Jose is back! A look at other managers who have returned to the same club

Jose Mourinho has been confirmed as Real Madrid boss - 13 years on from his departure from the Bernabeu .

Here, BOYLE Sports looks at some other managers who have returned to the same club .

Jose Mourinho

Jose Mourinho (Chelsea)

Mourinho has done this before. Chelsea were English football’s dominant force in Mourinho’s first spell in charge (2004-07), winning five major trophies, and his reappointment in 2013 initially appeared to have been a masterstroke.

The Blues won a third league title under the ‘Special One’ in his second season back (2014-15) and also the League Cup . But he was sacked seven months later after the club’s spectacular decline, losing nine of their 16 league games at the start of 2015-16 to sit one point above the bottom three.

Kenny Dalglish

Kenny Dalglish (Liverpool)

Dalglish had enjoyed similar dominance to Mourinho in his first stint in charge at Anfield , winning three league titles and two FA Cups . He returned to the helm after a 20-year absence to replace Roy Hodgson in 2011, initially as caretaker.

Dalglish led Liverpool to League Cup success – their first major trophy in six years – and to the FA Cup final , but their eighth-placed league finish was their worst since 1994. Liverpool had failed to qualify for the Champions League for the third successive season and Dalglish was sacked after a year in the job.

Kevin Keegan

Kevin Keegan (Newcastle)

Keegan was first appointed Newcastle boss in 1992 and after winning promotion turned them into Premier League title challengers. They were famously pipped by Manchester United and finished runners-up in 1995-96.

‘King Kev’ resigned in early 1997 and, after spells in charge of Fulham , England and Manchester City , he returned to St James’ Park in January 2008. He resigned the following September after a fall-out with owner Mike Ashley over the club’s management structure and player recruitment policy.

David Moyes

David Moyes (West Ham and Everton)

Moyes led West Ham to top-flight safety in his first seven-month spell as boss in 2017-18 but was not offered a new contract. The Hammers appointed Manuel Pellegrini and, after sacking the Chilean, reappointed Moyes halfway through the 2018-19 campaign. His return proved successful as the Hammers climbed the table to finish 10th.

The Scot then repeated the trick in 2025 as he returned to Everton . Moyes spent 11 memorable years in the Goodison Park hotseat from 2002 before going on to manage Manchester United . He went back to Everton to replace Sean Dyche and duly steered them away from relegation danger.

Harry Redknapp

Harry Redknapp (Portsmouth)

Redknapp guided Portsmouth into the Premier League in 2003 and kept them up the following season before quitting to join fierce rivals Southampton . After relegation with the Saints, he resigned halfway through the 2005-06 campaign and returned to Fratton Park .

He rescued Pompey from relegation trouble and then led them to a best Premier League finish of ninth in 2006-07 . Redknapp went even better in 2007-08 when Pompey finished eighth and qualified for European football by lifting the FA Cup .

Frank Lampard

Frank Lampard (Chelsea)

The former Blues and England midfielder took the Chelsea reins in 2019 , signing a three-year deal and, in spite of a transfer ban, led Chelsea to the FA Cup final and a fourth-place finish in his first managerial campaign at Stamford Bridge. However, Lampard was sacked in January 2021 following a poor run.

After a stint back in the Premier League with Everton , he r eturned to Chelsea as caretaker boss in 2023 , replacing the sacked Graham Potter until the end of the season, just over two years after being dismissed himself.

Martin O’Neill

Martin O’Neill (Celtic)

The 74-year-old returned to Celtic Park twice last season and ultimately led the Hoops to a league and Scottish Cup double . O'Neill steadied the ship after the sudden departure of Brendan Rodgers and won seven out of eight games before returning for a third spell in charge after the brief but disastrous reign of Wilfried Nancy , who lost six out of his eight matches.

Celtic won 19 games, drew two and lost two in O'Neill's 23 Scottish Premiership games in charge and he also led them to two cup wins over Rangers as well as progressing to the Europa League knockout stage.

O’Neill was first Parkhead boss between 2000 and 2005 , winning the domestic treble in his first season and going on to be crowned league champions twice more in the next three seasons as well as lifting two more Scottish Cups .

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