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The English Premier League has been graced by some of the finest players and managers of the world.
During the competition's illustrious history, 16 different managers have managed over 300 Premier League games. The legendary duo of Sir Alex Ferguson (Manchester United) and Arsene Wenger (Arsenal) each managed over 800 Premier League games for their respective clubs.
Both Ferguson and Wenger were managers at the same Premier League club for more than twenty consecutive years, a feat many managers in the competition today can only dream of.
The cut-throat nature of the game today means that success is instanteneously craved, and even when Premier League managers do deliver it, their honeymoon period can be incredibly short-lived.
Jose Mourinho won consecutive Premier League titles with Chelsea in the early 2000s before being pipped by Manchester United in 2006-07. After an indifferent, but in no way calamitous, start to the next season, the Portuguese disappeared from the English scene almost as quickly as he had arrived. The same fate would also befall Mourinho during his second managerial stint at the club.
In more recent times, Claudio Ranieri delivered Leicester City their first-ever English top-flight title but didn't survive the next season as the club's owners didn't hesitate to give him the boot after a run of underwhelming results.
However, two other managers - Manchester City's Pep Guardiola and Liverpool's Jurgen Klopp - seem to have been rather lucky in this respect. Both men didn't deliver the Premier League title in their first seasons at their respective clubs. But when they did so in subsequent seasons, they did it in some style.
Ten most well-paid managers in the Premier League
Considering the success they have brought to their respective clubs, it is not surprising that the duo of Guardiola and Klopp are two of the most well-paid managers in the Premier League. On that note, let us have a look at the Premier League's ten most well-paid managers in terms of their annual salaries.
#10 Mikel Arteta (Arsenal) - £5 million
Mikel Arteta took over the reins of his old club in December 2019 after Arsenal made an indifferent start to the season. However, considering his managerial inexperience, experts and fans were sceptical about Arteta's ability to transform the flagging fortunes of the club.
The Spaniard was an assistant coach under Pep Guardiola during Manchester City's Premier League-winning campaigns in 2017-18 and 2018-19.
After being at the Arsenal helm for only half a season, Arteta has been like a breath of fresh air at the North London club, with his tactics earning him plaudits from the likes of Gary Neville who said on his podcast:
"I think Mikel Arteta is punching above his weight. He is going above and beyond the players he has. The shape and the organisation, things we have criticised Arsenal for in the past, is good."
Arteta won 11 of his 20 Premier League matches, which included victories over Manchester United and champions Liverpool, but it was not enough to secure the club a top-four finish. Nevertheless, Arsenal beat Manchester City and Chelsea in successive matches to win the FA Cup and secure European football next season.
"They are not finishing in the top four like Arsene Wenger used to get criticised for but they look like a team which is more cohesive. It has continued from the end of last season and he is doing a great job. I just think Mikel Arteta would love that £150million that Frank Lampard has got this summer at Chelsea," Neville continued.
Continuing his good work from last season, Arteta's men won the 2020 Community Shield against Liverpool and won their first two Premier League games of the new season, which included a come-from-behind victory against West Ham.
Speaking about that West Ham win, Arteta said:
"What I like is the approach the boys had in the last 25 minutes where I could see they were a bit down and then they lift it. Probably a few months ago we would have drawn or lost that game and today we win it. In the end you have to find a way because there will be games like this through the season."
The 38-year-old is currently the youngest Premier League manager. Going by his early exploits in the competition, it may not be implausible to think that the former Arsenal player could leave his mark as one of the finest in English top-flight history.
#9 Frank Lampard (Chelsea) - £5.5 million
Frank Lampard, like Mikel Arteta, is one of the least experienced managers in top-flight football.
The former Chelsea legend made his name as a manager at Championship side Derby County, leading them to the playoff final in 2019 (which they lost) before his former club came calling. That was because Maurizio Sarri had left the club after leading them to a third-place finish in 2018-19.
Hindered by a two-window transfer market ban and the departure of Eden Hazard, Lampard blooded academy players and led the club to a creditable fourth-place finish despite being bogged down by a leaky defence.
“My desire to be successful is there and is so big that I can’t help wanting us to get better and better. I’ve learned a million things and I am humble enough to know if there are things I can improve I will try to do it because I want to be successful with this club. It has been a tough year but I have enjoyed every bit of it and it feels like we have had a level of achievement getting in the top four,” Lampard assessed about his first season as Chelsea manager.
With owner Roman Abramovich flexing his financial muscle, Chelsea plunged into the transfer market and embarked on one of the largest squad overhauls in recent history, as Lampard signed the Bundesliga duo of Timo Werner and Kai Havertz among other expensive acquisitions.
Like Arteta, it may be early days for the former Blues legend, but Lampard, who gave a decent first impression with the limited resources at his disposal, would look to go better this season and perhaps challenge the likes of Liverpool and Manchester City for the Premier League title.
