10 managers who returned to ex-clubs – and what happened next

Managers who went back

With Antonio Conte set to vacate his position as the club’s manager this summer, Chelsea will almost certainly be looking for yet another new boss in the coming weeks. Maurizio Sarri and Luis Enrique are currently the favourites for the job, but Carlo Ancelotti has also been linked with a return to Stamford Bridge.

In this slideshow, we pick out 10 other head coaches who returned to former clubs – and reveal what happened next…

Fabio Capello (Real Madrid)

1996-1997 and 2006-2007

Both of Capello's stints at the Santiago Bernabeu were short, but that doesn't stop him being one of Real Madrid's more successful managers. The Italian won La Liga in both 1997 and 2007, helping to develop Raul and Roberto Carlos in his first spell and going on to manage Fabio Cannavaro, David Beckham and Ruud van Nistelrooy in his second.

Capello was never universally popular in Madrid, though: a perceived negative style of football was criticised by both fans and the media, and winning the title in 2006-07 wasn't enough to stop him getting sacked.

Kenny Dalglish (Liverpool)

1985-1991 and 2011-2012

Dalglish became Liverpool player-manager shortly after the Heysel disaster in 1985, guiding the Reds to the Double in his first season and winning the First Division title twice more in 1988 and 1990. 

It would be 20 years until he set foot in the Anfield dugout again, initially appointed on an interim basis following Roy Hodgson's sacking in 2011. A solid start helped him land the job on a permanent basis, but the Scotsman was sacked after an eighth-place finish in his only full season in charge – even though the Reds won the League Cup and reached the FA Cup Final.

Francesco Guidolin (Palermo)

2004-05, 2006-07, 2007 and 2007-08

Italian chairmen aren't exactly known for their patience and understanding, but Palermo owner Maurizio Zamparini is an extreme example even by his countrymen's trigger-happy standards. Guidolin's four separate spells in charge of the Sicilians in four years makes a little more sense in that context, although quite why the ex-Swansea boss kept going back for more is anyone's guess.

Guidolin's first exit - after winning Serie B and then guiding Palermo to sixth in the top tier - was of his own accord, and he returned to the Stadio Renzo Barbera after an ill-fated spell at Monaco in 2005-06. The Italian was sent packing by Zamparini after a poor run of form in April 2007, but he was back for a fourth spell in November.

Jupp Heynckes (Bayern Munich)

1987-1991, 2011-13, 2017-18

When Carlo Ancelotti was sacked in October 2017, the Bayern board decided to go with what they knew by appointing Heynckes on a permanent basis for the third time. The 72-year-old will step aside at the end of the season having won his fourth Bundesliga crown with the Bavarians, but Bayern did make an effort to try and persuade him to extend his stay for at least another campaign.

Heynckes first took charge of the German giants in 1987, winning back-to-back titles in his second and third seasons in Munich. His next league championship came in 2012-13, when the former Borussia Monchengladbach boss also won the DFB-Pokal and Champions League to complete a famous Treble.

Kevin Keegan (Newcastle)

1992-1997 and 2008

Keegan very nearly guided Newcastle to the Premier League title during his first spell in charge, but the Magpies fell away in the run-in and ultimately squandered a 12-point lead to Manchester United. Keegan still departed St James' Park as a hero in 1997, though, and was welcomed back with open arms over a decade later after spells in charge of Fulham, England and Manchester City. 

He only lasted eight months, however: Keegan resigned over disagreements on signings with director of football Dennis Wise, who helped to purchase Xisco and Nacho Gonzalez without the manager's knowledge.

Jose Mourinho (Chelsea)

2004-2007 and 2013-2015

Mourinho lived up to his self-proclaimed “Special One” billing at Stamford Bridge, winning the Premier League title in his first two seasons before things began to turn sour in 2006-07. The ill-feeling between Mourinho and owner Roman Abramovich had become too much to bear by the start of the former's fourth year at the helm, and a home loss to Rosenborg led to his exit.

After winning more trophies with Inter and Real Madrid, Mourinho - who became the self-christened "Happy One" - returned to Chelsea in 2013. Another title followed in his second season, but things unravelled spectacularly and the Portuguese found himself out of a job in December 2015. 

Nigel Pearson (Leicester)

2008-2010 and 2011-2015

Pearson first joined Leicester in 2008 following their relegation to League One, and successfully took them back to the Championship at the first time of asking. Yann Kermorgant's failed Panenka penalty helped end their Premier League dream in the 2010 play-offs, however, and Pearson promptly joined Hull.

A change in ownership paved the way for Pearson's return the following year, and Leicester were promoted as Championship champions in 2014. The ex-Southampton boss then oversaw a remarkable late-season revival to keep the Foxes in the Premier League, but off-field issues led to his departure that summer. And we all know what happened next…

Tony Pulis (Stoke)

2002-2005 and 2006-2013

Pulis's first stint at Stoke came under Gunnar Gislason's ownership, with the Welshman tasked with keeping the club in the second tier. While Pulis fulfilled his remit year after year, he was criticised by Gislason for failing to sign enough foreign players, which paved the way for his sacking in 2005. 

The Welshman joined Plymouth shortly after, but Peter Coates's takeover at Stoke prompted Pulis to return just a year later. His second spell was hugely successful, the former defender guiding the Potters into the Premier League and keeping them there – as well as reaching the 2011 FA Cup Final.

Harry Redknapp (Portsmouth)

2002-2004 and 2005-2008

Redknapp took Portsmouth to the Premier League in 2003 and kept them up a year later, but a fall-out with chairman Milan Mandaric led to his departure soon after. Pompey's south-coast rivals took advantage and lured Redknapp to St Mary's; he was unable to prevent them from dropping into the Championship, though, and returned to Portsmouth in 2005.

His second stint brought an FA Cup winner's medal, as Portsmouth defeated Cardiff in 2008, before Redknapp left for Tottenham in October that year. 

Vittorio Pozzo (Italy)

1912, 1921, 1924 and 1929-1948

Pozzo managed his country four times: in 1912, 1921 and 1924 he headed a board of selectors, before taking sole control between 1929 and 1948. Italy won their first ever World Cup on home soil during that spell, and retained the trophy by defeating Hungary in the 1938 Final.

Brazil were overcome in the last four that year, with Italy's opponents having already booked their plane from Marseille to Paris - where the final was to be played - the next day. Pozzo used that nugget of information as a key part of his team talk, and the Azzurri ran out 2-1 winners.