Finding an academy prospect and turning them into a world-beater may gradually become a lost skill due to the football world’s ever-increasing wealth. Clubs frequently enter the market and spend money for the best exploits available rather than sticking with academy prospects.
Without the mountains of money behind them, some of the greatest tacticians in sports history might not have achieved nearly half of the success they are credited with today. Financial support is clearly crucial to how teams perform once the summer and winter windows open for business.
The fact that players like Zinedine Zidane barely miss out on selection proves that astute expenditure can still result in enormous success both at home and in Europe.
During their managerial tenures, who managers have spent the most money? To compile a list, we turned to Transfermarkt, who had done the maths with their vast database. Read on to see if the coach at your team is regarded as one of football’s big spenders. There are also some intriguing additions and deletions!
The most expensive football managers in history
Rank
Name
Clubs
Titles
Players that were purchased
Spending transfers
One
Guardiola, Pep
3.
40
80
£1.9 billion
2.
Mourinho, Jose
11.
26
132
£1.6 billion
3.
Ancelotti, Carlo
11.
30
122
£1.5 billion
4.
Allegri, Massimiliano
9.
16
124
£1.18 billion
5.
Simeone, Diego
7.
11.
94
£1.18 billion
6.
Conte, Antonio
11.
10.
107
£1.11 billion
7.
Emery Unai
8.
11.
One hundred
£1.06 billion
8.
Pellegrini, Manuel
15.
11.
114
£1.05 billion
9.
Tuchel, Thomas
6.
11.
75
£1.04 billion
10.
Mauricio Pochettino
6.
3.
62
£959 million
11.
Klopp, Jurgen
3.
14
89
£950.7 million
Twelve
Jesus Jorge
19.
25
147
£875.3 million
13.
Luis Enrique
6.
13.
48
£822 million
14
Wenger, Arsene
4.
21
104
£816.8 million
15.
Ranieri, Claudio
22
Twelve
141
£803.9 million
16
Benitez Rafael
15.
13.
125
£774.7 million
17
Valverde, Ernesto
10.
11.
57
£772.7 million
18
Gasperini Gian Piero
6.
One
164
£748.7 million
19.
Nuno Espirito Santo
7.
3.
78
£747.4 million
20
Moyes, David
7.
3.
104
£722.2 million
20 David Moyes (£722.2 million; three titles)
David Moyes has had a strong managerial career spanning more than 20 years, despite never actually being a top-tier manager and his one attempt to be one with Manchester United ending quite horribly. He has also spent a significant sum of money over that time.
Although Moyes has managed for Preston North End and Everton over 15 of his 26 years, the majority of his substantial expenditures have been with the Red Devils and West Ham United. Even if he hasn’t won many trophies over the years, his record of making the priciest moves is quite remarkable.
The most costly acquisitions made by David Moyes
The player
Club
Fee
Mata Juan
United Manchester
€44.73 million
Kudus, Muhammad
United West Ham
€43 million
Pacqueta, Lucas
United West Ham
€42.95 million
Scamacca Gianluca
United West Ham
€38.6
Alvarez Edson
United West Ham
€38 million
19 Nuno Espirito Santo £747.4 million (after winning three titles)
Nuno Espirito Santo, a somewhat unexpected addition to our list, has spent a large sum of money over his managerial career. He has had enough of money to spend throughout stints at teams like Wolverhampton Wanderers, Tottenham Hotspur, Valencia, Porto, and now Nottingham Forest. In 2023, when it seemed like everyone in the division was spending like never before, he played for a short time in the Saudi Pro League.
Over the years, the current Forest management has added 78 players, including unknown possibilities like Fabio Silva and well-known players like Fabinho. He’s had mixed success with his business, it’s safe to say.
The priciest acquisitions made by Nuno Espirito Santo
The player
Club
Fee
Fabinho
Al-Ittihad
€46.7 million
Anderson, Elliot
Forest of Nottingham
€41.2 million
Silva Fabio
Wolves
€40 million
Jimenez Raul
Wolves
€38 million
Semedo, Nelson
Wolves
€32 million
18 Piero Gasperini, Gian, £748.7 million (one title won)
Over the years, Gian Piero Gasperini has managed a number of teams, but he has spent the most money and witnessed the most success with Atalanta. Throughout his career, the Italian has only won one trophy, and that was with the Serie A team. He signed players like Gianluca Scamacca, Jeremie Boga, and Charles De Ketelaere after being granted a lot of money to spend in Bergamo.
