The 20 managers who have spent the most money in football history (2024)

With the riches of the footballing world ever-growing, the process of unearthing an academy prospect and developing them into a world-beater may slowly become a dying art. Instead of persisting with academy prospects, clubs often delve into the market and splash the cash on the finest exploits possible.

Financial backing is obviously imperative to how teams perform once the summer and winter windows open for business and without the mountains of cash behind them, it is possible that some of the sport’s greatest-ever tacticians may have not achieved nearly half of the success they are credited for today.

The likes of Zinedine Zidane narrowly miss out from being selected which just goes to show clever spending can still amount to huge levels of success, both domestically and on the European stage.

So, which managers have been the biggest spenders during their managerial tenures? We used Transfermarkt, who have crunched the numbers thanks to their extensive database, to muster up a list. And there are some interesting inclusions and omissions – so, read on to find out if your club’s coach is known as one of football's heavy spenders!

20 Sir Alex Ferguson

£664.2m (46 titles won)

Generally regarded as the greatest manager of all time, Sir Alex Ferguson built a dynasty at Manchester United over the course of 27 years, but he did so by spending quite a substantial amount every once in a while. Sure, the Class of '92 players that came through the club's academy like Gary Neville, Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs helped lay the foundations, but the Scotsman was never afraid to surround them with expensive talent.

Ferguson broke the Premier League's transfer record on five separate occasions, but he did pick up 13 league titles as well as a whole plethora of other trophies, so it paid off.

19 Nuno Espirito Santo

£666.4m (Three titles won)

A rather surprising entry on this list, Nuno Espirito Santo has spent a pretty significant chunk of money throughout his time as a manager. Through spells at the likes of Valencia, Porto, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Tottenham Hotspur and now Nottingham Forest, he's had plenty of cash to play with. That's before even mentioning his brief stint in the Saudi Pro League in 2023 when seemingly everyone in the division was spending like never before.

The current Forest manager has signed 94 players over the years, including big names like Fabinho and unproven prospects like Fabio Silva. It's fair to say his business has had mixed results.

18 Roberto Mancini

£687.7m (14 titles won)

The manager who helped transform Manchester City into the dominant force that they are right now, Roberto Mancini was responsible for the club's first-ever Premier League title and he got them there by spending a fortune. In fact, the Italian has signed 149 players throughout his time as a head coach, and four of the most expensive deals he's ever made came during his time at the Etihad.

These days, he's the head coach of the Saudi Arabia national team, so he won't be spending any major transfer fees again for the foreseeable future. Still, with 14 titles won, he more often than not spent wisely.

17 David Moyes

£720.7m (Three titles won)

While he's never really been a top-class manager, and his one attempt at being so with Manchester United failed pretty spectacularly, David Moyes has still had a solid career as a manager that's span over two decades. In that time, he's spent a pretty sizeable amount of money too.

Moyes has spent 15 of his 26 years as a manager with Preston North End and Everton, but it's with the Red Devils and West Ham United where he's done the majority of his big spending. While he's not won too many titles over the years, his track record in terms of the most expensive transfers he's ever made is pretty impressive.

16 Ernesto Valverde

£777.7m (11 titles won)

Ernesto Valverde has made a solid career out of coaching in Spain. Aside from two brief spells with Olympiacos, he's spent his entire managerial career in his homeland and coached the likes of Athletic Bilbao, Barcelona and Villarreal during that time. It's with the former, though, that he's spent the majority of his time.

Currently on his third spell with Bilbao, Valverde has had no trouble splashing the cash whenever he felt necessary. The 60-year-old has signed 55 players over the years and spent close to £800m in the process. It should come as no surprise to anyone, though, that the bulk of that spending came during his three-year tenure with Barcelona. Considering his miserable track record with major signings, though, it's probably best if he watches the pennies from now on.

15 Claudio Ranieri

£782m (Eight titles won)

Claudio Ranieri will forever live in Premier League folklore for that league-defining campaign where he took heavy outsiders Leicester City to the summit, fending off the likes of Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City, who all secured Champions League qualification in 2015/16.

While he managed the unthinkable with a team made up of lesser-known talent, he has also had his fair share of big-money moves, too, having spent just shy of £800m during his time as a manager. His time at Monaco and Chelsea were especially fruitful in that sense, with the majority of his biggest deals coming at those two clubs.

