The increase in player transfer costs has drawn a lot of attention—and occasionally criticism—from football fans throughout the twenty-first century. It has been neglected, however, that hiring managers now also come with hefty fees. Previously regarded as the unsung heroes of a team, coaches now receive the same respect and recognition for their accomplishments as the athletes they oversee.
As a result, teams have spent a lot of money merely to recruit well-known managers, whether from the Premier League or elsewhere, hoping that they will guide their teams to success. Some managers who have demanded high sums to guarantee their arrival have been well worth the money, but not all of them have been successful. With a few of recent additions joining the list, the Mirror’s 2024 list of the ten most costly executive hires ever made is fascinating to read.
15Maurizio Sarri
Napoli to Chelsea – £5m
Even though the top three players on this list are all tied, we’ll start with the most recent, Maurizio Sarri’s 2018 transfer from Napoli to Chelsea. The Blues acquired the Italian to replace Antonio Conte at Stamford Bridge for £5 million. They went above and beyond to select someone they believed could succeed the former Tottenham Hotspur manager, who had a fantastic two years in England, winning the Premier League and FA Cup with Chelsea.
That was Sarri, but the 65-year-old’s situation didn’t exactly work out. He only played in London for one season, and he never really clicked with the club’s management. But at least they got something for their money because he did win a Europa League with the Blues in that one season.
The record of Maurizio Sarri at Chelsea
Played games
63
Winning games
40
Drawn games
11.
Games lost
Twelve
The percentage of wins
63.49%
Honors received
The Europa League
14Ronald Koeman
Southampton to Everton – £5m
Ronald Koeman was lured away from St Mary’s and hired as manager of Everton after the Toffees spent £5 million to obtain his services. Koeman had spent two successful seasons with Southampton, leading them to European competition. After years of knocking on the door, the Merseyside club was expected to make the move that would propel them to the next level and allow them to join the Premier League elite.
However, things didn’t exactly turn out that way, and Koeman’s time at Goodison Park was ultimately disastrous. He departed the squad a little more than a year later, and he was out of management for a few months before joining the Netherlands national team. Well and completely wasted £5 million.
Ronald Koeman’s record at Everton
Played games
58
Winning games
24
Drawn games
14
Games lost
20
The percentage of wins
41.38%
Honors received
0
13Brendan Rodgers
Swansea City to Liverpool – £5m
Brendan Rodgers was known for the amazing football his team played when Swansea City was first promoted to the Premier League. They played excellent football and surprised everyone by finishing comfortably above the relegation zone. Liverpool spent £5 million to lure him to Anfield a year later because of that.
Even though the Northern Irishman never took home any hardware during his three-and-a-half years at Anfield, it was nevertheless a respectable stint. He narrowly missed leading the Reds to their first Premier League victory, but they faltered in the last minutes, and Manchester City won the trophy instead.
The Liverpool record of Brendan Rodgers
Played games
166
Winning games
85
Drawn games
39
Games lost
42
The percentage of wins
51.20%
Honors received
0
12Jose Mourinho
FC Porto to Chelsea – £5.2m
Without a question, Jose Mourinho’s appointment at Chelsea is the best deal on this list in terms of the success they brought to the clubs who recruited them. The Blues paid £5.2 million to sign the Special One in 2004, and they definitely got their money’s worth. He came with a great reputation after winning a Champions League championship with Porto.
Chelsea won their first league title in fifty years under the Portuguese coach, and they won another one the following year. In addition to winning two league titles, he also won an FA Cup, a Community Shield, and two League Cups during his first three years as manager at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea’s performance under Jose Mourinho
Played games
185
Winning games
124
Drawn games
38
Games lost
23
The percentage of wins
67.03%
Honors received
One FA Cup, two League Cups, two Premier Leagues, and one Community Shield
11Jose Mourinho
Inter Milan to Real Madrid – £6.9m
Chelsea wasn’t the only team prepared to shell out a lot of money to hire Mourinho. Real Madrid followed suit a few years later, spending £6.9 million to entice the Special One to the Bernabeu from Inter Milan. It was now clear that he had a history of turning teams into elite ones.
However, Mourinho’s success wasn’t nearly as lavish as many had anticipated because his tenure as Los Blancos’ manager coincided with Barcelona’s rise to prominence as one of the world’s best teams. Nevertheless, he guided Madrid to a Copa del Rey and a La Liga championship, so he at least brought some hardware home.
Real Madrid’s record under Jose Mourinho
Played games
178
Winning games
127
Drawn games
28
Games lost
23
The percentage of wins
71.34%
Honors received
One Liga, one Copa del Rey, and one Supercopa de Espana
10Ruben Amorim
Braga to Sporting Lisbon – £8.6m
Ruben Amorim, the second manager on this list with many appearances, was hardly recognizable when Sporting Lisbon paid around £9 million to acquire him from Braga in 2020. He had only been a manager for two years before that, so the Portuguese club’s willingness to pay so much for him already is a credit to the amazing work he had previously done.