He has been in charge of Atalanta for eight years and has spent about £750 million on players overall. He has managed some highly exciting teams, and in the 2023–24 season, he finally won a trophy when his team defeated Bayer Leverkusen 3-0 in the Europa League final.
The most costly acquisitions made by Gian Piero Gasperini
The player
Club
Fee
Toure El Bilal
Atlanta
€29.1 million
Scamacca Gianluca
Atlanta
€25.6 million
Ederson
Atlanta
€22.9 million
Ketelaere Charles
Atlanta
€22.7 million
Boga Jeremie
Atlanta
€20 million
17 Ernesto Valverde (£772.7 million; 11 championships)
In Spain, Ernesto Valverde has established a successful coaching career. He has managed teams like Athletic Bilbao, Barcelona, and Villarreal during his managerial career, with the exception of two brief stints at Olympiacos. Nonetheless, he has devoted much of his time to the former.
Valverde, who is currently in his third stint with Bilbao, has no problem spending money whenever he feels the need to. Over the years, the 60-year-old has spent about £800 million on 57 players. Nobody should be surprised, however, that the majority of that expenditure occurred during his three years at Barcelona. But given his dismal history with big-name acquisitions, it’s probably best if he keeps an eye on the pennies going forward.
The most costly acquisitions made by Ernesto Valverde
The player
Club
Fee
Dembele Ousmane
Barcelona
€135 million
Coutinho, Philippe
Barcelona
£135 million
Griezmann, Antoine
Barcelona
€120 million
De Jong Frenkie
Barcelona
€86 million
Paulinho
Barcelona
€42 million
16 Rafael Benitez (£774.7 million; 13 championships)
Benitez has managed 125 new players during his tenure as head coach of 15 different clubs. Despite operating on a low budget for the majority of his six-year tenure in Merseyside, the Spaniard managed to build one of Liverpool’s finest Premier League teams.
As a result, his largest purchase at the club was a £26.5 million deal for Fernando Torres, who at the time became the club’s record signing. However, the move was undoubtedly successful. He has had a little more money to spend during stints at Real Madrid and Napoli than he did during his time at Anfield.
The priciest acquisitions made by Rafael Benitez
The player
Club
Fee
Higuain Gonzalo
Napoli
€39 million
Torres Fernando
Liverpool
€38 million
Kovacic, Mateo
Real Madrid
€38 million
Danilo
Real Madrid
€31.5 million
Keane Robbie
Liverpool
€24 million
15 Claudio Ranieri (£803.9 million; 12 championships)
Because of that league-defining season in which he led heavy outsiders Leicester City to the top while thwarting teams like Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur, and Manchester City, all of whom qualified for the Champions League in 2015–16, Claudio Ranieri will always be remembered in Premier League legend.
With a club composed of lesser-known players, he managed the unfathomable, but he has also made his share of high-profile moves, spending slightly over £800 million in his managerial career. In that regard, his tenure at Monaco and Chelsea was particularly productive, as he made most of his key deals there.
The priciest acquisitions made by Claudio Ranieri
The player
Club
Fee
Rodriguez, James
Monaco
€45 million
Falcao Radamel
Monaco
€43 million
Slimani, Islam
City of Leicester
€31 million
Crespo, Hernan
Chelsea
€26 million
Moutinho Joao
Monaco
€25 million
14 Arsene Wenger
£816.8 million (21 championships)
Thanks to his substantial investment, the Frenchman is frequently included in debates on who the greatest Premier League manager of all time is. Wenger has won 21 titles, including three Premier Leagues while he was at Arsenal. However, in the last years of his career in England, he was unable to duplicate his early success.
It would be interesting to see how players like Wenger would fare in the modern game and whether they could function quite successfully in the market when there is so much money being thrown around. After the Frenchman left the managerial game, times have changed and transfer fees have skyrocketed.
