Tottenham Hotspur are set to spend one of the largest fees ever paid for a manager to get Thomas Frank from Brentford. But where does Frank rank among appointments made by the likes of Real Madrid and Manchester United?
It’s often said that the most important figure at any football club is the manager, but you wouldn’t think that when you look at the finances involved.
The fees exchanged between clubs when it comes to managers making the switch are a tiny fraction of the astronomical amounts paid for the world’s top players.
That’s begun to change in recent years, with it becoming increasingly commonplace for clubs to spend big to land top coaches. Here are the most expensive fees paid for managers in history.
9. Jose Mourinho
Mourinho’s career peaked in 2010 after leading Inter to their first and only Treble. Knocking Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona off their European perch made him extra appealing to Real Madrid president Florentino Perez.
The biggest name going at the time, the Portuguese coach had masterminded the Champions League semi-final victory over Barcelona, which denied Real’s old rivals the opportunity to win the trophy at the Santiago Bernabeu.
After Inter’s celebrations, Mourinho stayed in the Spanish capital to sign for the club.
Perez announced Mourinho’s arrival as “this year’s Galactico” – a reasonably-priced one at just €8million.
Sparks were guaranteed to fly.
READ: ‘We’re the best, f*ck you’: The story of Barca & Real’s four Clasicos in 18 days
8. Ruben Amorim
Former Benfica midfielder Amorim, who was capped 14 times for Portugal, went straight into coaching after retiring in his early 30s.
He didn’t need long in charge of Braga (less than three months) to convince Sporting Lisbon to pay out €10million for his signature back in March 2020.
He’d miraculously led Braga to 10 wins from his 13 games in charge, but the hasty appointment raised eyebrows across Portugal.
However, it turned out to be an absolute masterstroke. Amorim led Sporting to their first league title in 19 years in 2020-21.
He knocked Arsenal out of the Europa League, led Sporting to a second league title and established himself as one of Europe’s top young coaches…
7. Ruben Amorim
This attracted the attention of Manchester United, who had sacked Erik ten Hag in October 2024.
United paid the same €10million release clause to get Amorim immediately, when the man himself preferred to join the club in the summer.
Considering United’s woeful performances last season, perhaps the Portuguese would’ve been wise to stick to his instincts. The jury remains out.
6. Brendan Rodgers
Rodgers turned his back on the chance to complete a Treble-Treble at Celtic and potentially lead the club to 10 titles in a row when he jumped ship to join Leicester City midway through the 2018-19 season.
The move set Leicester back €10.5million, but the fee has been made to look a bargain as Rodgers transformed the uninspiring unit under Claude Puel into a vibrant side that almost secured Champions League qualification for two years in succession.
Celtic completed their Treble-Treble, and even added a fourth Treble for good measure, but fell apart with 10 in a row on the line.
He’s since returned to Celtic Park, replacing Ange Postecoglou, and has once again led them to the league title.
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5. Thomas Frank
Spurs are poised to pay Frank’s £10.million (€11.8million) release clause to appoint the Dane as successor to Ange Postecoglou.
Frank has established himself as one of the most respected managers in the top flight since leading Brentford to promotion from the Championship in 2021.
They have steered clear of relegation battles and finished 10th last season, but funds are tight at Brentford and Frank is eager to test himself at a more high profile club.
4. Vincent Kompany
Bayern Munich paid Burnley €12million in compensation for Kompany in the summer of 2024.
It was a very big call, given the Clarets won five Premier League matches in all of 2023-24 and ended up relegated.
But the former Manchester City and Belgium captain regained the Bundesliga title in his first season in charge.
3. Andre Villas-Boas
In 2011, Chelsea paid Porto €15million to land the ‘mini-Mourinho’ in the hope of replicating Jose’s success at Stamford Bridge.
Nine months later, the Blues were paying Villas-Boas a cool £11million not to manage them after a run of three wins in 12 Premier League fixtures.
Despite the costly affair, Chelsea still ended the season as European champions under the caretaker management of Robert Di Matteo.
Reflecting on Villas-Boas’ reign, Frank Lampard told The Sun in 2014: “AVB had played his cards and it hadn’t worked. I don’t know if he was too young or whether it had come too early for him.”
Sounds familiar.
Andre-Villas-Boas-Jose-Mourinho-Chelsea
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2. Julian Nagelsmann
Bayern Munich were required to pay up to €25million – a world-record fee by some distance at the time – to RB Leipzig for Nagelsmann’s services in 2021.
The hottest young property in European coaching had been linked with the job at the Allianz Arena when Carlo Ancelotti was sacked back in September 2017, when he was just 30 years old and still making a name for himself at Hoffenheim.
Bayern ended up going down a different track, while Nagelsmann’s stock has continued to rise at RB Leipzig, which made Bayern poach him in time-honoured fashion.
The 35-year-old led Bayern to a 10th successive Premier League title, but Champions League elimination to Villarreal left a sour taste.
Year two saw questionable results and performances, which resulted in him being sacked and replaced by Thomas Tuchel for the run-in.
His successor just above saw them over the line to pip Borussia Dortmund to the league title, but he was unable to give them a major uptick in results and has now himself been ousted. Good luck, Vinny.
1. Graham Potter
Original reports suggested that Chelsea paid Brighton £15million to activate Potter’s release clause, handing him a five-year deal worth £12million per season.
However, it’s since been revealed in Brighton’s 2021-22 accounts that Todd Boehly actually sanctioned £21.5million for Potter’s services. Journalist Nizaar Kinsella notes that it’s a world-record compensation fee for a coach.
Potter lasted less than a full season in charge. Not the wisest use of funds.