14 Rafael Benitez

£782m (13 titles won)

Having spent time at the helm of 11 different clubs, Benitez has overseen a grand total of 115 new arrivals. The Spaniard built one of Liverpool’s greatest Premier League sides during his time in charge but was working on a shoestring budget for much of his six-year Merseyside stint.

Owing to that, a £26.5m move for Fernando Torres – who became the club’s record signing at the time – was his biggest spend at the club, but it was one that certainly paid off. Spells at Real Madrid and Napoli have seen him afforded a little more money to spend than his time at Anfield did.

13 Jorge Jesus

£794.5m (21 titles won)

With 138 players coming through the door during his tenure at eight clubs, the 69-year-old is expected to find himself on this list. He has become a managerial phenomenon in Portugal since starting out in 1990 at Amora, having gone on to manage the likes of Benfica and Sporting.

He was re-appointed Al-Hilal head coach during the summer of 2023 and with the riches of the Middle East looking to stamp their authority in the world of football – highlighted by their capture of Neymar – this overall spend could certainly rise. It's a testament to how much money he has to throw around in Saudi that the five most expensive signings of his managerial career have all come since he joined Al-Hilal last year.

12 Arsene Wenger

£820.1m (21 titles won)

The Frenchman is typically involved in discussions of who the best Premier League manager to ever live is, and he has his hefty outlay to thank. Impressively, Wenger has won 21 titles, most notably three Premier Leagues during his time at Arsenal, but struggled to replicate his early success during the final years of his tenure in England.

Times have changed and transfer fees have skyrocketed, since the Frenchman left the managerial game behind, so it would be interesting to see how the likes of Wenger would fare in the modern game and whether they could operate quite as successfully in the market when there's so much money being thrown around.

11 Unai Emery

£884.7m (11 titles won)

Securing European football for the current campaign thanks to their impressive league finish in 2022/23, Aston Villa boss Emery was given more financial freedom to bolster his squad over the summer. But he certainly hasn’t been short of cash during his time at previous clubs, especially at north London-based outfit Arsenal.

In his first two seasons at the helm, the Spaniard did not spend frugally, with over £200m being splashed on new signings which, unfortunately, resulted in little success. His time at Villa, though, has seen him endure great success in the transfer market, with his third-most expensive player, Moussa Diaby having a great start at the club.

10 Jurgen Klopp

£960.5m (13 titles won)

Jurgen Klopp is arguably one of Liverpool’s greatest managers ever, having achieved a flurry of success since taking post in 2015, including a Premier League and a Champions League title. He has spent fairly big, however. Over the course of his four-club managerial career, he has sanctioned 85 new signings and spent £965m.

The German tactician has been tasked with rubbing shoulders with Manchester City in recent years and has done a respectable job, despite not having the same level of money to part with. With his departure coming at the end of the 2023/24 season, he Reds will be hoping his successor, Arne Slot, will fare even half as well in the transfer market.

9 Mauricio Pochettino

£969m (Three titles won)

Having won a mere three titles across his managerial career, Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino will look back and ponder where his money should have been invested instead, seeing as he has spent close to £1bn. His time at Tottenham Hotspur saw him famously receive little financial backing, so it might seem wild to see he's spent so much.

And then you remember his most recent outlay of £115m on Moises Caicedo, and it begins to make sense. With the west Londoner’s turning into a free-spending machine of late with Todd Boehly on board, it feels almost inevitable that his place on the list will rise in the very near future as Chelsea continues to throw absurd amounts of money around.

8 Antonio Conte

£994.3m (Eight titles won)

Antonio Conte is currently enjoying some much-needed downtime away from football after his sour stint in north London with Tottenham Hotspur, but it cannot be downplayed how brilliant a football manager he is. But his mouth-watering spending begs the question: how much of his success actually boils down to his expertise?

He has spent time at seven different clubs since calling it a day on his playing career and has overseen deals for a total of 93 players since, with the total spend reaching £1bn. The spending has brought some success, but not the levels that he likely wanted, with nine titles to his name.

