Several German managers have plied their trade to develop their careers in the English top flight.
The Premier League has been the next destination for all the top managers in the world, including the German ones. There have been some former Bundesliga bosses plying their trade to England to develop their careers.
Brighton is the most recent team to hire a German boss. The Seagulls are set to appoint Fabian Hurzeler to be the successor of Roberto De Zerbi. He could break the record for the youngest manager in Premier League history, should he be confirmed. It was a bold move, as he is not exactly a well-known figure yet. The 31-year-old manager has never been in charge of a Bundesliga side. His only best achievement was leading FC St. Pauli to top-flight promotion last season. However, the Seagulls are hopeful that Hurzeler could follow in De Zerbi and Graham Potter’s footsteps to the top ten finish or even higher.
The appointment of Hurzeler has been inspired by the other teams’ success under German managers. Norwich City, Chelsea, and Liverpool have enjoyed their trophy-laden years with the German in charge of the team. Here are the names of those respectable figures from Germany.
Daniel Farke
The current Leeds boss is the only German boss staying in England today. He was on the verge of leading the Whites back to the top flight before losing to Southampton in the promotion playoff.
He first landed on English soil when he took charge of Norwich City in 2017. He managed to guide them to the top flight twice, in 2019 and 2021. Unfortunately, the Canaries were relegated instantly too, in 2020 and even after he left in 2022. Farke then plied his trade to Russia to lead Krasnodar but parted ways after two months due to the Ukrainian invasion. He even returned to his home soil to take the reins at Borussia M’Gladbach in 2022/23. Yet, his spell did not last long, as Gladbach only finished tenth in the standings.
The former Borussia Dortmund II head coach seems to have better fortune in England, as Leeds named him the manager in 2023. He would have to improve his team’s form to bounce back to the Premier League; otherwise, the 47-year-old boss could lose his position again.
Ralf Ragnick
The current Austrian boss is the next one on the list. He had a brief spell in the Premier League with Manchester United as a caretaker in critical times back in late 2021. The Red Devils were in search of an experienced figure to steady the ship. Ragnick seemed to be the man suited for the job. Unfortunately, it was not that easy.
Things did not work out for the former RB Leipzig and Schalke bosses. United were struggling to keep up with the big teams and eventually only sat sixth on the table at the end of the 2021/22 campaign. Cristiano Ronaldo and Co. only secured 11 wins but lost eight times in 29 games during his brief tenure.
The manager, who is dubbed the creator of Gegenpressing, was initially going to take on the consultancy role at Old Trafford after his period in the dugout, but he declined after the Austrian national team came calling. He successfully guided them to the EURO 2024 final round and could still go through the knockout stage after a narrow 2-1 win over Poland this week.
Ragnick has only won a few silverware during his career as a manager. The Backnang-born boss only lifted the trophy while being at the helm of Schalke 04, the DFB Pokal in 2011, which also brought them to finish second in the Bundesliga 2004/05. His role is more well-known as the Director of Football in RB Salzburg and RB Leipzig, plus Head of Sport Development in Red Bull, which is responsible for developing global RB football teams from Salzburg to the New York Red Bulls and Red Bull Bragantino in Brazil.
Felix Magath
The former attacking midfielder was the first German manager in England. He was appointed to take charge of Fulham in February 2014 to save them from relegation with 12 matches left. Sadly, he failed as the Cottagers went down to the second tier. Magath was eventually sacked in September as they were winless in the first 11 games of the championship.
His stint at Fulham was one of the last teams in his managerial career. The former Hamburg star then took the job in the Chinese Super League with Shandong Luneng in 2016 and Hertha Berlin in 2022. He was able to save the last club from going down to the second tier through the relegation/promotion playoff dramatically by snatching a comeback 2-0 win on the road against his former club, which brought his name to fame in the late 1970s and 1980s, Hamburg SV, after suffering a 1-0 defeat at home.
Magath’s most successful spell was during his stay at VfB Stuttgart (2001–2004), where he helped them finish second in the 2003 Bundesliga, followed by his tenure at Bayern and Wolfsburg. He clinched double domestic titles in 2005 and 2006 with Die Roten and delivered the first Bundesliga title for Wolfsburg in 2009.
Thomas Tuchel
He is one of the best managers in the world today. Despite gaining criticism due to his failure at Bayern Munich last season, his name still piques the interest of big clubs. Barcelona and Manchester United, plus his former club, Chelsea, did attempt to lure him to lead the team before he refused.
Tuchel’s spell in England might have been relatively average without any domestic silverware. Yet he managed to snatch the Champions League title with the Blues, plus the UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup in 2021. The former Dortmund and Mainz boss stayed at Stamford Bridge until 2023. He was unfortunately dismissed after Chelsea’s takeover by Todd Boehly.
He then moved to Bayern Munich and was only able to deliver the Bundesliga title in 2023 but in a far less convincing campaign. Last season, Tuchel’s team went trophyless as Bayer Leverkusen toppled them. As a result, Bayern Munich tickets were less in demand compared the previous seasons.
Jurgen Klopp
He is undoubtedly the best German manager in the Premier League. Klopp created a new dynasty at Anfield when he took charge of Liverpool in 2016. He guided them to win the Champions League, UEFA Super Cup, and FIFA Club World Cup in 2019, the Premier League in 2020, the FA Cup and League Cup in 2022, plus another League Cup in 2024. Under his leadership, the Reds ended their long banter era and even reached three continental finals—the Europa League in 2016 and the UCL in 2018 and 2022—before losing to Spanish sides in all of them.
The 57-year-old manager has delivered two league titles for Dortmund in 2011 and 2012, plus led them to the UCL final in 2013 before he departed from Westfalen. He is currently in a sabbatical period before getting ready to be in the dugout again.
