Sir Alex Ferguson, Pep Guardiola snd Jose Mourinho.
While football managers do a lot of work on the training ground, it is increasingly difficult to win major honours without spending a lot of money.
Pep Guardiola and Jose Mourinho are two of the most successful managers in the modern era and they’ve both been prepared to splash the cash in the transfer market.
Despite the fact they are now retired, Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger are still among the highest-spend managers of all time.
Using data from transfermarkt, we’ve compiled the 20 biggest spending football managers in history by looking at their combined transfer outlays at all the clubs they’ve managed.
20. Gian Piero Gasperini – €764.43m
Clubs managed: 5 (Crotone, Genoa, Inter, Palermo, Atalanta)
Club trophies won: 0
Five Biggest Purchases
1. El Bilal Toure to Atalanta – €28m
2. Gianluca Scamacca to Atalanta – €25m
3. Jeremie Boga to Atalanta – €22m
4. Ederson to Atalanta – €21.4m
5. Luis Muriel to Atalanta – €21.2m
19. Nuno Espirito Santo – €780.89m
Clubs managed: 6 (Rio Ave, Valencia, Porto, Wolves, Tottenham, Al-Ittihad)
Club trophies won: 3 (EFL Championship, Saudi Professional League, Saudi Super Cup)
Five Biggest Purchases
1. Fabinho to Al-Ittihad – €46.7m
2. Fabio Silva to Wolves – €40m
3. Raul Jiménez to Wolves – €38m
4. Nelson Semedo to Wolves – €32m
5. Rodrigo to Valencia – €30m
18. Sir Alex Ferguson – €789.95m
Clubs managed: 4 (East Sterling, St Mirren, Aberdeen, Manchester United)
Club trophies won: 50 (Scottish Premier Division x4, Scottish Cup x4, Scottish League Cup, Drybrough Cup, Premier League x13, FA Cup x5, League Cup x4, Community Shield x10, Champions League x2, European Cup Winners’ Cup x2, European Super Cup x2, Intercontinental Cup, FIFA Club World Cup)
Five Biggest Purchases
1. Rio Ferdinand to Man Utd – €46m
2. Juan Sebastian Verón to Man Utd – €42.6m
3. Dimitar Berbatov to Man Utd – €38m
4. Wayne Rooney to Man Utd – €37m
5. Anderson to Man Utd – €31.5m
"Marvellous. Magnificent. @ManUtd."
It really was a special time at Old Trafford for #PLHallOfFame inductee, @rioferdy5 ✨ pic.twitter.com/eyZAAQpMhN
— Premier League (@premierleague) July 22, 2023
17. Roberto Mancini – €817.18m
Clubs managed: 6 (Fiorentina, Lazio, Inter, Manchester City, Galatasaray, Zenit Saint Petersburg)
Club trophies won: 13 (Serie A x3, Coppa Italia x4, Supercoppa Italiana x2, Premier League, FA Cup, Community Shield, Turkish Cup)
Five Biggest Purchases
1. Sergio Aguero to Man City – €40m
2. Edin Dzeko to Man City – €37m
3. Geoffrey Kondogbia to Inter – €36m
4. Yaya Toure to Man City – €30m
5. Mario Balotelli to Man City – €29.5m
16. Ernesto Valverde – €906.83m
Clubs managed: 6 (Athletic Bilbao, Espanyol, Olympiacos, Villarreal, Valencia, Barcelona)
Club trophies won: 10 (Super League Greece x3, Greek Cup x2, La Liga x2, Supercopa de Espana x2, Copa del Rey)
Five Biggest Purchases
1= Ousmane Dembele to Barcelona – €135m
1= Philippe Coutinho to Barcelona – €135m
3. Antoine Griezmann to Barcelona – €120m
4. Frenkie de Jong to Barcelona – €86m
5. Malcom to Barcelona – €41m
15. Claudio Ranieri – €909.83m
Clubs managed: 18 (Vigor Lamezia, Puteolana, Cagliari, Napoli, Fiorentina, Valencia, Atletico Madrid, Chelsea, Parma, Juventus, Roma, Inter, Monaco, Leicester City, Nantes, Fulham, Sampdoria, Watford)
Club trophies won: 10 (Serie C1, Coppa Italia Serie C, Serie B, Coppa Italia, Supercoppa Italiana, Copa del Rey, UEFA Intertoto Cup, UEFA Super Cup, Ligue 2, Premier League)
Five Biggest Purchases
1. James Rodriquez to Monaco – €45m
2. Radamel Falcao to Monaco – €43m
3. Islam Slimani to Leicester City – €31m
4. Hernan Crespo to Chelsea – €26m
5. Joao Moutinho to Monaco – €25m
14. Rafael Benitez – €915.25m
Clubs managed: 14 (Real Valladolid, Osasuna, Extremadura, Tenerife, Valencia, Liverpool, Inter, Chelsea, Napoli, Real Madrid, Newcastle United, Dalian Professional, Everton, Celta Vigo)