7 Manuel Pellegrini

£1.03bn (Nine titles won)

The former Manchester City man was in post when the club began to transform into a well-oiled trophy-winning machine. Following on from Sheikh Mansour’s money-inspired takeover, City were now able to match their rivals and spend big – yet wisely – in the market. Pair that spell with his time at Real Madrid and he was spending whatever money was necessary on some of the biggest names in the sport.

The Chilean became somewhat of a journeyman in the football manager sphere as has welcomed 96 new players during his 11-club stint as head coach, though it’s doubtful that any club were able to mirror what the English club were spending during his presence.

6 Diego Simeone

£1.03bn (10 titles won)

Currently managing at Atlético Madrid, Diego Simeone has little to show for his exuberant spending tendencies with just 10 titles accrued over an outlay of £1.05bn. Having the likes of Real Madrid and Barcelona to fend off is, of course, a tall order, and he may have shot himself in the foot staying in the Spanish capital for so long, but he cannot blame financial constraints for his poor (in the grand scheme of things) trophy haul.

Considering the amount of money his team has made off selling some of their best players over the years, though, he more than earned the right to go a little wild in the transfer market every once in a while. It's just a shame the Joao Felix move was so poor in hindsight.

5 Thomas Tuchel

£1.052bn (13 titles won)

Now in charge of Bayern Munich, Thomas Tuchel also took the reins of Chelsea in 2021 and enjoyed a Champions League triumph just months after he entered the job. To prepare for the 2022-23 campaign, Tuchel had spent over £250m on new faces which set a new British record – and maybe even a precedent for those around them – for most spent in a singular transfer window.

That, of course, included £97.5m being spent on Romelu Lukaku. That's not the sort of transfer anyone wants on their record really as the Belgian was a disaster at Stamford Bridge. Still, though, he was the man who brought Kylian Mbappe to PSG, so at least he can always boast about that one.

4 Massimiliano Allegri

£1.19bn (15 titles won)

Despite his two-year hiatus from management between 2019 and 2021, Massimiliano Allegri has been Juventus’ head coach since 2014, though he did spend time at other clubs prior to his illustrious stint at the Old Lady. With 14 titles under his belt, the Italian has welcomed 113 new faces to his respective sides since he turned his hand to management, spending a whopping £1.21bn.

It's clear where he spent the majority of his money, with his five most expensive signings all coming during his spells with Juventus, with wildly varying levels of success across the board. £100m for an ageing Ronaldo might not have been the wisest in hindsight.

3 Carlo Ancelotti

£1.47bn (28 titles won)

Commonly known as ‘Don Carlo’, his moniker certainly transcends into his transfer window activity seeing as Carlo Ancelotti is in the top three managers of all-time in terms of his overall expenditure. The seasoned 64-year-old has been at the helm of an array of clubs, ranging from Chelsea, AC Milan, Bayern Munich all the way down to Everton.

He is currently in charge of European behemoth Real Madrid and so has ample money at his disposal. The same can be loosely said about the entirety of his managerial career as he has spent nearly £1.5bn on 108 players. The majority of his high spending has come across two spells at the Bernabeu, though, with his purchase of Jude Bellingham last summer the most expensive in his career.

2 Jose Mourinho

£1.58bn (26 titles won)

The animated head honcho, Jose Mourinho, has been in charge at a host of top European clubs - most notably Chelsea, Real Madrid and Manchester United – and has enjoyed levels of success at almost every club, amounting to 27 titles. Even at Porto, who are not in the same echelons as the aforementioned trio, the decorated manager turned them into a force to be reckoned with.

To help with that, he has spent an eye-watering figure of £1.58bn on 118 players across the nine clubs he has been in charge of. Like him or not, there’s no denying that he will end his career as one of the best managers to ever grace the game.

1 Pep Guardiola

£1.711bn (38 titles won)

Coming in at number one is Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola, though his eye-catching spending extends to his respective stints at Barcelona and Bayern Munich, too. Across the five clubs in which he has managed at, the charismatic Spaniard has picked up 36 titles along the way and so you could say it has been money well spent.

Spending big should always result in trophies and in this particular case, it has. The same cannot be said for all transfer market heavy-hitters, mind. Then again, they didn't all sign players like Ruben Dias and Rodri, so there's that. Guardiola may have spent more than anyone in history, but he's got the trophy cabinet to justify that.