Zinedine Zidane and Antonio Conte head list of potential glamour appointments at Newcastle
- Seb Sternik
- 13 October 2021
Last weekend, Newcastle United were on a road to nowhere. Today, they’re technically the richest club in the world. Question is, who will lead them into the new era?
Even Newcastle manager Steve Bruce knows his chances of leading the Magpies into his 1,000th game as manager are slim to zero.
Bruce was always struggling to win over the Toon Army due to his Sunderland connections and those few supporters who did have faith have seen it dwindle away following another poor run. The Magpies have failed to pick up a win in 2021/22 and sit second-bottom of the Premier League. Now it just seems a case of when, not if, Bruce is relieved of his duties.
The Saudi-led takeover of the club has catapulted Newcastle on to the world stage and with money to burn, the calibre of managers linked with replacing Bruce reflect their increased pulling power.
A number of domestic talents, including Eddie Howe and Chris Wilder, feature high up in the betting markets. However, while both men would make for decent appointments, Newcastle fans would undoubtedly prefer a glamour signing.
With that in mind, here are five potential managerial appointments that would knock the fans socks off at St James' Park.
Zinedine Zidane (currently unattached)
As a player, Zinedine Zidane won almost every trophy on offer. As a manager, he has followed the exact same path.
Zidane managed Real Madrid for a total of 263 games across two spells from January 2016 to May 2018 and from March 2019 to May 2021.
During that time, the 49-year-old led Los Blancos to 174 victories, two La Liga titles, three Champions League trophies, two Supercopa de Espanas, two UEFA Super Cups and even two FIFA Club World Cups.
There isn't another manager on the face of the planet who has won so much in such little time. Question is, would he dare come to a club like Newcastle and try to mould them into title contenders?
Jose Mourinho (currently AS Roma manager)
Another world-renowned name on the list is Jose Mourinho.
The 58-year-old is currently in the midst of his own exciting project as he looks to turn AS Roma into a title-winning machine.
With eight league titles to his name and three European titles under his belt, Newcastle could do a lot worse than the Special One.
Laurent Blanc (currently Al-Rayyan head coach)
Does Laurent Blanc qualify as a glamour signing? Well, once you've won a World Cup and a European Championship, you have the license to qualify as a special individual.
His first job was with Bordeaux and the 55-year-old certainly proved his qualities after leading the side to a Ligue 1 title in 2009. The club haven't come close since to the level of success they enjoyed during the Blanc era.
Blanc also enjoyed a highly successful spell at Paris Saint-Germain, winning three league titles, two Coupe de France honours, three Coupe de la Ligue titles and three Trophee des Champions.
Why is that important? Well, it at least proves that there's a certain amount of flexibility when it comes to Blanc. At Bordeaux, he proved he can take an underachieving side and lead them to glory. At PSG, meanwhile, he proved he knows how to spend money wisely.
That second point would certainly serve him well should he decide to swap his current job in Qatar for something a little more adventurous.
Massimiliano Allegri (currently Juventus manager)
The Italian is only 54, yet he's already claimed six league titles in his career - five of them with his current team, Juventus.
It's undoubtable that Allegri is one of the best in the business when it comes to management. But there are some things we are yet to learn about the Italian. For instance, we're yet to see him manage outside of his home country.
Allegri has spent his entire playing and managerial career within the confines of the Italian borders. However, if Italian forward Ciro Immobile is to be believed, the Magpies' Saudi owners are willing to give him his first chance abroad.
Antonio Conte (currently unattached)
Out of all the big hitters on this list, Antonio Conte represents the shortest price in the betting at 5/1.
The Italian had been favourite for the role but has since seen former Borussia Dortmund boss Lucien Favre and Steven Gerrard shorten in the market.
Considering the 52-year-old's managerial CV, he would make for a sterling appointment at St James' Park.
But moreover, the Newcastle fans would greatly appreciate the Italian's passion for the sport. A passion almost on a par with their own.
