Football’s top 20 most promising young managers were named in 2015 - Where are they now? | OneFootball

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It's always great fun looking back a few years and seeing how the world's changed, and when you look at how football has gone, a lot of people will be left scratching their heads.

Back in 2015, Football Manager (per The Mirror) dug into their database to work out who the most promising young managers and coaches were, and we're now taking a look at what happened to each and every one of them. Some of them have gone to be Champions League and title winners, while others? The less said the better. Let's take a look.

20 Aitor Karanka

Honing his skills under Jose Mourinho while at Real Madrid, Aitor Karanka first dipped his toes into management with Middlesbrough, and looked to usher in a more progressive style of play from his time in Spain. After being appointed in 2013, the Spaniard guided Boro to promotion to the Premier League just three years later, but was dismissed from his job a season after.

Since then, Karanka has really struggled to keep a job for any time, with stints at Nottingham Forest and Birmingham City falling by the wayside. After deciding to leave England, the former Spain defender returned home to take on a job at Granada, where having failed to keep them up in La Liga, was dismissed after a run of just one win in five games the following season. Karanka then made the long trip to become Maccabi Tel Aviv's new boss back in January 2023, but left by mutual consent a couple of months ago.

19 Garry Monk

Who remembers when Swansea were quite the team? The Swans' series of impressive and astute managerial appointments saw them eventually make their way to the Premier League playing an eye-catching style of football, and Monk was no different. In 2015, Monk was just 36 when he masterminded a top-flight double over Arsenal, and after a fine season, was rewarded with a three-year contract. That proved to be the poisoned chalice however, with the former centre-back duly sacked that December.

Following that, Monk has taken charge at several Championship sides, including the likes of Leeds United, Middlesbrough, Birmingham City and Sheffield Wednesday, with the last of those ending in November 2020 after leaving the Owls second-bottom. The now 44-year-old has yet to return to management since then, and given how much promise there was early in his career, it's been a massive decline since then.

18 Eduardo Berizzo

One of Marcelo Bielsa's footballing disciples, Eduardo Berizzo may not be the most familiar name to those outside of South American football and Spain. After a few years working under Bielsa as an assistant for Chile, the 53-year-old embarked on his own managerial career first in his native Argentina before moving to Europe to take on a job at Celta Vigo.

It was at Celta where Berizzo really came to prominence after replacing Barcelona-bound Luis Enrique as manager. In his third full campaign with the club, he guided his team to the semi-finals of both the Copa del Rey and the Europa League. That caught the eye of Sevilla who brought him in as head coach, but alongside announcing he had prostate cancer, Berizzo was let go for poor results on the pitch. His return to management saw him take over at Athletic Bilbao, but his more recent pathway has seen him emerge on the international scene, first with Paraguay and now for the past year with Chile.

17 Marcelo Gallardo

Another highly-rated manager from South America, most football fans will know Marcelo Gallardo from his long spell at one of Argentina's biggest clubs, River Plate. The now 47-year-old boasts a rather impressive win percentage in his eight-year stint with the side from 2014-2022, claiming all three points in 53% of his matches.

His list of honours are also pretty plentiful too. Along with the Primera Division title won in Uruguay with Nacional, Gallardo has captured the Argentine Primera Division, three Copa Argentinas and two Copa Libertadores (the South American version of the Champions League). That's not to mention guiding River Plate to a runner's up spot in the FIFA Club World Cup too back in 2015. After taking a short break from his coaching career, the expectation is Gallardo might finally make his move to Europe, and that should certainly be an exciting one to watch.

16 Mauricio Pochettino

One of the few managers who truly fulfilled his potential back from 2015, while Mauricio Pochettino may not have guided Tottenham to any trophies during his time at the club, he certainly earned a lot of plaudits for the way he got his team playing. The Argentine even led Spurs to a Champions League final appearance, and after failing to be backed sufficiently by Daniel Levy, saw his time at the club come to an end.

A return to management saw him join PSG for a season-and-a-half, winning his first Ligue 1 title in the process. Following his exit from Paris, Pochettino took a break from football, before returning rather surprisingly with Tottenham's fierce London rivals Chelsea. If he can make a success of it in the pure drama that is Stamford Bridge, then it may well be his crowning achievement yet.

15 Nuno Espirito Santo

The year 2015 feels so long ago that it's hard to believe Nuno Espirito Santo was actually managing Valencia at the time and guiding them into the Champions League in the process. The 49-year-old would then return to his native Portugal to take charge of Porto, and despite finishing second in his only season at the club, was relieved of his duties.

That of course followed Nuno taking on the job at Wolves where he really made his mark on English football. After guiding the Molineux side out from the Championship and into the riches of the Premier League, Nuno delivered back-to-back seventh placed finishes, while he also took them to the Europa League quarter-finals in the 2019/2020 season. Perhaps surprisingly, Tottenham decided to take a gamble on him that backfired massively, with the Portuguese man losing his job after just a few months. Nuno has made his return back to management though, making his own way to the Saudi Pro League to take charge of big-spending Al-Ittihad.

