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Liam Rosenior has been sacked as Chelsea manager and is reportedly set for a £24m golden handshake – but which other managers have received the biggest payoffs in football history?
21:27, 22 Apr 2026
An individual donning a black jacket and eyeglasses, exuding a confident demeanor while standing on a sports field, possibly engaged in the observation of an ongoing event.
Rosenior has been sacked by the Blues after just 3 months (Image: AFP via Getty Images)
Need to know: Chelsea's £111m managerial sacking spree makes them world's most expensive axe-wielders
Chelsea's trigger-happy owners have blown a staggering £111 million on sacking managers - making them the most expensive club in the world for managerial pay-outs.
Liam Rosenior's recent £24 million golden handshake after just five games without a win takes the Blues to 24 managers in two decades. The eye-watering sum puts him second only to Antonio Conte's record-breaking £26 million payout in 2018.
No other football club comes close to Chelsea's spending spree on firing bosses, with six of the top 12 highest ever pay-outs going to Blues managers. Thomas Tuchel and Graham Potter cost £13 million each, while Jose Mourinho pocketed £18 million back in 2007.
But Chelsea aren't alone in their costly sacking habits - Manchester United splashed £19.6 million to get rid of Mourinho in 2018, while Spurs paid £16 million to boot him out again in 2021.
International teams have also felt the pinch, with Saudi Arabia paying Roberto Mancini £16.7 million after disappointing World Cup qualifying results. Russia's £13.4 million payout to Fabio Capello sparked fury, with politician Vladimir Zhirinovsky branding him "a thief".
Real Madrid and PSG have also dug deep, spending £9 million and £17 million respectively on managerial dismissals. The nationalist politician Oleg Pakholkov slammed Capello, saying he "wanted to hoover up bundles of cash for his retirement."
With interim boss Callum McFarlane now in charge at Stamford Bridge, Chelsea fans will be hoping the revolving door finally stops spinning.
READ THE FULL STORY: Biggest 'golden handshakes' given to sacked football managers as Rosenior 'paid £24m'
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