You’ve been watching World Cup games. We get it. But while you were glued to the action on the field, club executives were quietly reshaping benches across Europe and beyond. Some of these moves are going to matter a lot more than you think.
Ange Postecoglou lands with Ronaldo at Al Nassr
Big Ange is back. After Nottingham Forest fired him in October, the Australian coach sat out the rest of the season. Now he’s signed a two-year deal to take over at Al Nassr, which means he’ll be managing Cristiano Ronaldo. That’s a pairing nobody had on their 2026 bingo card. But Postecoglou has a habit of winning trophies in his second season wherever he goes. We’ll see if that holds true in Saudi Arabia.
Liam Rosenior heads to Paris FC
Rosenior’s first big managerial chance went sideways at Chelsea. Now he’s trying to rebuild his reputation in France. He signed a two-year contract with Paris FC, a club that just finished mid-table in its first season back in Ligue 1 after 46 years away. Rosenior previously impressed at Strasbourg, so going back to familiar territory might be smart. Expect some philosophical LinkedIn posts about the journey in the near future.
Will Still takes over Auxerre
Still became an internet phenomenon during his time at Reims, mostly because of that running tally of fines the club paid for every game he managed without his UEFA Pro Licence. After a short 16-game stint at Southampton, the 33-year-old is back in France. He signed a two-year deal with Auxerre, who barely avoided relegation last season. The question now is whether Still can prove he’s more than a viral moment and actually build something sustainable.
Alberto Aquilani finally gets a Serie A job
Liverpool fans remember Aquilani for all the wrong reasons. But the former midfielder has been quietly building a coaching career. After youth work at Fiorentina and a season at Pisa, he took Catanzaro to the Serie B playoff final last year. They lost to Monza, but it was enough to earn him a shot at Sassuolo. That’s a club he actually played for after leaving Liverpool. Full circle stuff.
Filipe Luis brings his Flamengo reputation to Monaco
The ex-Chelsea defender was linked with Bayer Leverkusen earlier this summer, but that fell through because of coaching license issues. Monaco didn’t seem to mind. They gave him a two-year deal. Filipe Luis impressed at Flamengo, and now he’s stepping into European management. His first task is getting Monaco through Conference League qualifiers after they finished seventh last season.
Gennaro Gattuso gets back in at Lazio
Gattuso hasn’t coached in Serie A since 2021, when he had a short run at Fiorentina. He’s been managing Italy’s national team since then, but failing to qualify for the World Cup ended that. Lazio is giving him another chance. He replaces Maurizio Sarri, who left for Atalanta. Gattuso previously managed AC Milan and Napoli, so he knows the league. Whether he can still get results is another question.
Giovanni van Bronckhorst back at Feyenoord
After Robin van Persie left, Feyenoord could have tried to bring Arne Slot back from Liverpool. They didn’t. Instead, they hired van Bronckhorst, who was Slot’s assistant at Liverpool. This is van Bronckhorst’s second stint as Feyenoord manager. His first run, from 2015 to 2019, produced five trophies. The club is betting on familiar success.
Martin Demichelis gets a second chance at RB Leipzig
Mallorca got relegated from La Liga under Demichelis. But their form actually improved after he took over, which was apparently enough to convince RB Leipzig. He signed a two-year deal to replace Oliver Werner. The former Manchester City defender is young for a manager and clearly seen as someone worth betting on despite the relegation on his resume.
Ignazio Abate goes from Serie B success to Torino
Abate played for Italy at Euro 2012 and the 2014 World Cup. He spent most of his club career at AC Milan. After retiring in 2019, he managed Ternana and then Juve Stabia. Despite Juve Stabia being put under judicial administration for alleged mafia infiltration, Abate got them to the Serie B playoffs. That got him a Serie A job with Torino, a club he played for in 2008. That is a full circle moment if ever there was one.
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