11 Most Expensive Managers in Football History

Throughout the 21st century, the rise in transfer fees paid for players has received great attention and sometimes criticism from football fans. What has gone overlooked, though, is the emergence of paying significant fees to hire managers now too. Once treated as the unsung heroes of a team, these days, coaches are just as respected and credited for success as the players they’re in charge of.

This has seen teams splash out large amounts of money just to hire high-profile managers, whether that be in the Premier League or elsewhere, luring them to their clubs in the hopes that they can lead them to glory. While not all of the managers who have commanded large fees to ensure their arrival have been successful, some have been worth every penny. Earlier this year, the Mirror revealed the 10 most expensive managerial hires of all time and with Arne Slot set to join the list, it makes for very interesting reading.

11 Maurizio Sarri

Napoli to Chelsea – £5m

While the first three entrants on this list are all tied, we’ll start with the most recent and that is Maurizio Sarri’s move to Chelsea from Napoli in 2018. The Italian cost the Blues £5m as they brought him to Stamford Bridge to replace Antonio Conte. The former Tottenham Hotspur boss had a successful two years in England, winning the Premier League and FA Cup with Chelsea, so they paid above the odds to hire someone they thought was capable of replacing him.

That was Sarri, but things didn’t quite work out for the 65-year-old. He spent just one season in London and was never quite on the same page as the club’s higher-ups. He did win a Europa League with the Blues in that sole campaign, though, so they at least got something for their money.

10 Ronald Koeman

Southampton to Chelsea – £5m

After spending two impressive campaigns with Southampton, where he took them to European football, Ronald Koeman was lured away from St Mary’s and appointed manager of Everton after the Toffees spent £5m to acquire his services. It was a move that was supposed to take the Merseyside club to the next level and break into the Premier League elite after so many years of knocking on the door.

Things didn’t work out quite like that, though, and Koeman had an ultimately disappointing tenure at Goodison Park. After just over a year, he left the team and he was out of management for several months before he moved onto the Netherlands national team job. £5m well and truly wasted.

9 Brendan Rodgers

Swansea City to Liverpool – £5m

When Swansea City were first promoted to the Premier League, Brendan Rodgers gained a reputation for the incredible football he had his team playing. They shocked everyone by finishing comfortably above the relegation zone while playing attractive football in the process. That was enough for Liverpool to spend £5m bringing him to Anfield one year later.

The Northern Irishman spent three-and-a-half years at Anfield, and despite never winning any silverware with the club, it was still a pretty solid tenure. He came agonisingly close to leading the Reds to their first Premier League triumph, but they collapsed down the stretch, with Manchester City beating them to the trophy.

8 Jose Mourinho

FC Porto to Chelsea – £5.2m

In terms of the success that they brought to the clubs who hired them, there’s no doubt that Jose Mourinho’s appointment at Chelsea is the biggest bargain on this list. Arriving with a very high reputation off the back of a Champions League trophy with Porto, the Blues paid £5.2m for the Special One’s signature in 2004, and they certainly got their money’s worth.

The Portuguese coach took Chelsea to their first league title in 50 years, before taking them to another one a year later as well. He spent three years at Stamford Bridge during his initial tenure in charge and alongside his pair of league titles, he won an FA Cup, a Community Shield and a pair of League Cup titles.

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7 Jose Mourinho

Inter Milan to Real Madrid – £6.9m

Chelsea weren’t the only club willing to spend big on appointing Mourinho. Several years later, Real Madrid did something similar, paying £6.9m to lure the Special One away from Inter Milan and to the Bernabeu. His pedigree for transforming teams into world-class sides was apparent at this point.

Mourinho’s spell in charge of Los Blancos came at a time when Barcelona were one of the greatest teams on the planet, though, so his success wasn’t quite as rich as many expected. Still, he took Madrid to a La Liga title and a Copa del Rey, so he at least led the club to some silverware.

6 Ruben Amorim

Braga to Sporting Lisbon – £8.6m

One of the most surprising inclusions on this list, Ruben Amorim was barely a recognisable name when Sporting Lisbon spent nearly £9m to steal him away from Braga in 2020. In fact, he’d only been a manager for two years up until that point, so it’s a testament to the incredible work he’d already done that the Portuguese club were willing to pay so much for him already.

His reputation as a world-class manager has only grown during his four years with Sporting, and it looks likely that his future will be away from the side, with reports suggesting he could be on his way to West Ham United soon. During his time with Sporting, Amorim has won a league title with the club, as well as two domestic cups, a decent return.