14 Paco Jemez

One of the more unfamiliar names on this list, Paco Jemez was tipped for big things back in 2015 after guiding Rayo Vallecano to their highest-ever league finish of eighth. There were even some suggestions that Newcastle were keen on hiring him before they settled on Steve McClaren for the job. Following that, Jemez has really struggled to hold down a position anywhere, and has essentially had the manager's version of a journeyman career.

Since leaving Rayo, Jemez has managed seven different teams, including one of the most bizarre moves back in December 2022. The Spaniard moved to Iran to take charge of Tractor S.C - yes, you read that right - in the Persian Gulf Pro League. Quite the step down from where he was just a few years ago to say the least.

13 Leonid Slutsky

A long-serving manager of CSKA Moscow, Leonid Slutsky's stock was so high during 2015, that Russia even hired him to be their manager alongside his club duties. After leading his country from qualifying to EURO 2016, Slutsky was fired from the job after guiding his country to bottom place in the group.

That arguably led to a bit of a downturn in his fortunes, with the veteran boss even moving to England to take over at Hull, which was nothing short of disastrous. A spell at Vitesse and then a return back to his native country followed, and after a three-year spell at Rubin Kazan, Slutsky resigned from the club in November 2022, and has yet to make a return to management.

12 Markus Weinzierl

One of a number of young managers who really came through in the Bundesliga during the mid-2010s in particular - think Julian Nagelsmann as the prime example - Markus Weinzierl was also gaining a burgeoning reputation. His four-year spell at Augsburg was his most notable one, guiding them to their first-ever European qualification finishing fifth in the 2014/2015 campaign, and then reaching the Europa League second round the following season.

Following that however, Weinzierl's star faded very quickly, with a move to the more high-profile Schalke ending in ignominious fashion after just a year in charge. The 48-year-old then took on jobs at Stuttgart, a return to Augsburg, and then last season was at FC Nurnberg. Safe to say that the German didn't quite live up to the hype early on in his career.

11 Roberto Martinez

A manager with a number of highs and low, Roberto Martinez certainly divides opinion in terms of his managerial talent. After guiding Wigan to an FA Cup victory - a season that also saw them relegated them from the Premier League - the Spaniard moved onto Everton where he achieved mixed success. His early years at Goodison Park were fruitful, playing an exciting style of play and keeping them in the hunt for European football.

But after his time at Everton ended, Martinez arguably made the step-up when he was hired as the national team manager of Belgium. Coaching the golden generation of talent coming through there, the Spaniard perhaps didn't make the most out of it, with no World Cup or EURO triumphs to his name. And, despite seeing his side knocked out of the group stages of the last World Cup, Martinez was surprisingly hired as manager of Portugal.

10 Paul Clement

Best recognised for being in the dugout alongside Carlo Ancelotti, Paul Clement followed the legendary Italian manager around from his days at Chelsea, spending time at the likes of PSG and Real Madrid too. Having soaked up all that experience, it was no surprise to see him eventually turn his own hand to management, taking charge of Derby County in the Championship. But several months later, the Rams made the decision to sack him citing a lack of progress.

These days, Clement has returned to the more familiar role of being a coach, with his last stint coming under Frank Lampard's coaching staff at Everton. After a year at Goodison Park, the Englishman left Merseyside following Lampard's own sacking. Clement may just be one of those high-profile coaches unsuited to leading a team on their own.

9 Andre Villas-Boas

Touted as the next 'Special One' after Jose Mourinho, Andre Villas-Boas' incredible success at Porto earned him European recognition, with Chelsea and then Spurs giving him the top job. But after failing at both, AVB returned to better things out in Russia with Zenit Saint Petersburg in the mid-2010s, leading them to one title and two domestic cups too.

Then followed one money-spinning season in the Chinese Super League - remember when that was a thing? - with Shanghai SIPG, before returning to Europe for a couple of years with French giants Marseille. His spectacular exit from the Ligue 1 club was shocking to say the least, with AVB being suspended with immediate effect after using a public press conference to slam the club's own signing of Olivier Ntcham. It's good to see Villas-Boas never lost his edge.

8 Thomas Tuchel

Now onto another manager who delivered on the potential and hype back from 2015, Thomas Tuchel has managed some of the biggest and best clubs in European football over the past few years. After following in Jurgen Klopp's footsteps by going from Mainz 05 to Borussia Dortmund and winning the DFB Pokal Cup there, the German-born manager made the high-profile move to Ligue 1 to join PSG.

There, Tuchel won back-to-back league titles while also guiding the Parisiens to a Champions League final, although they lost out to Bayern Munich. After being sacked by the French club, the 50-year-old enjoyed his biggest success at Chelsea, where he finally got his hands on the UCL, while he also added the UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup to his list of honours too. Now, Tuchel finds himself at Bayern, and you wouldn't put it past him to add another European trophy to his name there.

