If you do not have a good backroom team in Football Manager 24, your players may not develop the way you would like them to.
Good coaches are not the be-all and end-all. If Lionel Messi had been surrounded by sub-par coaches when he made a breakthrough in 2004, chances are he would have still turned out to be pretty good. But most players need strong mentorship in order to thrive.
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So, here is The Athletic’s list of the best coaches to fulfil every single role in Football Manager 2024. All of the people profiled below begin each game save without a club in FM24.
Each coaching role in the game has several key attributes, so we have given every pick here an attribute score. Every category is rated out of 20, so if a particular coach role has three key attributes they need in order to thrive, their attribute score will be ranked out of 60, and so on.
If you got rid of your entire existing backroom team at the start of a new game, and signed all of the coaches recommended here, you will have a strong set of coaches to rely upon.
Assistant manager
Key attributes: judging player ability, judging player potential, people management
Hermann Gerland
Key attributes score: 49/60
Gerland was the best available assistant manager in FM23 with a score of 51/60. Despite his attributes decreasing, he is still the best available option this year too.
At 69 years old, he is not a long-term solution and often retires within a few seasons, but he can still play an important role before that time arrives.
Zigor Aranalde
Key attributes score: 45/60
Javi Gracia’s former assistant manager has been without work since the Spaniard left Leeds last season.
Anything above 16/20 is considered elite in Football Manager. Aranalde’s attributes put him on the cusp of the highest statistical bracket with scores of 15/20 in the key areas you would want from a number two, but you could certainly do a lot worse.
Attacking coaches – technical
Key attributes: attacking, technical, determination, level of discipline, motivating
Dennis Bergkamp
Key attributes score: 83/100
Bergkamp, one of football’s best magicians, is an excellent contender to help improve your team.
Having been a coach at Ajax for nearly 10 years, the former Arsenal forward is too good of a coach in FM24 to remain unsigned for much longer.
David Platt
Key attributes score: 72/100
It is time somebody ended Platt’s coaching hiatus.
The former Arsenal and England midfielder is often an attainable target for most teams, so he should be relatively easy to do a deal with.
Attacking coaches – tactical
Key attributes: attacking, tactical, determination, level of discipline, motivating
Lars Knudsen
Key attributes score: 75/100
Enzo Maresca relieved Knudsen of his duties upon his arrival at Leicester. His unemployment at the start of a new save can work to your advantage.
Knudsen’s best role is as a technical coach but he can tick other boxes too, as his set-piece coaching ability of 13/20 is a solid ace to have up your sleeve should you need it.
Allan Russell
Key attributes score: 68/100
Russell’s intangible statistics leave room for improvement.
But the former England coach’s technical attributes are so strong that it is worth overlooking his lack of discipline.
Defending coaches – technical
Key attributes: defending, technical, determination, level of discipline, motivating
Ferran Reverter
Key attributes score: 75/100
Reverter resigned from his role as CEO of Barcelona in February 2022. In real life, it remains to be seen whether he would want to join another club as a coach. But in FM24, he is often open to fulfilling that role.
The caveat is he will probably only join the biggest clubs in the game, but on the plus side, he can also be deployed as an attacking coach if need be.
Liam Bramley
Key attributes score: 65/100
Bramley is far more accessible than Reverter, which means different clubs across the footballing pyramid will be able to secure his services.
His high adaptability attribute (18/20) means he will not have many issues hitting the ground running with a new team.
Defending coaches – tactical
Key attributes: defending, tactical, determination, level of discipline, motivating
Cristian Stellini
Key attributes score: 77/100
Antonio Conte’s former number two oversaw a 6-1 defeat against Newcastle during his time as interim head coach at Tottenham, which only lasted four games. As a manager, there is still work to be done. But as a coach who specialises in defending, he is a very good option to call upon in FM24.
His preference is to be employed as an assistant manager, so if you want to bring him as a coach, you will likely have to offer him a fairly high salary.
