Most Expensive Coaches in Football History

SadaNews - Manchester City coach Pep Guardiola is on the verge of dethroning Alex Ferguson from the title of the most successful coach in football history, thanks to his enormous spending in the transfer market that has allowed him to attract numerous football talents.

The former Barcelona and Bayern Munich coach tops the list of the most expensive coaches in football history. Guardiola, who led Barcelona to a historic sextuple in 2009, then guided Manchester City to win its first Champions League title, making it the only team to win four consecutive Premier League titles, continues to break records.

After signing Antoine Semenyo from Bournemouth for €72 million, Guardiola exceeded the €2 billion mark in transfer spending with Manchester City alone.

According to Transfermarkt, Guardiola has invested an estimated €2 billion and €3 million since arriving at the Etihad Stadium in 2016, bringing in 66 players.

Most Expensive Coaches in Football History

1-Pep Guardiola: €2 billion and €3 million.

2-Diego Simeone: €1 billion and €217 million.

3-Antonio Conte: €1 billion and €188 million.

4-Thomas Tuchel: €1 billion and €166 million.

5-Massimiliano Allegri: €1 billion and €162 million.

6-Unai Emery: €1 billion and €113 million.

7-Mikel Arteta: €1 billion and €86 million.

8-Erik ten Hag: €1 billion.

9-Eddie Howe: €1 billion and €8 million.

10-Nuno Espírito Santo: €985 million.

During his tenure at Barcelona, Bayern Munich, and Manchester City, Guardiola has also topped the list of the most spending coaches on player contracts throughout history with €2 billion and €58 million. He is followed by José Mourinho (€1 billion and €720 million), Massimiliano Allegri (€1 billion and €600 million), Carlo Ancelotti (€1 billion and €560 million), and Diego Simeone (€1 billion and €550 million).

Guardiola's Most Expensive Transfers

Jack Grealish (Manchester City – 2021): €117.5 million.

Josko Gvardiol (Manchester City – 2023): €90 million.

Omar Marmoush (Manchester City – 2025): €75 million.

Antoine Semenyo (Manchester City – 2026): €72 million.

Ruben Dias (Manchester City – 2020): €71.6 million.

Rodri (Manchester City – 2019): €70 million.

Zlatan Ibrahimović (Barcelona – 2009): €69.5 million.

Riyad Mahrez (Manchester City – 2018): €67.8 million.

Aymeric Laporte (Manchester City – 2018): €65 million.

João Cancelo (Manchester City / 2019): €65 million.

Guardiola's Justifications

When asked if Semenyo would be City's last signing in the winter transfer window, Guardiola responded, "I don't know. I can't answer that question."

But the "philosopher" defended City’s spending sarcastically, saying, "I just want to tell my friend Mikel Arteta that if he wins the Premier League, it will be because of spending only, not because of hard work. And if Arne Slot wins the title again, it will be because he spent a lot of money, right?"

He added, "It's not just Manchester City, is it? Everyone does that. Look, for many years, every club did what they wanted! So all I can say is that they were smart, spending what they thought they could to compete against the best in the Premier League and in Europe."

Guardiola, who is confident in transforming the millions invested into titles at the end of the season, stated, "They have reaped huge benefits from the academy as well; Cole Palmer, Ibrahim Diaz, Romeo Lavia, Gavin Bazunu, James Trafford, many players who now play in the Premier League and the English Championship graduated from here, the academy is working excellently."

Source: Marca