Football clubs have always spent a lot of money on the best players in the world but they are now starting to splash the cash on top managers.
World-class managers can transform a team’s fortunes and lead them to glory, although they don’t always have the desired impact.
We’ve taken a look at the most expensive fees paid for managers and English clubs account for eight of the 10 deals on this list.
Note: the figures include any potential add-ons or any extra fees that cover the manager’s backroom staff.
10. Ruben Amorim – £8.4m
Left: Braga
Joined: Sporting CP
Date: March 2020
Despite only having three months of senior managerial experience behind him, Amorim did enough at Braga to convince Sporting CP to spend £8.4million on his services in March 2020.
The expensive gamble proved to be money well spent as the manager ended Sporting’s 19-year wait for a league title in 2020/21.
He also won back-t0-back Taca da Liga titles in 2020/21 and 2021/22 before securing another Primeira Liga in the 2023/24 campaign.
Overall, the manager won 165 and drew 33 of the 231 fixtures he oversaw for Sporting CP and had a 71.4% win percentage.
9. Brendan Rodgers – £8.8m
Left: Celtic
Joined: Leicester City
Date: February 2019
Rodgers enjoyed a trophy-laden first spell at Celtic, winning back-to-back domestic trebles in the 2016/17 and 2017/18 campaigns.
While Celtic were very keen to retain the Northern Irishman, they ultimately accepted an £8.8million bid from Leicester City in February 2019.
He helped Leicester secure back-to-back fifth-place finishes in the 2020/21 and 2021/22 campaigns and also added an FA Cup and the Community Shield to their trophy cabinet.
But things went downhill in his fourth season and the manager was sacked in April 2023, shortly before the Foxes were relegated to the Championship.
1 – Brendan Rodgers is the first manager to win both the English and Scottish FA Cup since Sir Alex Ferguson (four Scottish FA Cup titles with Aberdeen and five English FA Cup titles with Man Utd). Collection. #FACupFinal pic.twitter.com/FxNjzzxqsC
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) May 15, 2021
8. Ruben Amorim – £9.24m
Left: Sporting CP
Joined: Manchester United
Date: November 2024
His second appearance on this list, Amorim left Sporting CP in November 2024 and signed a two-and-a-half-year contract at Manchester United.
United triggered the £8.4million release clause in his contract and also paid an extra £840,000 to secure his early release from a 30-day notice period that would have tied him to the Portuguese club until the start of December.
But he failed to turn things around in his first few months at Old Trafford, finishing 15th in the Premier League and losing the Europa League final to Tottenham.
“First of all, I want to apologise for this season,” Amorim told the United supporters. “I know you are really disappointed in me and in the team.”
7. Arne Slot – £9.4m
Left: Feyenoord
Joined: Liverpool
Date: June 2024
After Xabi Alonso decided to stay at Bayer Leverkusen, Slot emerged as the leading contender for the Liverpool job in the summer of 2024.
The 46-year-old spent three highly successful seasons at Feyenoord, during which he led them to an Eredivisie title and the KNVB Cup.
Liverpool spoke with Feyenoord and reached an agreement over an initial compensation fee of £7.7million but that could reach £9.4million with potential add-ons.
He led the Reds to their 20th league title in 2024/25, becoming just the fifth manager to win the Premier League in their first season.
5= Thomas Frank – £10m
Left: Brentford
Joined: Tottenham
Date: June 2025
Despite winning the Europa League and ending a 17-year trophy drought, Tottenham decided to sack Ange Postecoglou at the end of the 2024/25 season.
Frank immediately emerged as the top candidate for the job after earning widespread acclaim for his transformative work at Brentford.
The 51-year-old took over the Bees in 2018 and guided them from the Championship to a stable Premier League outfit during his seven years in charge.
Tottenham triggered the £10million release clause in his contract to secure his services, and he has put pen to paper on a three-year contract.
Thomas Frank could join Tottenham from Brentford
New Tottenham manager Thomas Frank
5= Enzo Maresca – £10m
Left: Leicester City
Joined: Chelsea
Date: June 2024
Maresca worked under Pep Guardiola at Manchester City before leading Leicester City to the Championship title in the 2023/24 campaign.
Chelsea identified the 44-year-old as the ideal manager to replace Mauricio Pochettino and they agreed to pay a £10million compensation fee to the Foxes.
He enjoyed a successful debut season at Stamford Bridge, securing a top-four finish in the Premier League before winning the Europa Conference League.
4. Vincent Kompany – £10.2m
Left: Burnley
Joined: Bayern Munich
Date: May 2024
Bayern Munich missed out on some of their top manager targets in 2024, including Xabi Alonso, Julian Nagelsmann and Ralf Rangnick.
They then switched their attention to Kompany, who led Burnley to the Championship title in 2022/23 but was unable to keep them in the Premier League in the following campaign.
While Burnley initially put a £17million price tag on the former Manchester City centre-back, they ultimately accepted Bayern’s offer of £10.2million.
The appointment raised a lot of eyebrows but Kompany defied the doubters and returned the Bundesliga title to Bayern Munich in 2024/25.
“Considering that he’s never worked in Germany and has only had two coaching positions before, he’s done an outstanding job,” Bayern honorary president Uli Hoeneß said.
“What particularly distinguishes him is his calmness, his intelligence, and how he deals with the media. He doesn’t let himself be provoked; he’s pretty much brought peace to FC Bayern in public. And that’s good for all of us.”
3. Andre Villas-Boas – £13.3m
Left: Porto
Joined: Chelsea
Date: June 2011
Villas-Boas was dubbed as the ‘next Jose Mourinho’ after guiding Porto to the domestic double and the Europa League title in the 2010/11 season.
The Portuguese coach followed in his compatriot’s footsteps by swapping Porto for Chelsea, who triggered the £13.3million release clause in his contract.
However, he was unable to replicate Mourinho’s success at Stamford Bridge and was sacked just nine months into his tenure.
Chelsea then hired Roberto Di Matteo, who went on to secure a historic FA Cup and Champions League double at the end of the 2011/12 season.
2. Graham Potter – £21.5m
Left: Brighton
Joined: Chelsea
Date: September 2022
Potter enjoyed a brilliant three-year spell at Brighton & Hove Albion, and he implemented an attractive style of football at the Amex Stadium.
The 50-year-old impressed Chelsea co-owners Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali and they hired him as Thomas Tuchel’s successor in September 2022.
While original reports suggested that Chelsea had triggered a £15million release clause in his Brighton contract, it’s since been revealed that the exact figure was £21.5million.
But he endured a difficult time in west London and failed to justify that price tag, winning just 12 of his 31 games in charge of the Blues.
Graham Potter during a training session at Cobham Training Centre, Surrey
1. Julian Nagelsmann – £21.7m
Left: RB Leipzig
Joined: Bayern Munich
Date: April 2021
During his spells with Hoffenheim and RB Leipzig, Nagelsmann forged a reputation as one of the world’s brightest young coaches.
Bayern Munich forked out £21.7million to land the then-33-year-old in 2021, making him the most expensive manager of all time.
Despite winning a Bundesliga title and two DFL-Super Cups in Munich, he was sacked in March 2023 after a poor run of results.
Bayern tried to rehire Nagelsmann at the end of the 2023/24 season, but he rejected their offer and signed a new contract with the German national team.
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