Dream candidates: Arne Slot, Oliver Glasner, Walid Regragui
It's a no-brainer that Arne Slot will be the first manager on the Feyenoord fans' minds. Slot is the club's most successful coach of the 21st century, having won the league, the Dutch Cup, and the Johan Cruyff Shield, and reaching a European final during his time in Rotterdam. The former Liverpool boss is still only a dream candidate, though, as a Premier League-winning manager will always be a hot commodity.
The same can be said for Oliver Glasner, whose name is being sung around Dutch media, but will surely move to a bigger league with better wages. Milan are said to be very fond of Glasner, who won the UEFA Conference League with Crystal Palace this season. One can only dream of the Austrian taking charge of Feyenoord.
If you're dreaming anyway, why not let your mind wander to the possibility of Walid Regragui leading Feyenoord? The former Morocco manager left the Atlas Lions after a very successful spell, during which he led the nation to the semifinals of the 2022 FIFA World Cup, making it the first African team to ever reach that stage of the tournament.
Regragui left the Moroccan FA in March, citing exhaustion as the main reason. Having won 36 of 49 games in charge, surely he's worth at least a cheeky look from Dévy Rigaux and Robert Eenhoorn.
Realistic candidates: Dick Schreuder, Jon Dahl Tomasson, Sebastien Pocognoli
In the tier below the dream candidates, Dick Schreuder is a name that jumps out the most. Schreuder led NEC Nijmegen to their first-ever UEFA Champions League adventure by finishing third in the best season NEC has ever had. Schreuder lost the KNVB Beker final to AZ, but made waves by turning NEC into a football machine during the 2025-26 campaign.
Schreuder had NEC play a fantastic, attractive brand of attacking football, almost similar to Jurgen Klopp's rock-'n'-roll football at Liverpool. Schreuder himself has said that he'll "100% certainly" stay in Nijmegen, but when Feyenoord come knocking, who's to say he won't pack his bags and set course to Rotterdam?
He knows the club, he knows the city, he's free to pick up: why not Jon Dahl Tomasson? The 49-year-old Dane was part of the famous Feyenoord team that won the UEFA Cup in 2001-02 and has played 208 games for the Rotterdam giants, comfortably making them the club Tomasson played the most games for in his career. With 93 goals in those 208 games, you can bet your bottom dollar that he's a popular figure in Rotterdam.
As a manager, Tomasson won two consecutive Swedish league titles with Malmö in 2020 and 2021, after which he left the club by his own request. Tomasson has had fruitless spells with Blackburn Rovers and the Swedish national team afterwards, and currently lives in the Netherlands. His son, Luca, even plays for Feyenoord, as does Robin van Persie's son, Shaquille, and he became manager... It's a gamble, but worth a look.
Lastly, Sebastien Pocognoli makes a strong case to become the next Feyenoord manager. Fresh off a spell with Monaco, Pocognoli brought Royale Union Saint-Gilloise their first Belgian title since the early 20th century. The Belgian was fired by Monaco after failing to reach the UEFA Champions League, but he has proven himself before.
The Belgian connection with Devy Rigaux, who was active at Royale Union Saint-Gilloise's rivals, Club Brugge, could prove very important for Feyenoord. A former Belgian Pro League Manager of the Year, Pocognoli is also still just 38 years old and is familiar with the Eredivisie, having played in the league for three years with AZ. I wouldn't be surprised if he's the favourite to take over from Van Persie.
Dark horses: Will Still, Paul Simonis, Sandro Wagner
Perhaps Rigaux will want to take advantage of his Belgian connections. In that case, Will Still might be up for a challenge in Rotterdam. We all remember Still for his work with Stade Reims and RC Lens, while he likely won't want people to remember his spell with Southampton. Still, he's only 33 years old, proven talented, and would work closely with another young, ambitious Belgian: Rigaux.
Besides Still, Paul Simonis is also free to be picked up. Simonis arrived at Wolfsburg with heaps of promise after famously leading Go Ahead Eagles to a KNVB Beker title in 2025, but crashed and burned in Germany and is now looking for a redemption job. How much credit Simonis still has in the Netherlands is yet to be seen, but he, too, is young and has already brought silverware to a Dutch club. Plus, he'll be easily convinced to join Feyenoord.
Staying rather close to home, Sandro Wagner might be of interest to Feyenoord. Wagner spent two years with the German FA, first as an assistant to Hannes Wolf with the Under-20s, and later as an assistant to Julian Nagelsmann with the senior team. Wagner himself successfully led Unterhaching in 2023 but was recently fired by FC Augsburg. A modern manager with experience under Nagelsmann, Wagner is interesting, but a dark horse at most.
