The Premier League’s All-Time 10 Most Expensive Managers Hired
Updated: Sep 14
When Big Clubs Break The Bank For The Man In The Dugout
We're well past the days of quietly promoting the assistant coach or waiting for someone to fall out of work. These days, if a Premier League club wants a particular manager, they're prepared to write a serious cheque to get him.
Sometimes, that means paying another club millions simply to release their manager from his contract. Seriously. Some of these fees are bigger than what clubs used to spend on entire squads.
The Premier League has seen some enormous managerial compensation deals over the years, with Chelsea featuring more than once and Manchester United and Liverpool also making the list.
So, who are the most expensive managers ever hired by Premier League clubs?
Here Are the Premier League's 10 Most Expensive Manager Hires of All Time
10. Ronald Koeman – Everton: £5 Million
Everton fancied some Dutch experience in 2016 when they decided Ronald Koeman was the man to take them forward. The Toffees agreed a compensation package of around £5 million with Southampton for Koeman and members of his coaching staff.
It looked like a sensible appointment at first. Koeman had guided Southampton to consecutive top-seven Premier League finishes and European football, so Everton were getting a manager who already knew the league.
His first season brought a seventh-place finish and Europa League qualification, but things unravelled quickly during his second campaign.
By October 2017, Koeman had been dismissed after a disastrous run of form.
£5 million was a sizeable fee at the time, and Everton certainly didn't get the long-term project they were hoping for.
9. Maurizio Sarri – Chelsea: More Than £5 Million
Chelsea's decision to bring Maurizio Sarri to Stamford Bridge in 2018 required compensation to be paid to Napoli. The figure was reported at around £5 million, with the final amount understood to be slightly above that figure.
Sarri arrived in England with a reputation for possession-based football and a very particular tactical philosophy. His first season was actually a pretty successful one.
Chelsea finished third in the Premier League and won the Europa League, giving Sarri the first major trophy of his managerial career. Yet his time in west London lasted only one season.
Sarri returned to Italy to take charge of Juventus, meaning Chelsea's expensive managerial appointment turned into a remarkably short stay. Still, winning a European trophy means his spell was hardly a complete disaster.
8. José Mourinho – Chelsea: £5.2 Million
Now, this was money well spent. In 2004, Chelsea paid Porto £5.2 million to bring in José Mourinho after the Portuguese manager had stunned Europe by winning the Champions League.
The Special One arrived at Stamford Bridge with enormous expectations, but he quickly proved that the hype was justified.
Mourinho delivered Chelsea's first league title in 50 years during his debut season, before leading them to another Premier League title the following campaign.
The move helped launch one of the most successful periods in Chelsea's history. And when you compare the £5.2 million compensation fee with what Mourinho achieved, it looks like one of the better managerial investments on this list.
7. Thomas Frank – Tottenham Hotspur: £6.7 Million
Tottenham turned to Thomas Frank in 2025 after his impressive work at Brentford. The initial reports suggested Spurs could have to pay more than £10 million to release him from Brentford, particularly because Frank was expected to bring members of his coaching staff with him.
The final figure turned out to be lower. Brentford's accounts revealed that Tottenham paid £6.7 million in compensation for Frank and members of his coaching staff.
Frank's spell at Tottenham did not last as long as either club would have wanted. He was dismissed after eight months.
That makes his place on this list particularly interesting. Spurs paid millions to prise him away from Brentford, only to find themselves paying further compensation when the experiment ended.
6. Brendan Rodgers – Leicester City: £8.8 Million
After rebuilding his reputation at Celtic, Brendan Rodgers was brought back to English football by Leicester City in 2019. Leicester paid Celtic £8.8 million to secure Rodgers and his coaching team. It initially looked like excellent business.
Rodgers guided Leicester to consecutive fifth-place Premier League finishes and delivered the club's first FA Cup in 2021. There was also a Community Shield victory, while Leicester regularly competed near the top end of the Premier League.
But the final chapter was much less impressive. Rodgers was dismissed in 2023 with Leicester struggling near the relegation places, and the club were eventually relegated.
Still, an FA Cup and European football made Rodgers one of the managers on this list who can make a pretty good argument that his fee was money well spent.
5. Arne Slot – Liverpool: Up to £9.4 Million
When Jürgen Klopp left Liverpool, the club needed a manager capable of taking over one of the biggest jobs in European football. They settled on Feyenoord's Arne Slot.
Liverpool agreed a compensation package worth up to £9.4 million, consisting of an initial £7.7 million payment plus potential add-ons.
Slot arrived with a strong reputation after winning the Eredivisie with Feyenoord and developing an attractive, possession-based style. Replacing Klopp was never going to be easy, but Slot quickly showed why Liverpool were willing to pay a significant fee to get him.
His appointment also represents an important change in the modern Premier League managerial market. Clubs are increasingly prepared to pay substantial compensation for coaches who are still under contract rather than waiting for them to become available.
These 10 Arne Slot facts from childhood provide more insight into the Liverpool boss.
4. Enzo Maresca – Chelsea: Around £10 Million
Chelsea once again appear among the biggest spenders when it comes to managerial appointments. After leading Leicester City back to the Premier League, Enzo Maresca became Chelsea's choice to replace Mauricio Pochettino.