During his four years at Sporting, he won numerous titles and gained recognition from some of the world’s top clubs, further solidifying his image as a top-tier manager. Following Jurgen Klopp’s departure, he was briefly linked to the Liverpool position; however, Manchester United ultimately made an approach and spent even more to get him than Sporting had done years earlier.
The Sporting Lisbon record of Ruben Amorim
Played games
228
Winning games
162
Drawn games
33
Games lost
33
The percentage of wins
71.0 percent
Honors received
One Supertaca Candido de Oliveira, two Primeira Liga, and two Taca da Liga
9Brendan Rodgers
Celtic to Leicester City – £8.8m
When Brendan Rodgers’ tenure at Liverpool ended, the Northern Irishman relocated to Celtic and promptly restored his reputation as one of the game’s top managers. Leicester City made a huge financial investment to lure him back to England as a result. The Foxes were eager to improve on their Premier League victory from less than three years prior.
As a result, they spent £8.8 million on Rodgers at the beginning of 2019 and got along well. During his tenure with the team, the former Celtic manager guided Leicester to an FA Cup and a Community Shield and consistently had them in the top half of the standings. He departed the Foxes in April 2023, just before they were demoted to the Championship, however, after four years when things went south.
The Leicester City record of Brendan Rodgers
Played games
204
Winning games
96
Drawn games
37
Games lost
71
The percentage of wins
47.05%
Honors received
One FA Cup and one Community Shield
8Ruben Amorim
Sporting Lisbon to Manchester United – £9.2m
Amorim’s second entry on this list following his November 2024 agreement to join Manchester United from Sporting. Only a few months into the 2024–25 season, the Red Devils removed Erik ten Hag of his managing responsibilities. They moved swiftly, announcing the 39-year-old’s appointment in five days. According to reports, United paid Sporting £9.2 million to sign the highly regarded young coach.
Amorim has not had a great start to life at Old Trafford. The Red Devils lost to Tottenham in the Europa League final and finished 15th in the Premier League standings at the end of his first season as manager. But before the 2025–2026 season begins, the Portuguese strategist will have the chance to reassemble his team.
The Manchester United record of Ruben Amorim
Played games
42
Winning games
17
Drawn games
8.
Games lost
17
The percentage of wins
40.48%
Honors received
N/A
7Arne Slot
Feyenoord to Liverpool – £9.4m
Early in 2024, Jurgen Klopp declared his decision to quit Liverpool, and the club began searching for a qualified replacement. They eventually found Arne Slot in Feyenoord as a result of that search. While leading the Eredivisie team to a league championship and a league cup, the Dutchman made an impression.
Shortly after the 2023–24 season concluded, he made the move, although it wasn’t an inexpensive one. The coach was reportedly hired by the Reds for £9.4 million, making him the sixth most expensive manager in history. Slot has surpassed all expectations in his first season as manager of Anfield, leading Liverpool to their second-ever Premier League title, even though victory isn’t always assured.
The Liverpool record of Arne Slot
Played games
56
Winning games
38
Drawn games
9.
Games lost
9.
The percentage of wins
67.86 percent
Honors received
One Premier League
6Enzo Maresca
Leicester City to Chelsea – £10m
Enzo Maresca earned his way onto Chelsea’s radar after leading Leicester City back to the Premier League at the first attempt. The Blues were ready to sign him and entice him away from the Midlands when they fired Mauricio Pochettino. The former Manchester City coach was the perfect fit for the Stamford Bridge position because of the appealing and spacious style of football he played with the Foxes.
Maresca was so sought after by Chelsea that they paid Leicester an estimated £10 million to get him to the club, making him the seventh most expensive manager in history. Under Todd Boehly’s leadership, the manager joined an increasing number of coaches who have taken over at Stamford Bridge, but he has jumped right in and things are looking well so far.
The Chelsea record of Enzo Maresca
Played games
57
Winning games
35
Drawn games
9.
Games lost
13.
The percentage of wins
61.40%
Honors received
One Europa Conference League
5Thomas Frank
Brentford to Tottenham – £10m
Only a few weeks after the Australian coach’s Europa League victory, Tottenham abruptly fired Ange Postecoglou, raising eyebrows. However, Thomas Frank, the highly regarded Danish coach who had been leading the Bees since 2018, was able to sign a contract with Spurs chairman Daniel Levy. Fabrizio Romano claims that the agreement has cost Tottenham a staggering £10 million.
Although Frank, 51, seems like a huge coup for Tottenham, it remains to be seen how well he will perform at a team where many managers have failed in recent decades. In the 2025–2026 season, Tottenham might pose a danger if Levy can assist Frank in acquiring his top transfer targets.