The priciest additions made by Arsene Wenger
The player
Club
Fee
The Aubameyang Pierre-Emerick
The Arsenal
€63.75 million
Lacazette, Alexandre
The Arsenal
53 million euros
Mesut Ozil
The Arsenal
€47 million
Xhaka Granit
The Arsenal
€45 million
Sanchez, Alexis
The Arsenal
€42.5 million
13Luis Enrique
£822m (13 titles won)
Luis Enrique has had the chance to manage some pretty significant clubs during his tenures with Roma, Barcelona, Spain, and now Paris Saint-Germain. As a result, he has been given some amazing transfer budgets. However, the Spaniard has spent the most money in his career during his current stay in France.
During his time at PSG, Enrique has spent a total of £822 million, hiring players including Manuel Ugarte, Joao Neves, and Ousmane Dembele. Additionally, he has signed gifted athletes like Samuel Umtiti and Bradley Barcola. He has won 13 trophies as a result of his successful transfer company.
The most costly acquisitions made by Luis Enrique
The player
Club
Fee
Muani, Randal Kolo
PSG
€95 million
Kvaratskhelia Khvicha
PSG
€70 million
Ugarte, Manuel
PSG
€60 million
Neves, Joao
PSG
€59.2 million
Dembele Ousmane
PSG
€50 million
12 Jorge Jesus (25 championships won) £875.3m
The 69-year-old is anticipated to be on this list, as 147 players have passed through during his time at 19 clubs. After beginning his career at Amora in 1990, he went on to coach Benfica and Sporting, becoming a managerial phenomenon in Portugal.
He was reappointed as head coach of Al-Hilal in the summer of 2023, and as the Middle Eastern wealthiest nations are eager to establish their dominance in the football world—as evidenced by their acquisition of Neymar—the total expenditure may increase. The fact that the five most costly acquisitions he has made in his management career have all occurred since he joined Al-Hilal last year is evidence of how much money he has to spend in Saudi Arabia.
The most costly signings for Jorge Jesus
The player
Club
Fee
Neymar
Al Hilal
€90 million
Malcom
Al Hilal
€60 million
Neves, Ruben
Al Hilal
€55 million
Aleksandar Mitrovic
Al Hilal
€52.6 million
Milinkovic-Savic, Sergej
Al Hilal
€40 million
11 Jurgen Klopp
£950.7m (winning 14 titles)
Having won both the Premier League and the Champions League since taking over in 2015, Jurgen Klopp is undoubtedly one of Liverpool’s finest managers ever. But he has spent a good deal of money. In his four years as manager, he has approved 89 new hires and spent £950 million.
In recent years, the German strategist has been entrusted with mingling with Manchester City, and he has performed admirably in spite of not having as much money to spare. The Reds will be hoping that Arne Slot, his replacement, does even half as well in the transfer market as he is leaving at the end of the 2023–2024 season.
Jurgen Klopp’s most costly acquisitions
The player
Club
Fee
Nunez, Darwin
Liverpool
€85 million
Van Dijk, Virgil
Liverpool
€84.65 million
Szoboszlai, Dominik
Liverpool
€70 million
Alisson
Liverpool
€62.5 million
Keita Naby
Liverpool
€60 million
10 Mauricio Pochettino £959 million (three championships)
With only three titles in his managerial career, Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino will reflect on his spending of over £1 billion and wonder where his money might have been better spent. Given that he was infamously underfunded during his tenure at Tottenham Hotspur, it may seem absurd to see how much money he has spent.
He is currently in charge of the US national team, so it appears that he won’t be adding to his total for some time to come. As a result, he may go down this list.
The most costly additions made by Mauricio Pochettino
The player
Club
Fee
Caicedo Moises
Chelsea
€116 million
Hakimi Achraf
PSG
€68 million
Lavia Romeo
Chelsea
€62.1 million
Ndombele Tanguy
Tottenham Hotspur
€62 million
Nkunku Christopher
Chelsea
€60 million
9 Thomas Tuchel £1.04 billion (winning 11 titles)
In addition to leading Chelsea and Bayern Munich, Thomas Tuchel, who is currently in charge of England, won the Champions League a few months after taking over at Stamford Bridge. Tuchel spent more over £250 million on new players to get ready for the 2022–2023 season, setting a new British record and possibly a precedent for those around them. This was the greatest money spent in a single transfer window.
