reigning champion status since they headed to an early exit in the round of 16. The former Ajax, Inter, Milan, and Real Madrid stars are currently members of the supervisory board of the Netherlands national team. 

Thierry Henry 

The Gunners’ legend has not been in Lady Luck’s favour during his managerial career. His stint in Monaco after leaving his assistant post with the Belgium national team back in the summer of 2018 did not end well. His team struggled in the red zone, with only four wins in 20 games. Henry was eventually released by the club. 

The French manager then tried his luck in MLS by joining the Montreal Impact. Henry did manage to guide them to the MLS Playoff but left the post due to a family reason. After rejoining Belgium to resume his old position under Roberto Martinez for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, he could not continue his role. It was mainly due to the managerial changes at De Rode Duivels. Now, the former Barcelona man has been handed a new post as head coach of the France U21 and U23 teams. His current task is to prepare them for the 2024 Olympic Games, which will be held in Paris. 


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