How is ex-Derby County manager Phillip Cocu getting on these days? | OneFootball

The former Barcelona and Netherlands midfielder took charge of the Rams between July 2019 and November 2020.

Derby County had an extremely tough end to the 2010s, and the start of the 2020s was not much better.

After falling at the final hurdle in the play-off final under the guidance of Frank Lampard, the Rams were forced to turn to a new leader to take them through the next stage of the club's history.

Phillip Cocu was hired on a four-year contract by ex-owner Mel Morris, with hopes that the former Barcelona and Netherlands midfielder could repeat some of the success that he previously had while in charge of PSV Eindhoven.

However, it proved to be a difficult task. Situations off the pitch slowly started to have an impact on it, and despite Derby having a decent first season with Cocu at the helm, the start of the 2020/21 campaign was a disaster. Following just one league win in 11 matches, the Rams were bottom of the Championship and the Dutchman was sacked.

Nearly four years after the now 53-year-old was relieved of his duties, Football League World has taken a look at what he has been up to since, and where he currently is now.

Cocu has struggled since leaving PSV in 2018

Eredivisie titles were a real peak for the Dutchman

While his pedigree before taking the role at Derby was extremely high, afterward, the tumultuous time he had at Pride Park has seemingly taken its toll and managerial jobs have been difficult to find.

Cocu had an excellent time at PSV, winning the Eredivisie title three times during his five seasons at the club between 2013 and 2018. His success was not just limited to the league either, lifting the Dutch Super Cup in 2015/16 and 2016/17.

While he had such fantastic triumphs in his native country, abroad it has been tough. In the summer of 2018, he took a huge leap to manager Fenerbahçe in Türkiye, but by the time October rolled around, he was sacked and took time out of football before joining the Rams.

Vitesse offered Cocu little solitude

Cocu's Derby decline was mirrored

Following his sacking at Derby, Cocu took nearly two years away from football before returning to the Netherlands. The ex-Rams boss took charge of Vitesse in September 2022 and helped guide them to 10th in the Eredivisie in the 25 league matches that he was in the dugout for.

However, similar to his year at Pride Park, the 53-year-old suffered with second season syndrome, and his side started the 2023/24 campaign in terrible form.

In the opening 12 games of the season, Vitesse won just twice, picking up another two points through draws, leaving them stranded at the bottom of the table. Cocu made the decision to resign from his role, with his now former side eventually being relegated to the second tier of Dutch football.

Vitesse were deducted 18 points in April 2024 after the Bureau of Investigative Journalism uncovered apparent financial ties between the club and former Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich. It was the record deduction for a team in the Netherlands, and it has been another struggle this season in the second tier, with the club bottom of the table.

Cocu has been without a job since

The ex-Derby boss was been out of work since 2023

While he has had four fairly major jobs in management throughout his career, since leaving Vitesse in November 2023, Cocu has been out of work.

While this could be a cause for concern, it is a similar situation to one that he found himself in after leaving Derby in November 2020, with the Dutchman taking time to reassess where he wants his career to go before taking on his next role.

Nevertheless, many perhaps expected Cocu's career to have been a lot more successful following his three league titles with PSV.

While he never truly had the rub of the green at Derby, there will be some sections of the fanbase that will still look out for him and hope that he has some success in the future.