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The ongoing summer transfer window is a testament to the inflated football economy, as the game has witnessed a massive influx of cash over the past couple of decades. €100million-plus fees have become the new normal for transfers involving world-class talents, as ten transfers have exceeded that mark in the last five years.
Whether we like it or not, the game of football has increasingly become a business over the years, which has meant that top clubs need to splurge big money on elite talent. It is no surprise that some of the most successful managers in modern football have spent enormous amounts on player recruitment in the transfer market.
On that note, let's take a look at the ten highest-spending coaches since 2000.
#10 Unai Emery | €846 million
Unai Emery created history in the 2020-21 season when he led Villarreal to their first major European trophy and his fourth UEFA Europa League title.
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The Spaniard became the most successful manager in the history of Europa League football, as he previously won three successive titles with Sevilla. Emery leapfrogged the likes of Rafael Benitez, Jose Mourinho and Diego Simeone, who have won two titles each.
Emery has managed eight clubs since the turn of the century and has recruited 73 players, spending a cumulative total of €846 million. The 49-year-old has been at the helm of several top European clubs, including Arsenal, PSG, Valencia and Sevilla, to name a few.
#9 Ernesto Valverde | €864 million
Former Barcelona manager Ernesto Valverde has been one of the highest-spending coaches since 2000. While Valverde signed the least number of players among the other managers on our list (53), he spent a higher amount on average on each recruit.
During Valverde's two-and-a-half-year stay at the club, Barcelona splurged - sometimes unwisely - on several players. This includes £160m on Philippe Coutinho from Liverpool and another £120m on Ousmane Dembele from Borussia Dortmund in Valverde's first season at the club. The Blaugrana would also sign Antoine Griezmann for £108m and Frenkie De Jong for £77.4m in Valverde's last six months at the Camp Nou.
Valverde spent a combined total of €864 million in his managerial career to recruit 53 players at six different clubs.
#8 Arsene Wenger | €891 million
Arsene Wenger is undoubtedly one of the greatest managers of the Premier League era and arguably one of the greatest in the history of the game.
Functioning on a limited budget compared to the other top English clubs, the Frenchman established Arsenal as one of the biggest clubs in England and Europe. Currently appointed as FIFA's Director of Development, Wenger enjoyed an illustrious 22-year spell in North London. The 71-year-old recruited 84 players for the Gunners since the dawn of the century and has one of the lowest average spends among the other managers on the list.
Wenger spent a total of €891 million on recruitment since 2000, spending an average of €10.6million on each player.
#7 Antonio Conte | €944 million
The Italian masterminded Inter Milan's rise to the pinnacle of Italian football, ending Juventus' nine-season long Scudetto winning streak.
Antonio Conte was also responsible for kickstarting Juventus' dominance of Italian football, guiding the club to three consecutive Scudettos between 2011 and 2014. The 52-year-old also won a domestic double with the Bianconeri in the 2012-13 and 2013-14 seasons. After a trophy-laden spell in Italy, Conte took over as the coach of the Italian national team for a two-year period.
Conte's next club assignment was in the Premier League with Chelsea. During his two-season stay at the club, Conte led the Blues to Premier League and FA Cup glory. He returned to his homeland in 2019 to take over as Inter Milan boss.
The Italian guided the Nerazzurri to their first Serie A title in 11 years. Conte signed 84 players in the 21st century, spending a total of €944 million.
#6 Diego Simeone | €985 million
The Atletico Madrid manager will go down in the history books as one of the best managers of the 21st century, having been responsible for ending Barcelona and Real Madrid's La Liga dominance.
Spain's big two have won a combined total of 60 La Liga titles. Only seven other clubs have won the La Liga title, and Atletico Madrid have achieved the feat twice during Simeone's tenure. Barcelona assembled one of the greatest teams in footballing history in the late 2000s/early 2010s, while Real Madrid became the only team to win three successive UEFA Champions League titles in the mid-2010s.