Naturally, that included spending £97.5 million for Romelu Lukaku. Given that the Belgian was a complete failure at Stamford Bridge, nobody really wants that kind of transfer on their record. However, he can always take pride in the fact that he was the one who brought Kylian Mbappe to PSG.
The most costly acquisitions made by Thomas Tuchel
The player
Club
Fee
Mbappe Kylian
PSG
€180 million
Lukaku Romelu
Chelsea
€113 million
Kane, Harry
The Bayern Munich
€95 million
Fofana, Wesley
Chelsea
€80.4 million
Cucurella Marc
Chelsea
€65.3 million
8 Manuel Pellegrini (11 championships won) £1.05 billion
When the team started to turn into a well-oiled trophy-winning machine, the former Manchester City player was in charge. After Sheikh Mansour’s money-driven acquisition, City was now able to compete with their rivals and make significant, yet prudent, purchases. When you combine that spell with his tenure at Real Madrid, you can see that he was spending whatever cash he had on some of the biggest names in sports.
Although it’s unlikely that any club was able to match the amount the English team was spending when he was there, the Chilean became something of a journeyman in the world of football management and brought in 114 new players during his 15-club tenure as head coach.
The most costly acquisitions made by Manuel Pellegrini
The player
Club
Fee
Ronaldo Cristiano
Real Madrid
€94 million
De Bruyne, Kevin
City of Manchester
€76 million
Kaka
Real Madrid
€67 million
Sterling Raheem
City of Manchester
€63.7 million
Haller, Sebastian
United West Ham
€50 million
7.
Emery Unai
£1.06 billion (winning 11 titles)
Aston Villa’s strong league performance in 2023–2024 guaranteed them Champions League football for the current season, and its manager Emery was granted additional financial flexibility to strengthen his team over the summer. However, he has undoubtedly had enough of money while playing for other teams, including Arsenal, which is headquartered in north London.
The Spaniard did not practise cautious spending during his first two seasons as manager, spending over £200 million on new players who, regrettably, did not contribute much to the team’s success. Even though his third-most expensive acquisition, Moussa Diaby, only played one season at Villa before relocating to Saudi Arabia, he has had tremendous success in the transfer market throughout his time there.
The most costly additions made by Unai Emery
The player
Club
Fee
Neymar
Saint-Germain, Paris
€222 million
Pepe, Nicolas
The Arsenal
€80 million
Onana Amadou
Villa Aston
€59.35 million
Diaby Moussa
Villa Aston
€55 million
Maatsen, Ian
Villa Aston
€44.5 million
6 10 titles won, £1.11 billion for Antonio Conte
After a tense period at Tottenham Hotspur in north London, Antonio Conte is currently taking some much-needed time off from football, but his managerial prowess cannot be understated. However, his extravagant spending raises the question of how much of his success is truly due to his skill.
Since ending his playing career, he has worked for 11 different teams and directed the acquisition of 107 players, totalling £1 billion in spending. With nine titles under his belt, the spending has yielded some success, but not to the extent he probably desired.
Antonio Conte’s most costly acquisitions
The player
Club
Fee
Lukaku Romelu
Milan Inter
€74 million
Morata Alvaro
Chelsea
€66 million
Richarlison
Tottenham Hotspur
€58 million
Romero Cristiano
Tottenham Hotspur
€52 million
Hakimi Achraf
Milan Inter
€43 million
5 Diego Simeone (11 championships won) £1.18 billion
Diego Simeone, who is currently managing at Atletico Madrid, has only 11 trophies to show for his extravagant spending habits, having spent £1.18 billion on them. He may have hurt himself by being in the Spanish capital for so long, and it is obviously a tough order to defeat teams like Real Madrid and Barcelona, but he cannot hold financial limitations responsible for his meagre (in the big picture) prize haul.
He more than earned the right to occasionally go crazy in the transfer market, though, given how much money his team has gained from the sale of some of its top players over the years. In retrospect, it’s unfortunate that Joao Felix’s move was so bad.
