Airtime and website pages are often devoted to player salaries. Less focus is placed on the wages of managers, aside from when clubs have to pay out vast sums after a firing.
The best managers are at least as significant as the top players when it comes to deciding the biggest football betting markets, however.
Arne Slot - £6.8 million
The new Liverpool manager will earn almost £10 million a year less than Jurgen Klopp but that could change in the coming years if he is a success at Anfield.
Slot has earned himself a huge pay increase compared to his salary at Feyenoord though and he sneaks into this list of the highest earning football managers.
Simone Inzaghi - £8.8 million
After spending most of his playing career with Lazio, Simone Inzaghi began his managerial career in their youth system before taking over the first team in 2016. Inzaghi led I Biancocelesti to Coppa Italia glory, and a 53.4% winning rate.
In 2021, Inter came calling. Inzaghi replaced Scudetto-winning coach Antonio Conte in the hot seat. He has won two Coppa Italias as Inter manager, and took the Nerazzurri to the 2023 Champions League final.
The former Italy manager is certainly earning his hefty salary at San Siro with Inter cruising towards the Serie A title.
Erik ten Hag - £9 million
After winning three Eredivisie titles with Ajax, hopes were high when Erik ten Hag arrived at Old Trafford. His first season appeared to be laying the foundations for a step forward in 2023-24, but that progress is yet to be seen.
Jim Ratcliffe’s part-purchase of the club has brought some fresh hope. Ten Hag’s willingness to discard players and some more poor recruitment leaves the Red Devils a long, long way off the Premier League’s top three, however.
Will the club’s hierarchy tolerate missing out on the Champions League?
Mikel Arteta - £9.5 million
Tasked with transforming Arsenal from top four candidates to Premier League champions, Arteta has been a huge hit at the Emirates Stadium since arriving at the helm and he has now led the Gunners to back-to-back second place finishes.
That is an achievement in itself when you remember Arsenal are facing one of football's greatest ever powerhouses in Manchester City - who recently became the team to win the most Premier League titles in a row.
Arteta is likeable and he has the support of the Arsenal fans. The Spaniard has done a fantastic job over the past couple of years and another big campaign awaits in 2024/25.
Carlo Ancelotti - £9.6 million
There was considerable reporting that Carlo Ancelotti would leave Real Madrid at the end of the season to manage Brazil.
Those rumours were extinguished when the Italian surprisingly penned a three-year contract extension at Santiago Bernabeu.
Don Carlo is the most decorated manager in Champions League history. He is the only manager ever to have won the league title in all of Europe’s top five leagues.
Steven Gerrard - £15.2 million
Al-Ettifaq are not among the richest clubs in the world by their revenue. The Saudi Pro League has been free spending over the last 18 months, though, and that extends to manager salaries.
Steven Gerrard is the only manager on this list working outside of Europe’s top five leagues. While others have backtracked on their decision to move to Saudi Arabia, Gerrard has doubled down, and it’s hardly surprising when he’s receiving such a massive salary.
Gerrard has won 21 of 63 matches since leaving Rangers.
Pep Guardiola - £20 million
Pep Guardiola is unquestionably among the greatest football managers ever. The Spaniard also manages one of the richest clubs in the world, so it’s no surprise his salary is so high.
Guardiola took City to the treble in 2022-23. Repeating that feat is possible in 2023-24. The Spaniard has already managed more Manchester City matches than he did for Barcelona B, Barcelona and Bayern Munich combined.
What initially looked to be a three- or four-year project at the Etihad Stadium has extended into something more significant. Why would Guardiola stop when his team are so dominant?
Diego Simeone - £30 million
There have been murmurs that Diego Simeone could leave Atletico Madrid for a few years. He is the most successful and longest-serving manager in club history, having won two La Liga titles and managed over 600 fixtures.
Atleti have dropped off title-contending pace over the last few seasons. Even so, whichever manager succeeds Simeone at the Wanda Metropolitano has an almost impossible task.
*Credit for all of the photos in this article belongs to Alamy*
