Highest paid managers in European football. With Jose Mourinho’s appointment as Tottenham, let us look at how much he will make in comparison with other managers in Europe.
Football has become a drastically different sport than it was 30 years back. New rules, regulations, competitions, the VAR, so much has changed and been introduced. However, the one thing that has remained constant is the manager’s importance.
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The manager is tasked with the job of handling the tactics, managing the team (of course), oversee training, pick the side and most importantly take responsibility of the club regardless of the results. It is therefore, not surprising that these men are paid handsomely.
With Jose Mourinho’s return to managership, let us take a look at how much he will earn at Tottenham and where does that stand in comparison to the biggest names in European football. Surprisingly, big names such as Maurizio Sarri and Thomas Tuchel do not even make it to the top ten and the highest earning Premier League manager is neither from the Premier League or even Barcelona and Real Madrid.
Carlo Ancelotti (Napoli) £5.3m
Carlo Ancelotti is one of the most decorated names in football. The former Chelsea manager has won 20 trophies including 3 champions leagues. He is one of only 3 managers to have won the Champions League 3 times and is also one of seven people to have won the European Cup or Champions League as both a player and a manager.
Carlo Ancelotti is currently employed by Italian club, Napoli, who pay him £5.3m per season for his services. Ancelotti guided Napoli to a second-place finish last season to ensure a Champions League qualification and will hope to add to his tally of 20 trophies this season.
Source: The Guardian
Unai Emery (Arsenal) £6m
The former Sevilla and PSG manager has probably been tasked with one of the most difficult jobs in football; replacing Arsene Wenger. Fans will always remember Wenger by his glory days and they will always hope for his replacement to emulate that success, regardless of where they currently stand.
It is by this measure, that one would say that the Emery has had a difficult start to his career in North London, despite taking them to the Europa League final last season. Arsenal have Emery in their employ for £6m per season.
Source: Daily Mirror
Manuel Pellegrini (West Ham) £7m
Manuel Pellegrini is one of the most well-known managers in the world. He has been a manager for more than 3 decades now and has manged clubs like Manchester City and Real Madrid in the past. He is also the only non-European manager to win the Premier League.
West Ham made a statement of intent when they signed Pellegrini and although he had a mixed debut season, both he and the club will hope to make it to Europe this season. The Hammers have Pellegrini on their wage bill at £7m per season.
Source: Daily Telegraph
Jurgen Klopp (Liverpool) £7m
Jurgen Klopp is perhaps the most popular manager in the world right now. The German is credited with single-handedly reviving Liverpool after falling by the wayside in the past. He led them to a Champions League victory last season and will hope to win the Premier League this time around.
Although he is reported to make twice of what he made at Borussia Dortmund, Klopp still makes £7m at Liverpool. However, Liverpool have tried to negotiate a new contract with better wages. Unfortunately for the Reds, Klopp has put such talks on hold as he contemplates taking a break from football at the expiration of his contract.
Source: Goal
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer (Manchester United) £7.5m
In comparison to the other names on this list, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer sticks out like a sore thumb. We will reserve judgement on his managerial abilities at the end of the season however, his past records do not compare with any other name on here.
Solskjaer started his career with United reserves before heading back home to Molde where he won 2 league titles. He moved over to Cardiff City but a poor run there saw him return back to Molde in Norway. However, Mourinho’s sacking last year saw him become the caretaker manager last season.
He was eventually given the job on a permanent basis after United played incredibly well under him. Since his permanent appointment though, the club have performed rather poorly. Solskjaer earns £7.5m per season at Old Trafford. A massive improvement on the £400,000 he was making at Molde.
Source: Daily Mirror
Zinedine Zidane (Real Madrid) £10.5m
Zinedine Zidane led Real Madrid to 3 consecutive Champions League titles. In the process he became the first manager to win the Champions League 3 times in its current incarnation. However, at the completion of the hat-trick, Zidane exited the club.
Real Madrid’s poor performance since his departure forced the club to bring him back to the Bernabeu with a salary of £10.5m per season; a hefty increase on the £6.4m he was earning earlier. Both Zidane and the club will look for improved performances from last season.
Source: El Confidencial
Jose Mourinho (Tottenham) £15m
Jose Mourinho is the latest entrant in this list after becoming new Tottenham manager earlier in the day. Mourinho had been out of job since being sacked from Manchester United last year. However, poor performances under Mauricio Pochettino saw the Argentine get the sack.
He was then swiftly replaced by Jose Mourinho with the salary of £15m per season. Mourinho’s responsibility at Tottenham this season will to bring stability back to the club. Very ironic, considering the man is known for being chaotic and controversial.
Source: Daily Mail
Pep Guardiola (Manchester City) £15.2m
Pep Guardiola is one of the most decorated managers in World football. Despite only starting his career a little over a decade ago, the Spaniard has already racked up 28 trophies in his career! He has won trophies in Spain and Germany and has continued the trend in England with Manchester City.
Guardiola is the best paid manager in the Premier League with an annual salary of £15.2m. However, there are rumours that completing the domestic treble has probably led to an increase in his salary to £20m per year.
Source: Daily Telegraph
Earnesto Valverde (Barcelona) £20.2m
Earnesto Valverde is the second highest earning manager in Europe. He pockets £20.2m per season. Looking purely at the stats, Valverde has an enviable record with 2 La Liga titles in two seasons and almost went unbeaten in his first.
However, his lack of success in Europe has seen the fans turn their backs on him with many demanding the manager be sacked. Unfortunately for them though, the 55-year old has extended his contract until the summer of 2020 with an option to extend another year.
Source: France Football
Diego Simeone (Athletico Madrid) £35.9m
As a player, Diego Simeone was good. As a manager however, Simeone will likely go down as a great. The former Atletico Club returned to the club as manager in 2011 and has since established the club as a top side in Europe.
Under him, Atletico Madrid have won the La Liga once, and have bagged 7 trophies in total including two Champions league finals. Unfortunately, they lost both the finals and to rub salt to their wounds, their opponents on both occasions were Real Madrid.
Regardless, Atketico Madrid have been converted into a formidable side under the watchful eyes of the Argentine. His latest contract with the club therefore sees him being salaried with a massive £35.9m per season.
Source: France Football
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