However, none of these world-class outfits could deny a well-drilled and well-oiled Atletico Madrid outfit under Diego Simeone. The Argentine has won two La Liga titles, two UEFA Europa League titles, two UEFA Super Cups, and one Copa del Rey and Supercopa de Espana apiece.
The Argentine has spent a total of €985 million on 68 players across seven different clubs.
#5 Massimiliano Allegri | €1.06 billion
The first manager to enter the billion-euro spending club is current Juventus boss Massimiliano Allegri, who has signed 96 players since the dawn of the century.
The Italian has managed eight different clubs since the 2000s in his 18-year managerial career. Allegri took over the reins of Juventus from Antonio Conte in 2014 and further enhanced the club's reputation in Italian and European football. During his five-year stay at the club, Allegri won five consecutive Scudettos, five domestic doubles and one domestic treble in the 2015-16 season.
The Italian also won the Serie A title as manager of AC Milan in the 2010-11 campaign and the Supercoppa Italiana in 2011-12. Allegri has spent a whopping total of €1.06 billion in his managerial career so far.
#4 Manuel Pellegrini | €1.16 billion
The Argentine has spent an eye-watering €1.16 billion on player recruitment in the 21st century, mainly during his three-year stay at the Etihad.
Manchester City signed Fernandinho for €40 million and Alvaro Negredo for €25 million during Pellegrini's first season in charge. The Cityzens splurged some serious cash during the Argentine's last season at the helm. City signed Kevin de Bruyne for €76 million, followed by Raheem Sterling for €63.7 million and Nicolas Otamendi for €44.5 million.
Pellegrini is currently one of the most experienced managers in world football, with a managerial career dating back to 1988. He has managed 10 different clubs since the turn of the century, spending a total of €1.16 billion on 88 different players.
#3 Carlo Ancelotti | €1.37 billion
The current Real Madrid coach is one of the greatest and most successful managers of the 21st century, with 20 titles to his name.
Carlo Ancelotti has managed some of Europe's best clubs including AC Milan, Juventus, Chelsea, PSG, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich. The 62-year-old began his managerial career as the assistant manager of the Italian national team in 1992. The Italian has managed eight of the biggest clubs in European football in the 21st century and is one of three managers to have won the prestigious UEFA Champions League thrice. Ancelotti won Europe's premier club competition twice with AC Milan and once with Real Madrid in the 2013-14 season.
Ancelotti has been at the helm of some of the wealthiest clubs in world football and it's no surprise that he's spent well over a billion euros. The Italian has signed 88 players since 2000 for a combined cost of €1.37 billion.
#2 Pep Guardiola | €1.59 billion
Pep Guardiola has built a reputation of being one of the highest spenders among his peers and finds himself in second place on our list.
While many football fans would've expected to see Guardiola at the top of this list, he's spent €17 million less than our first-placed candidate. However, the Spaniard has the highest spend on average, as he has splurged €1.59 billion on just 67 names. Some of Guardiola's most expensive signings include Jack Grealish at €117.50m, Ruben Dias for €68m and Zlatan Ibrahimovic for €69.50m on a player-plus-cash deal.
The Spaniard has almost breached the £1billion mark since taking over the reins at Manchester City in 2016. Guardiola is the most successful manager of the 21st century, with 31 titles to his name since 2000s.
#1 Jose Mourinho | €1.76 billion
Jose Mourinho is first on our list with an eye-watering spend of €1.76 billion on player recruitment since the turn of the century.
The self-proclaimed Special One has signed more players than anyone on the list and has snapped up over a 100 players in his career. Mourinho has splurged a total of €1.76 billion on 104 players across nine different clubs since 2000. His most expensive signings include Paul Pogba for £94.5 million, Romelu Lukaku for £76.2 million and Fred at £53.1 million. Five of his six most expensive transfers came during his tenure as Manchester United manager.
The Portuguese tactician has won a whopping 25 trophies in the 21st century. Mourinho has managed some of the biggest clubs in world football, including Benfica, Porto, Chelsea, Inter Milan, Real Madrid and Manchester United. He will always be remembered for leading the underdogs, Porto, to the 2003-04 Champions League title.