Club trophies won: 13 (La Liga x2, Europa League x2, FA Cup, Community Shield, Champions League, UEFA Super Cup, Coppa Italia, Supercoppa Italiana x2, FIFA Club World Cup, EFL Championship)
Five Biggest Purchases
1. Gonzalo Higuaín to Napoli – €39m
2= Fernando Torres to Liverpool – €38m
2= Mateo Kovacic to Real Madrid – €38m
4. Danilo to Real Madrid – €31.5m
5. Robbie Keane to Liverpool – €24m
13. Jorge Jesus – €919.82m
Clubs managed: 15 (Amora, Felgueiras, União Madeira, Estrela da Amadora, Vitória Setúbal, Vitória Guimarães, Moreirense, União Leiria, Belenenses, Braga, Benfica, Sporting, Flamengo, Fenerbahçe, Al-Hilal)
Club trophies won: 20 (UEFA Intertoto Cup, Primeira Liga x3, Taça de Portugal, Taça da Liga x6, Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira x2, Saudi Super Cup, Campeonato Brasileiro Série A, Copa Libertadores, Supercopa do Brasil, Recopa Sudamericana, Campeonato Carioca, Turkish Cup)
Five Biggest Purchases
1. Neymar to Al-Hilal – €90m
2. Malcom to Al-Hilal – €60m
3. Ruben Neves to Al-Hilal – €55m
4. Aleksandar Mitrovic to Al-Hilal – €52.6m
5. Sergej Milinkovic-Savic to Al-Hilal – €40m
12. Arsene Wenger – €973.25m
Clubs managed: 4 (Nancy, Monaco, Nagoya Grampus Eight, Arsenal)
Club trophies won: 21 (French Division 1, Coupe de France, Emperor’s Cup, Japanese Super Cup, Premier League x3, FA Cup x7, Community Shield x7)
Five Biggest Purchases
1. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to Arsenal – €63.75m
2. Alexandre Lacazette to Arsenal – €53m
3. Mesut Ozil to Arsenal – €47m
4. Granit Xhaka to Arsenal – €45m
5. Alexis Sanchez to Arsenal – €42.5m
Aubameyang Lacazette
🤝
Scoring in Wenger's final home game pic.twitter.com/adpC0EXDpT— Arsenal (@Arsenal) May 6, 2020
11. Unai Emery – €1.03bn
Clubs managed: 9 (Lorca Deportiva, Almería, Valencia, Spartak Moscow, Sevilla, Paris Saint-Germain, Arsenal, Villarreal, Aston Villa)
Club trophies won: 11 (Europa League x4, Ligue 1, Coupe de France x2, Coupe de la Ligue x2, Trophée des Champions x2)
Five Biggest Purchases
1. Neymar to PSG – €222m
2. Nicolas Pepe to Arsenal – €80m
3. Moussa Diaby to Aston Villa – €55m
4. Julian Draxler to PSG – €36m
5. Pau Torres to Aston Villa – €33m
10. Jurgen Klopp – €1.13bn
Clubs managed: 3 (Mainz, Borussia Dortmund, Liverpool)
Club trophies won: 12 (Bundesliga x2, DFB-Pokal, DFL-Supercup x2, Premier League, FA Cup, League Cup, Community Shield, Champions League, UEFA Super Cup, FIFA World Club Cup)
Five Biggest Purchases:
1. Virgil van Dijk to Liverpool – €84.65m
2. Darwin Nunez to Liverpool – €80m
3. Dominik Szoboszlai to Liverpool – €70m
4. Alisson to Liverpool – €62.5m
5. Naby Keita to Liverpool – €60m
9. Mauricio Pochettino – €1.15bn
Clubs managed: 5 (Espanyol, Southampton, Tottenham, Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea)
Club trophies won: 3 (Ligue 1, Coupe de France, Trophée des Champions)
Five Biggest Purchases
1. Moises Caicedo to Chelsea – €116m
2. Achraf Hakimi to PSG – €68m
3. Romeo Lavia to Chelsea – €62.1m
4. Tanguy Ndombele to Tottenham – €62m
5. Christopher Nkunku to Chelsea – €60m
8. Antonio Conte – €1.17bn
Clubs managed: 8 (Arezzo, Bari, Atalanta, Siena, Juventus, Chelsea, Inter Milan, Tottenham)
Club trophies won: 9 (Serie B, Serie A x4, Supercoppa Italiana x2, Premier League, FA Cup)
Five Biggest Purchases
1. Romelu Lukaku to Inter – €74m
2. Alvaro Morata to Chelsea – €66m
3. Richarlison to Tottenham – €58m
4. Cristian Romero to Tottenham – €50m
5. Achraf Hakimi to Inter – €43m
7. Thomas Tuchel – €1.19bn
Clubs managed: 6 (Augsburg, Mainz 05, Borussia Dortmund, Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea, Bayern Munich)
Club trophies won: 11 (DFB-Pokal, Ligue 1 x2, Coupe de France, Coupe de la Ligue, Trophée des Champions x2, Champions League, UEFA Super Cup, FIFA World Club Cup, Bundesliga)
Five Biggest Purchases
1. Kylian Mbappe to PSG – €180m
2. Romelu Lukaku to Chelsea – €113m
3. Harry Kane to Bayern Munich – €100m
4. Wesley Fofana to Chelsea – €80.4m
5. Marc Cucurella to Chelsea – €65.3m