Diego Simeone’s most costly acquisitions
The player
Club
Fee
Felix Joao
Real Madrid
€127.2 million
Suarez Luis
Real Madrid
€81.72 million
Alvarez Julian
Real Madrid
€75 million
Lemar, Thomas
Real Madrid
€72 million
Diego Costa
Real Madrid
€60 million
4 Allegri, Massimiliano
£1.18 billion (16 wins)
Massimiliano Allegri has been Juventus’ head coach since 2014, despite taking a two-year break from management from 2019 to 2021. However, he did have time at other teams before his remarkable tenure with the Old Lady. The Italian has won 16 trophies and brought 124 new players to his teams since he decided to become a manager, spending an incredible £1.18 billion.
Given that his five most costly acquisitions all occurred during his stints with Juventus, with widely disparate degrees of success overall, it is evident where he spent the most of his money. In retrospect, it may not have been the best idea to spend £100 million on an elderly Ronaldo.
The most costly acquisitions made by Massimiliano Allegri
The player
Club
Fee
Ronaldo Cristiano
Juventus
€117 million
Higuain Gonzalo
Juventus
€90 million
Vlahovic, Dusan
Juventus
€83.5 million
Bremer
Juventus
€46.9 million
Chiesa Federico
Juventus
€44.6 million
3 Carlo Ancelotti (30 championships won) £1.5 billion
Given that Carlo Ancelotti is among the top three managers of all time in terms of his total spending, his nickname, “Don Carlo,” undoubtedly extends beyond his transfer window activities. The well-seasoned 64-year-old has led a variety of teams, including Everton, Chelsea, AC Milan, and Bayern Munich.
He presently has a lot of money because he is the manager of Real Madrid, a European powerhouse. Since he has spent almost £1.5 billion on 122 players, the same can be said, in part, of his management career. His acquisition of Jude Bellingham last summer was the most costly in his career, although the remainder of his extravagant expenditure has been spread throughout two stints at the Bernabeu.
Carlo Ancelotti’s most costly acquisitions
The player
Club
Fee
Bellingham, Jude
Real Madrid
€113 million
Bale, Gareth
Real Madrid
€101 million
Tchouameni Aurelien
Real Madrid
€80 million
Rodriguez, James
Real Madrid
€75 million
Torres Fernando
Chelsea
€58.5 million
2Jose Mourinho
£1.6bn (26 titles won)
Jose Mourinho, the charismatic manager, has managed several elite European clubs, including Chelsea, Real Madrid, and Manchester United. He has won 26 titles at nearly every club he has managed. The renowned manager made them a formidable force even at Porto, who are not in the same league as the three players described above.
He has spent an astounding £1.6 billion on 132 players across the nine clubs he has managed in order to assist with that. He will undoubtedly complete his career as one of the greatest managers to ever grace the game, whether you like him or not.
The most costly acquisitions made by Jose Mourinho
The player
Club
Fee
Pogba, Paul
United Manchester
€105 million
Lukaku Romelu
United Manchester
€84.7 million
Fred
United Manchester
€59 million
Matic Nemanja
United Manchester
€44.7 million
Shevchenko, Andriy
Chelsea
€43.8 million
1 Pep Guardiola (£1.9 billion; 40 championships)
Pep Guardiola, the manager of Manchester City, is ranked first, but his extravagant spending also includes his time at Barcelona and Bayern Munich. One may argue that the money spent has been wisely spent because the flamboyant Spaniard has won 40 titles in his five teams as manager.
Large expenditures should always yield rewards, and in this instance, they have. However, this isn’t true for all of the major players in the transfer market. That being said, not all of them signed guys like Rodri and Ruben Dias. Guardiola may be the most expensive person in history, but he has the trophy cabinet to prove it.
The most costly acquisitions made by Pep Guardiola
The player
Club
Fee
Grealish, Jack
City of Manchester
€117.5 million
Gvardiol, Josko
City of Manchester
€90 million
Marmoush Omar
City of Manchester
€75 million
Dias Ruben
City of Manchester
€71.6 million
Rodri
City of Manchester
€70 million
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