The Brentford record of Thomas Frank
Played games
370
Winning games
156
Drawn games
94
Games lost
120
The percentage of wins
42.16%
Honors received
Playoffs for the EFL Championship
4Vincent Kompany
Burnley to Bayern Munich – £10.2m
Vincent Kompany was reputedly made the fourth most expensive manager in history by Bayern Munich, who paid £10.2 million to entice him from Lancashire to the Bundesliga, despite Burnley’s Premier League relegation at the end of the 2023–24 season.
Although it significantly harmed Burnley’s hopes of remaining in the English Premier League, his reputation as an exciting young coach endured regardless of what transpired with the Clarets at the end of the season. He is known for the beautiful football his teams play. At the time, switching from Thomas Tuchel, a manager who had won the Champions League, to Kompany seemed like a big risk, yet the Belgian has won the Bundesliga in his first season as manager.
The record of Vincent Kompany for Bayern Munich
Played games
51
Winning games
35
Drawn games
9.
Games lost
7.
The percentage of wins
68.63%
Honors received
One Bundesliga.
3Andre Villas-Boas
FC Porto to Chelsea – £13.3m
A young Portuguese coach is coming to Chelsea at a hefty price after experiencing unquestionable success with FC Porto. Where else have we heard that? In 2011, the Blues spent £13.3 million to get Andre Villas-Boas from Porto, but their bet didn’t pay off even half as well the second time.
The manager would start a long-term project at Stamford Bridge and was considered one of the top up-and-coming coaches in the sport. Sadly, things didn’t work out that way, as he was fired after just 40 games in command following a terrible run throughout the first half of the season. The spell is currently regarded as one of Chelsea’s worst hiring ever.
Chelsea’s Andre Villas-Boas record
Played games
40
Winning games
20
Drawn games
10.
Games lost
10.
The percentage of wins
50 percent
Honors received
0
2Graham Potter
Brighton to Chelsea – £21.5m
Graham Potter, from one terrible Chelsea endeavor to another, was a lot like Villas-Boas. When the Blues spent £21.5 million on the Englishman in 2022, it was viewed as an exciting addition to Stamford Bridge, and he was highly regarded for his work with Brighton & Hove Albion.
The club was going through a transition, and it appeared that he would be the ideal candidate to lead them into a new age under Todd Boehly. Rather, he was unable to produce results immediately, and the Blues suffered greatly during his brief tenure as manager. Potter was fortunately fired after just 31 games in charge, during which he only managed 12 victories, and he hasn’t managed again since. A complete waste of £21.5 million.
The Chelsea record of Graham Potter
Played games
31
Winning games
Twelve
Drawn games
8.
Games lost
11.
The percentage of wins
38.70 percent
Honors received
0
1Julian Nagelsmann
RB Leipzig to Bayern Munich – £21.7m
Unfortunately, the most costly manager in history is also someone whose hiring process didn’t go as planned. During his tenure at RB Leipzig, Julian Nagelsmann rose to become one of the world’s most sought-after young managers. Most people believed that he would quickly rise to become one of the biggest and most successful managers in the world. For this reason, Bayern Munich paid £21.7 million to get him from their Bundesliga rivals.
He was the most costly hire ever made, yet the team opted to fire him after less than two years of service. Even so, he managed to win a league championship and two Super Cups during that time. However, it would have been more difficult to lose to Bayern than to win. Since then, he has led the German national team, and Thomas Tuchel, his successor, was fired as well.
The record of Julian Nagelsmann for Bayern Munich
Played games
84
Winning games
60
Drawn games
14
Games lost
10.
The percentage of wins
71.42%
Honors received
Bundesliga thrice and the DFL Supercup twice
The top 15 most costly managers in history
Supervisor
Former group
A new group
Paid fee
1. Nagelsmann, Julian
RB Leipzig
The Bayern Munich
£21.7 million
2. Potter, Graham
Brighton
Chelsea
£21.5 million
3. Villas-Boas, Andre
Porto FC
Chelsea
£13.3 million
4. Kompany, Vincent
Burnley
The Bayern Munich
£10.2 million
5. Frank Thomas
Brentford
Tottenham
£10 million
6. Maresca Enzo
City of Leicester
Chelsea
£10 million
7. Slot Arne
The Feyenoord
Liverpool
£9.4 million
8. Amorim Ruben
Playing CP
United Manchester
£9.2 million
9. Rodgers, Brendan
Celtic
Leicester
£8.8 million
10. Amorim Ruben
Braga
Lisbon Sporting
£8.6 million
11. Mourinho, Jose
Milan Inter
Real Madrid
£6.9 million
12. Mourinho, Jose
Porto FC
Chelsea
£5.2 million
13 = Brendan Rodgers
City of Swansea
Liverpool
£5 million
13 = Ronald Koeman
Southampton
Everton
£5 million
13 = Maurizio Sarri
Napoli
Chelsea
£5 million
xz
