Gerard Pique
With a range of media and business interests it is doubtful the recently retired defender will venture into management, and that’s a shame given his impressive pedigree as a player and the wealth of experience he accrued.
One of only a handful of stars to have played under both Sir Alex Ferguson and Pep Guardiola, the 102-cap Spanish international always read the game superbly well, all while dealing admirably with immense pressure amidst the fiery environs of Camp Nou.
Pique has all the qualifications to become a top class coach, just seemingly not the desire.
Mark Noble
At the risk of coming across a bit Richard Keys, it would be refreshing to have a Mark Noble-type in a Premier League dug-out, espousing commitment and a good dose of pride in wearing the shirt.
Maybe Keysy, famed for his hilariously odd takes, has a point when he claims clubs these days are too easily enamoured by trendy foreign coaches who live and breathe data.
That’s not to diminish Noble as a one-dimensional passion-merchant, far from it. After a brief stint as West Ham’s Sporting Director the 36-year-old is reportedly set to take on a gig at the club’s academy, bringing through the kids.
That feels like the perfect job at this moment in time for the Hammers legend.
Jermain Defoe
Defoe always quietly impresses when doing punditry work but airing his opinions to a half-interested audience as they wait for the second half to begin feels like a waste of his footballing acumen.
In 2021, the former Spurs and England striker was part of a four-man caretaker roster who held the fort at Ranger after Steven Gerrard’s departure and let’s hope there is more to come on that front.
Forwards in particular would benefit hugely from being coached by Defoe because here was a deadly finisher who could alter his team’s Premier League odds from a half-chance.
Danny Murphy
It may be an incontestable truth but it feels harsh nonetheless to state that Danny Murphy is not an especially popular pundit, his downbeat demeanour proving to be an annoyance to many.
Yet when the ex-Liverpool midfielder dissects tactics he’s always worth listening to, with few better at explaining why a team under-performed that particular day, or why one defence dominated.
He’s in the wrong job frankly, commenting on events from a distance instead of being inside the tent.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic
Imagine if you will that your club is circling the relegation drain and your gaffer is a short-priced favourite in the next Premier League manager to leave market.
Soon after you awake one morning to discover that he has indeed been given the boot and in his place, preening and posing throughout his introductory presser, and refusing to hold aloft a scarf for reasons known only to himself, is Zlatan.
On the plus side the seriously self-assured Swede has been coached by some of the all-time greats, with much of their know-how presumably rubbing off on him.
On the downside, it would be a hysterical, unmissable, unmitigated disaster. The post-match interviews alone are enough to have us dreaming of it.
*Credit for all of the photos in this article belongs to AP Photo*
