The Most Expensive Fees Paid For Football Managers

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.

But that could be set to change in the coming years, after Chelsea lured Graham Potter to Stamford Bridge following Thomas Tuchel’s sacking. The former Brighton manager breaks straight into the top 10 and might not be the last manager to go for a hefty fee. FootTheBall takes you through the most expensive fees for managers in football history.

The £5m Blackburn received for Hughes was then a world record and came shortly after City were taken over by Abu Dhabi United Group Investment.

Hughes, who replaced Sven-Goran Eriksson and famously signed Robinho for a British record of £32.5m, lasted 18 months before being replaced.

Hughes’ Blackburn spell has some parallels with Ronald Koeman’s at Southampton, with the Dutchman similarly taking the Saints into Europe.

He also cost £5m when Everton came calling for him. Koeman finished seventh, spent crazy amount of money in the transfer window and was fired months later.

Chelsea had splashed the cash on Maurizio Sarri the season before they appointed Lampard, paying Napoli in excess of £5 million to buy him out of his contract. Despite the high fee, Sarri was gone in a flash and lasted less than 12 months despite winning the Europa League.

Surprisingly, the sum paid by Chelsea for Sarri is the same as what Manchester City paid for Mark Hughes immediately after their Abu Dhabi takeover.

After a decent but hardly groundbreaking spell with Eintracht Frankfurt, Borussia Monchengladbach paid £6.5m for Adi Hutter. He left after just one season having finished tenth in the Bundesliga.

Borussia Monchengladbach parted company with coach Adi Hütter after the 52-year-old tactician led the Foals to a disappointing 10th-placed Bundesliga finish in his first and only season in charge at Borussia-Park. It was also their worst top-flight finish since 2010/11.

Reality check for Roma#SerieA #Dybala pic.twitter.com/CbpyLWMOYQ

— FootTheBall FC (@FootTheBallFC) September 4, 2022

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