Leicester were seeking around £8 million to £10 million in compensation, and the final package was reported at roughly £10 million, with several members of Maresca's coaching staff also moving to Stamford Bridge. It was another big investment in a relatively young coach.
Maresca had only one season of senior management in England before Chelsea came calling, but his promotion campaign with Leicester had clearly convinced the Blues that he was worth the gamble.
His Chelsea spell also produced tangible success, including European qualification and a Conference League triumph.
The situation changed further when Maresca resigned during his second season at the club and eventually took the job at Manchester City.
However, the initial compensation payment remains one of the largest ever paid by a Premier League club to hire a manager.
3. Rúben Amorim – Manchester United: £11 Million
Manchester United's decision to replace Erik ten Hag with Rúben Amorim came with a significant price tag. United paid Sporting CP £11 million to bring Amorim and members of his coaching staff to Old Trafford in 2024.
Amorim had built an impressive reputation in Portugal, winning major trophies with Sporting and developing a clear tactical identity. United clearly believed they had found the manager capable of leading a new era at the club. Unfortunately, it didn't work out.
Amorim's reign lasted only 14 months before United dismissed him. His eventual departure also created a much larger financial cost for the club, with United confirming that the total liability associated with his dismissal and coaching staff could reach almost £16 million.
But for this ranking, we're looking specifically at the £11 million appointment compensation, not the subsequent cost of ending his tenure.
2. André Villas-Boas – Chelsea: £13.3 Million
Chelsea were clearly willing to spend big on managerial talent long before the modern era of record-breaking compensation packages. In 2011, the Blues paid Porto £13.3 million to release André Villas-Boas from his contract.
The Portuguese coach had just enjoyed a spectacular season with Porto, winning the Portuguese league, Portuguese Cup and Europa League. At only 33 years old, Villas-Boas was viewed as one of the most exciting young managers in European football.
Chelsea hoped they had discovered the next José Mourinho. Instead, the experiment lasted less than a season. Results deteriorated, tensions developed within the squad, and Villas-Boas was dismissed in March 2012.
The Chelsea job ultimately ended up being far more complicated than the club had imagined.
Still, his £13.3 million compensation package remained the benchmark for Premier League managerial spending for more than a decade.
1. Graham Potter – Chelsea: £21.5 Million
And at the summit? Graham Potter. Chelsea paid Brighton £21.5 million in compensation when they brought Potter to Stamford Bridge in 2022. The figure covered Potter and four members of his coaching staff who followed him to Chelsea.
That was an extraordinary amount of money for a manager. Potter had built an excellent reputation at Brighton, turning the club into one of the Premier League's more progressive sides and earning a move to one of the biggest jobs in English football.
Chelsea clearly believed he was worth the investment. Unfortunately, the project never really got going. Potter was dismissed after only around seven months in charge, leaving Chelsea with one of the most expensive managerial appointments in football history and very little to show for it.
The £21.5 million compensation package remains the highest fee paid by a Premier League club to hire a manager. For now, at least, Graham Potter sits alone at the top.
Table: The Premier League's 10 Most Expensive Manager Hires Ever
Rank | Manager | From | Premier League Club | Compensation |
1 | Graham Potter | Brighton | Chelsea | £21.5m |
2 | André Villas-Boas | Porto | Chelsea | £13.3m |
3 | Rúben Amorim | Sporting CP | Manchester United | £11m |
4 | Enzo Maresca | Leicester City | Chelsea | ~£10m |
5 | Arne Slot | Feyenoord | Liverpool | Up to £9.4m |
6 | Brendan Rodgers | Celtic | Leicester City | £8.8m |
7 | Thomas Frank | Brentford | Tottenham Hotspur | £6.7m |
8 | José Mourinho | Porto | Chelsea | £5.2m |
9 | Maurizio Sarri | Napoli | Chelsea | More than £5m |
10 | Ronald Koeman | Southampton | Everton | £5m |
Figures are reported compensation fees and can include members of the manager's coaching staff. Some deals were reported as initial fees plus potential add-ons, so the figures are not perfectly like-for-like.
Who Is the Most Expensive Manager Hired by a Premier League Club?
Graham Potter remains the most expensive manager ever hired by a Premier League club, with Chelsea paying Brighton £21.5 million in compensation for Potter and members of his coaching staff.
The figure is comfortably ahead of André Villas-Boas' £13.3 million move from Porto to Chelsea and Rúben Amorim's £11 million move from Sporting CP to Manchester United. Potter's record is particularly striking because his Chelsea reign lasted only around seven months.
Why Are Premier League Manager Fees So High?
The modern managerial market works in much the same way as the player transfer market.
If a manager is under contract and another club wants him, they often have to pay compensation to release him.
That can become particularly expensive when the manager has a long-term contract, a release clause or a group of coaching staff who are also moving clubs.
The Premier League's financial strength has pushed those fees higher, while the increasing importance of elite coaching has made clubs more willing to pay for the right person. And sometimes, as the Potter and Villas-Boas deals show, paying a huge fee doesn't guarantee anything.
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