Patrick Muller
Key attributes score: 64/100
Muller is a nice option for clubs with a lower reputation.
The former Switzerland international will only need around £1-3k per week in wages and is a good option for clubs unable to get Stellini.
Possession coaches: technical
Key attributes = mental, technical, determination, level of discipline, motivating
Sebastian Longo
Key attributes score: 72/100
Longo is a diamond in the rough. His reputation is only half a star (out of a possible five stars), and you might have to include Argentina as a playable league in order to find him, but he is worth the extra effort.
The 40-year-old Argentine coach has spent a lot of his career across smaller sides in South America. In FM24, most teams should be able to add Longo to their backroom staff.
Tiago Mendes
Key attributes score: 66/100
Chelsea fans may remember Mendes for his brief spell at the club under Jose Mourinho in 2004-05. During that season, he played in 34 Premier League games as Chelsea picked up 95 points and won their first league title in 50 years.
In FM24, he will likely only be enticed by the prospect of helping an already established side improve, given he was a manager in his last role back in 2020.
Possession coaches: tactical
Key attributes = mental, tactical, determination, level of discipline, motivating
Lee Cattermole
Key attributes score: 74/100
Known as a tough tackler in his playing days, Cattermole is now making a name for himself as a coach.
It comes as no surprise that his defensive attributes are noteworthy, but the work he has done to hone the tactical side of his approach makes him one of the better coaches in FM24.
Renato Baldi
Key attributes score: 73/100
Baldi has worked across several different roles in Italian football. His previous roles include a scouting role at Napoli, a coaching role at AC Milan and a performance analyst role for the national team.
Because of that breadth of experience, he is not likely to join teams lower down the ranks, which makes Cattermole the ideal pick for this role.
Goalkeeping coaches
Key attributes: shot stopping, handling, distribution, determination, level of discipline, motivating
Toni Tapalovic
Key attributes score: 104/120
In an interview with The Athletic, Manuel Neuer said that he was hit “extremely hard” by Tapalovic’s departure from Bayern Munich, having worked with the Croatian coach for over 10 years.
Bayern’s loss can be your gain in FM24. Tapalovic is one of the best goalkeeping coaches in the game. For that reason, he will expect a higher salary than most and will be picky with the club he chooses to join next.
Joel Bats
Key attributes score: 99/120
Bats made the cut when we profiled the best coaches in FM23 and now he has gone for two for two.
Another year has passed and he still has not found a club, which seems odd, given how technically proficient he is at helping goalkeepers to improve in-game.
Fitness coaches
Key attributes: fitness, determination, level of discipline, motivating
Mario Monteiro
Key attributes score: 71/80
When you try to make a move for Monteiro, he will often say that he does not want to relocate and rejects your offer. But the allure of joining a club in the Champions League is often enough to get him to pack his bags.
He has spent the majority of his coaching career working at different clubs in Portugal with spells in Brazil and Saudi Arabia mixed in. He is the best fitness coach not currently employed by a club in FM24.
Alberto Andorlini
Key attributes score: 64/80
Andorlini is another coach who might hide behind the excuse of not wanting to relocate as a polite way of rejecting an offer.
But unlike Monteiro, the Italian has a broader range of clubs that he is willing to join.
Set-piece coaches
Key attributes: set pieces, determination, level of discipline, motivating, tactical knowledge
Gianni Vio
Key attributes score: 78/100
Vio is a banker turned set-piece specialist who has more than 4,000 routines in his arsenal to call upon.
His methods were put to good effect during Italy’s triumph at Euro 2020 before a brief stint at Tottenham under Antonio Conte. He is the best set-piece coach available in FM24.
Andy Parslow
Key attributes score: 55/100
The introduction of set-piece coaches is a new feature in FM24. The downside is that because it is a new role, there is not a wide pool of options to call upon.
Parslow checks out as a complimentary fit for smaller clubs, but your best bet may be to look for regenerated coaches that are randomly created in every game save instead, as they will often have strong attributes.
(Photo: Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)