5 Brendan Rodgers

Celtic to Leicester City – £8.8m

After Brendan Rodgers’ time at Liverpool petered out, the Northern Irishman moved to Celtic and quickly rebuilt his image as one of the best managers in the game. This prompted Leicester City to splash out massively to bring him back to England. The Foxes had won the Premier League less than three years earlier and were keen to build on that success.

This saw them spend £8.8m on Rodgers in early 2019 and settled in quite nicely. The former Celtic boss led Leicester to an FA Cup and a Community Shield during his time with the club and regularly had them competing in the top half of the table. Things turned sour after four years, though, and he left the Foxes in April 2023, shortly before they were relegated to the Championship.

4 Arne Slot

Feyenoord to Liverpool – £9.4m

After Jurgen Klopp announced his intention to leave Liverpool in early 2024, the race was one for the club to find a suitable successor. That search has reportedly led them to Feyenoord’s Arne Slot. The Dutchman has impressed during his time in charge of the Eredivisie club, guiding them to a league title and a league cup.

He seems all but set to leave Feyenoord in the summer and take his talents to Anfield, but it isn’t coming cheap. The Reds are reportedly set to pay £9.4m to hire the coach, making him the fourth most expensive manager of all time. While success isn’t always guaranteed, there is going to be a period of change at Anfield, and the club is clearly willing to spend big to ensure there are as few growing pains as possible.

Arne Slot’s Feyenoord record
Games played	145
Games won	94
Games drawn	27
Games lost	24
Winning percentage	64.82%
Honours won	1x Eredivisie & 1 KNVB Cup

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3 Andre Villas-Boas

FC Porto to Chelsea – £13.3m

A young Portuguese coach, fresh off the back of undeniable success with FC Porto, moving to Chelsea for a large fee… Where have we heard that before? Unfortunately for the Blues, their gamble didn’t pay off even half as well the second time as they spent £13.3m to take Andre Villas-Boas away from Porto in 2011.

The manager was regarded as one of the best up-and-coming coaches in the sport and would usher in a long-term project at Stamford Bridge. Unfortunately, it didn’t pan out that way and, after a disastrous run throughout the first half of the season, he was sacked after just 40 games in charge. The spell is now looked at as one of the worst hires in Chelsea history.

Andre Villas-Boas Chelsea record
Games played	40
Games won	20
Games drawn	10
Games lost	10
Winning percentage	50.00%
Honours won	0

2 Graham Potter

Brighton to Chelsea – £21.5m

From one awful Chelsea project to another, Graham Potter fit a similar bill to Villas-Boas in many ways. He was held in high regard for his work with Brighton & Hove Albion, and it was looked at as an exciting hire at Stamford Bridge when the Blues spent £21.5m on the Englishman in 2022.

The club was undergoing a period of change, and it looked as though he would be the perfect choice to usher them into a new era under the Todd Boehly regime. Instead, he failed to get results right off the bat and the Blues struggled tremendously during his brief spell in charge. After just 31 games in charge, in which Potter picked up just 12 wins, he was mercifully let go and hasn’t returned to management since. £21.5m straight down the drain.

Graham Potter’s Chelsea record
Games played	31
Games won	12
Games drawn	8
Games lost	11
Winning percentage	38.70%
Honours won	0

1 Julian Nagelsmann

RB Leipzig to Bayern Munich – £21.7m

The most expensive manager of all time is sadly another one whose hire didn’t quite go to plan. Julian Nagelsmann had become one of the most sought-after young managers in the world during his time with RB Leipzig. It was generally thought that he’d be one of the biggest and best managers in the world in no time. That’s why Bayern Munich spent £21.7m to take him away from their Bundesliga rivals.

They made him the most expensive hire ever, but he lasted less than two years with the team before they decided to let him go. Still, during that time he won a league title and a pair of Super Cups for his troubles, but during that period, it would have been harder to not win silverware with Bayern than it was to do so. He’s since taken charge of the German national team and his successor, Thomas Tuchel is also being let go.

Julian Nagelsmann’s Bayern Munich record
Games played	84
Games won	60
Games drawn	14
Games lost	10
Winning percentage	71.42%
Honours won	1x Bundesliga & 2x DFL-Supercup

All statistics are courtesy of Transfermarkt and are accurate as of 28.04.2024