The second part in the series looking at the comings and goings at some of the major clubs in Europes this summer.
For the first part please click here.
Spain (Part Two)
Barcelona
Ronald Koeman remains the manager of Barcelona – for now. At one stage it seemed unlikley he would still be there at the start of next season. Appointed by disgraced ex-president Josep Maria Bartomeu, the former club legend had a disappointing first campaign by Barcelona’s standards and they finished out of the top two in Spain for the first time in over a decade.
What seems to have earned him the Dutchman a reprieve is a lack of obvious candidates to take over from him. Another club legend Xavi had been tipped as his successor, but he has recently signed a contract extension with his current employers, the Qatari club Al-Sadd.
However, if they make another bad start to next season, Koeman could soon find his position under review again.
Germany
Bayern Munich
Hans-Dieter Flick led Bayern to their ninth successive Bundesliga title, a year after completing a treble, including the Champions League. However, he decided to quit after falling out with the club’s sporting director, Hasan Salihamidzic, over the club’s transfer policy.
Flick was unhappy about the decision not to offer stars like David Alaba, Thiago Álcanratra and Jérôme Boateng.
He has since agreed to succeed Joachim Low as manager of the German national team.
Julian Nagelsmann has been appointed as manger at Bayern, and has been handed a five year contract.
RB Leipzig
Nagelsmann, who is still only 33, had been in charge at RB Leipzig, and had steered then to a second place finish in the Bundesliga behind Bayern. They were also beaten finalists in the German Cup, losing to Borussia Dortmund.
American coach, Jesse Marsch, has moved from Leipzig’s sister club Red Bull Salzburg, to replace Nagelsmann.
Borussia Dortmund
After Lucien Favre was fired just before Christmas, former player Edin Terzić took charge of Borussia Dortmund on a caretaker basis and led them to success in the German Cup and also secured them Champions League football for next season.
However, it has been announced that Marco Rose will take chare of the club from the start of next season.
Terzic’s future is undecided although there have been suggestions he could be Rose’s assistant manager.
France
PSG
Mauricio Pochettino was only appointed manager in January, but already there have been links with his former club Tottenham Hotspur. Pochettino won the French Cup, but failed to win the league, the club finishing second to Lille, and failed again in the Champions League, knocked out at the semi-fianl stage by Manchester City.
If Pochettino were to go, Zinedine Zidane could take his place.
Lille
Lille ended PSG’s league dominance with their victory at Angers on the last day of the season enough to give them the league title for the first time in a decade.
Yet, just two days after that triumph. Manager Christophe Gallier resigned, feeling that his time was up, and that he had to move on to stop himself falling into a routine.
The position of head coach at the club is currently vacant.
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Andy is an exiled English football fan living in Cyprus. He loves all sports but football is his abiding passion, and he still has dreams every now and then about scoring the winning goal in a Wembley Cup Final, even though his playing days are long gone. He follows most major leagues, across Europe at least, and has a favoured team in each. When he’s not watching, listening, reading or downloading podcasts about football, he spend his time worrying about his beloved Arsenal.