7 Frank de Boer

Think Erik ten Hag at Ajax, but back in 2015, and that's what you would get with Frank de Boer. A six-year spell with the giants from the Netherlands understandably saw his name earn a lot of recognition and hype about where he would go next. The 53-year-old won four Eredivisie titles on the spin in the early 2010s, before leaving the club to join Inter in 2016.

That move however was the start of the end for De Boer, with him lasting only one year in Italy before making the now disastrous move to Crystal Palace. His time at Selhurst Park saw the Eagles lose their opening four league games without scoring - the first team in 93 years to do so. If anything summed it all up, then Jose Mourinho calling him the worst manager in Premier League history certainly does it. Since then, De Boer has tried to rebuild his career, and now finds himself in the UAE Pro League managing Al Jazira.

6 Luis Enrique

Back in 2015, Luis Enrique delivered an incredible treble in just his first season at Barcelona, lifting the Champions League, La Liga and Copa del Rey - not since the heady days of Pep Guardiola had the Camp Nou seen such a campaign. It's no surprise then that the Spaniard has long been a coveted name in football, and would take charge of his country from 2018.

Four years at the helm didn't deliver significant success however, and Spain's exit at the hands of Morocco in the round of 16 thanks to a penalty shoot-out was the final straw. But, Enrique's name still holds weight, and PSG quickly hired him after opting to replace Christophe Galtier in the summer. If the Spaniard can finally end the French giants' Champions League hoodoo, then he really will be remembered as one of the best in the business.

5 Brendan Rodgers

After earning plenty of plaudits for the way in which he got his Swansea side playing, it was no surprise to see one of the Premier League's biggest clubs come calling, Liverpool. The Reds came desperately close to ending their wait for a league title, and by and large, were just one or two games away from doing so. That was the nearest Rodgers and Liverpool came to success however, and he was finally sacked from his post after a disappointing run of games.

The Northern Irishman set about rebuilding his name and reputation in Scotland with Celtic however, and his successive trebles were a pretty impressive feat to say the least. That led to a return to the Premier League with Leicester, and Rodgers even guided them to the Europa League just a couple of years ago. But his spell with the Foxes also ended in disarray, and the 50-year-old now finds himself back at Parkhead looking at another rebuilding job.

4 Vincenzo Montella

One hell of a striker in his playing days, Roma legend Vincenzo Montella started off his managerial career in promising fashion too, impressing while in the top job at Serie A side Fiorentina. His three years there saw La Viola reach the Coppa Italia final as well as the semi-finals of the Europa League - not bad for a team outside the so-called big boys in Italy.

After Fiorentina, Montella had spells in charge of Sampdoria, Milan, Sevilla and then Fiorentina again, before making the move across Europe to Turkey to take charge of Adana Demirspor. His second season at the club - which would prove to be his final one - saw his team finish ninth in the Turkish Super Lig, which was their best ever finish in league history. Montella however parted ways with Adana back in the summer, and is now on the look-out for his next job.

3 Unai Emery

Back in 2015, Unai Emery was being touted as a manager with one of the brightest futures in the game after leading Sevilla to back-to-back Europa League triumphs. All the Spaniard was waiting for, was a chance, and PSG gave him it. Despite winning seven domestic trophies across his two years at the Parc des Princes, he never fully won over the crowd, and a move to Arsenal seemed to offer him a decent escape route.

Taking on the challenge of the Premier League seemed to be a bigger task for him though, and after just a season-and-a-half where the Gunners finished fifth and also lost a Europa League final, Emery was gone. The 51-year-old had to rebuild his reputation, and another Europa League success back in his native Spain with Villareal did the trick, with Aston Villa arriving to bring him back to England. His start to life at Villa Park has been nothing short of outstanding, and Villa fans will be hoping it continues.

2 Diego Simeone

One of the longest-serving managers around, Diego Simeone has stayed incredibly loyal to Atletico Madrid, and it does feel like a match made in heaven between the two. The Argentine has been in charge of the club since 2011, and despite operating on a shoe-string budget compared to the likes of Real Madrid and Barcelona over the years, has managed to keep them competitive.

A La Liga triumph in 2014 and 2021 were his crowning achievements, upsetting the duopoly that has existed in La Liga since its inception. The club also reached the Champions League final on two separate occasions, although they failed to get over that final hurdle in either of them. An Atletico without Simeone just doesn't feel right, and vice versa too.

1 Pep Guardiola

Arguably the greatest manager of the modern era, Pep Guardiola has won absolutely everything, and it's no surprise Football Manager had him down as the most promising coach back in 2015. Since then, the 52-year-old of course made the move to the Premier League to pit his wits against the best managers around, and it's not an understatement to say that he has got the better of all of them.

His spell at Manchester City has seen him win a whopping five Premier League titles, two FA Cups, four Carabao Cups, and at the end of last season, ended that long wait for a Champions League trophy too. Quite frankly, there's nothing more left for Guardiola to achieve, but his team continues to evolve and get better. It's scary to think the Spaniard could have another 20 years of management if he really wanted to.

READ MORE: Ranking all 20 Premier League managers by their playing careers