The most expensive football managers of all time: New Man Utd boss Ruben Amorim in 7th…

Ruben Amorim, Julian Nagelsmann and Arne Slot

Ruben Amorim, Julian Nagelsmann and Arne Slot all cost a lot of money

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 Premier League clubs account for six 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. Jose Mourinho – £6.8m

Having won trophies at Porto, Chelsea and Inter Milan, Mourinho established himself as one of the best managers in the world.

Real Madrid outlined their intention to hire the Portuguese coach in the summer of 2010, but they refused to trigger the £13.6million release clause in his Inter contract.

A £6.8million agreement was finally reached after a meeting between Real president Florentino Perez and his Inter counterpart Massimo Moratti.

The self-proclaimed ‘Special One’ won a Copa del Rey title in his debut season at Madrid before lifting La Liga in 2011/12, but he was sacked after a trophyless third season.

9. Ruben Amorim – £8.4m

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.

8. Brendan Rodgers – £8.8m

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.

7. Ruben Amorim – £9.24m

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.

“I feel ready for the new challenge,” the 39-year-old said after his last game at Sporting. “I’m not naive, I know that it’s going to be very different, very tough, but I feel that I am ready.

“I’m at peace now. I can focus on my new job, and I’m looking forward to starting.”

Ruben Amorim, Sporting, April 2023
Manager Ruben Amorim overseeing Sporting match from sidelines

6. Arne Slot – £9.4m

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’s made a brilliant start to his tenure, becoming the first Liverpool manager to win eight of his first 10 top-flight league games.

5. Enzo Maresca – £10m

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 Pochettinho and they agreed to pay a £10million compensation fee to the Foxes.

He has overseen a good start to life in west London and won the Premier League Manager of the Month award in September 2024.

“The way we prepare for games is second to none,” Levi Colwill said. “We know everything we’re going to do going into games. We’ve got videos. And if there’s any other things that you need to know, like I said, you just ask him [Maresca], and he’ll give you the answers.

“You can have that a conversation with him to why he’s doing that, and I think that’s what makes him a top, top manager, and that’s why he’s going to take the team to new heights.”

4. Vincent Kompany – £10.2m

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 38-year-old, they ultimately accepted Bayern’s offer of £10.2million.

The appointment raised a lot of eyebrows but Kompany has started to silenced his doubters by making a strong start to life in the Bundesliga.

3. Andre Villas-Boas – £13.3m

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

Potter earned widespread plaudits for his work with Brighton & Hove Albion, and he implemented an attractive style of football at the Amex Stadium.

The 49-year-old also 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

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 the summer of 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.

READ MORE: Six Man Utd players who could benefit from Ruben Amorim being appointed as next manager

Julian Nagelsmann Ruben Amorim Arne Slot

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