Kylian Mbappe 🇫🇷
• Helped side win Ligue 1 and Trophee des Champions
• Club’s top goalscorer in all competitions in 2018/19
• Ligue 1 top goalscorer, named league’s Player of the Yearpic.twitter.com/HEpvKsFYtq
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) July 31, 2019
6. Manuel Pellegrini – €1.2bn
Clubs managed: 14 (Universidad de Chile, Palestino, O’Higgins, Universidad Católica, LDU Quito, San Lorenzo, River Plate, Villarreal, Real Madrid, Málaga, Manchester City, Hebei China Fortune, West Ham United, Real Betis)
Club trophies won: 11 (Copa Chile, Copa Interamericana, Liga Pro, Argentine Primera División x2, Copa Mercosur, Intertoto Cup, Premier League, League Cup x2, Copa del Rey)
Five Biggest Purchases
1. Cristiano Ronaldo to Real Madrid – €94m
2. Kevin De Bruyne to Man City – €76m
3. Kaka to Real Madrid – €67m
4. Raheem Sterling to Man City – €63.7m
5. Sebastien Haller to West Ham – €50m
5. Diego Simeone – €1.21bn
Clubs managed: 6 (Estudiantes, River Plate, San Lorenzo, Catania, Racing Club, Atlético Madrid)
Club trophies won: 10 Argentine Primera División x2, La Liga x2, Copa del Rey, Supercopa de España, Europa League x2, UEFA Super Cup x2)
Five Biggest Purchases
1. Joao Felix to Atletico Madrid – €127.2m
2. Thomas Lemar to Atletico Madrid – €72m
3. Diego Costa to Atletico Madrid – €60m
4. Vitolo to Atletico Madrid – €35.6m
5. Jackson Martinez to Atletico Madrid – €35m
4. Massimiliano Allegri – €1.4bn
Clubs managed: 7 (Aglianese, SPAL, Grosseto, Sassuolo, Cagliari, AC Milan, Juventus)
Club trophies won: 14 (Serie C1, Serie A x6, Coppa Italia x4, Supercoppa Italiana x3)
Five Biggest Purchases
1. Cristiano Ronaldo to Juventus – €117m
2. Gonzalo Higuain to Juventus – €90m
3. Dusan Vlahovic to Juventus – €81.6m
4. Federico Chiesa to Juventus – €42.5m
5. Paulo Dybala to Juventus – €41m
⚪️⚫️ When Cristiano Ronaldo scored for Juventus against his former club Manchester United in 2018 🔥#UCL | @juventusfcen | @Cristiano pic.twitter.com/ImyVFn5MMp
— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) February 5, 2021
3. Carlo Ancelotti – €1.69bn
Clubs managed: 10 (Reggiana, Parma, Juventus, AC Milan, Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain, Bayern Munich, Napoli, Everton, Real Madrid)
Club trophies won: 26 (Intertoto Cup, Serie A, Coppa Italia, Supercoppa Italiana, Champions League x4, UEFA Super Cup x4, FIFA Club World Cup x3, Premier League, FA Cup, Community Shield, Ligue 1, La Liga, Copa del Rey x2, Supercopa de España, Bundesliga, DFL-Supercup x2)
Five Biggest Purchases
1. Jude Bellingham to Real Madrid – €103m
2. Gareth Bale to Real Madrid – €101m
3. Aurelien Tchouameni to Real Madrid – €80m
4. James Rodriguez to Real Madrid – €75m
5. Fernando Torres to Chelsea – €58.5m
2. Jose Mourinho – €1.86bn
Clubs managed: 9 (Benfica, Uniao de Leiria, Porto, Inter Milan, Real Madrid, Chelsea, Manchester United, Tottenham, Roma)
Club trophies won: 26 (Primeira Liga x2, Taça de Portugal, Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira, Champions League x2, Europa League x2, Premier League x3, FA Cup, League Cup x4, Community Shield x2, Serie A x2, Coppa Italia, Supercoppa Italiana, La Liga, Copa del Rey, Supercopa de España, Europa Conference League)
Five Biggest Purchases
1. Paul Pogba to Man Utd – €105m
2. Romelu Lukaku to Man Utd – €84.7m
3. Fred to Man Utd – €59m
4. Nemanja Matic to Man Utd – €44.7m
5. Andriy Shevchenko to Chelsea – €43.88m
1. Pep Guardiola – €2.04bn
Clubs managed: 3 (Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Manchester City)
Club trophies won: 36 (La Liga x3, Copa del Rey x2, Supercopa de Espana x3, Champions League x3, UEFA Super Cup x4, FIFA World Club Cup x3, Bundesliga x3, DFB-Pokal x2, Premier League x5, FA Cup x2, League Cup x4, Community Shield x2)
Five Biggest Purchases
1. Jack Grealish to Man City – €117.5m
2. Josko Gvardiol to Man City – €90m
3. Ruben Dias to Man City – €71.6m
4. Rodri to Man City – €70m
5. Zlatan Ibrahimovic to Barcelona – €69.5m