Also check out: Complete EPL Fixtures 2020/21
#8 Ralph Hassenhuttl (Southampton) - £6 million
After leading newly-promoted Leipzig to successive second and sixth-placed finishes in the Bundesliga, Ralph Hassenhuttl became the first Austrian manager to take charge of a Premier League club when he was handed over the reins of Southampton in the winter of 2018.
Succeeding the outgoing Mark Hughes, Hassenhuttl arrested the sliding fortunes of the club by ending Arsenal's 22-game unbeaten run before securing Southampton's Premier League status.
Despite Hassenhuttl's men slumping to the joint-worst defeat in a Premier League game when they lost 0-9 at Leicester City in October 2019, Southampton managed to move out of the relegation zone and finished the season on a 7-game unbeaten streak.
The club finished 11th in the process, their best Premier League finish in four years, as Hassenhuttl won the Premier-League-Manager-of-the-Month award in July 2020.
The club have duly recognised the Austrian's positive impact by extending his stay at St. Mary's till 2024.
"Southampton Football Club is delighted to announce that Ralph Hasenhuttl has signed a new four-year contract at St Mary’s. The deal sees Hasenhuttl and the club further strengthen their commitment to each other, and to the long-term vision that has been developed for the first team and the wider football project," said the club in a statement.
Hassenhuttl, on his part, has been gracious enough to acknowledge the contributions of everyone around him as he looks forward to take the club to new highs this season.
“The way we have handled this together as a group of people has been incredible for me, and I believe we now have strong foundations here that can allow us to take the next steps in our progress as a team. For me, this is an important step in the journey. My players, our staff, and of course the supporters must understand my commitment to this club and to what we are trying to build together."
Also check out: Updated EPL Table 2020/21
#7 Ole Gunnar Solskjaer (Manchester United) - £7.5 million
Six-time Premier League-winner Ole Gunnar Solskjaer made a bright start to his managerial career when he led Molde to their first Danish League title in the club's 100-year history.
However, in his first managerial stint in the Premier League, Solskjaer couldn't help Cardiff City avoid relegation in the 2014-15 edition of the competition before more success at his native Molde followed.
Solskjaer was appointed as the caretaker manager at Manchester United in the fall of 2018 after the club bid adieu to Jose Mourinho following a calamitous start to the season. The Norwegian's appointment seemed to rejuvenate the club as Solskjaer became the first Manchester United manager since 1946 to win his first five league games.
After winning 10 of his first 13 Premier League games in charge, he was handed over the reins of the club on a permanent basis.
The 2019-20 season provided a stern examination of Solskjaer's managerial credentials. The honeymoon period was well and truly over when a defeat to would-be champions Liverpool left the club in a lowly 14th place in the Premier League table.
Solskjaer, however, managed to turn around his club's fortunes as Manchester United beat Leicester City on the final day of the season to finish third and qualify for the Champions League.
Former Manchester United player Dimitar Berbatov complemented Solskjaer for making a positive impact at the club.
"He's made United consistent, which they haven't been for so long, and he brought it when it counted the most. They were smart, consistent, and they got results. You can buy players now because everyone wants to play in the Champions League, and Ole has shown what a good manager he is."
The Norwegian, who has made some astute signings in the transfer market like bringing in Bruno Fernandes and Donny van de Beek, will hope to look for a steadier, if not spectacular, campaign in 2020-21, despite beginning badly and losing their first Premier League game.
#6 Marcelo Bielsa (Leeds United) - £8 million
Marcelo Bielsa is one of the most experienced managers in the Premier League. The Argentine tactician had managed clubs in five different countries before landing the Leeds United top job in 2018, in the process becoming the highest-paid manager in the club's history.
The appointment almost had an immediate effect as Leeds nearly grabbed one of the two automatic qualifying places for the Premier League. A season later, Bielsa's men gained automatic qualification to the Premier League with two games to spare.
A day before Leeds' first Premier League game in 16 years, Bielsa was awarded a contract extension that would keep him at the club till the end of the season. The Argentine downplayed the development and instead said that Leeds 'deserved to be in the Premier League'.
"It isn't of importance. I have been working 100 per cent since we were promoted. The club, the fans, the players, they all deserve to be playing in the Premier League."
Leeds impressed on their much-awaited return to the English top-flight, netting against champions Liverpool thrice on the opening day of the season before falling short in a seven-goal thriller.
In their next game, Leeds celebrated their first Premier League win in almost two decades after beating Fulham in another four-goal thriller.
#5 Brendan Rodgers (Leicester City) - £10 million
Brendan Rodgers is one of the most experienced managers in the Premier League.
Under his tutelage, Swansea became the first Welsh club to play in the English top flight in 2011, Rodgers won his first Premier-League-Manager-of-the-Month award in January to catch the attention of Liverpool.
Rodgers led the Anfield club to a seventh-placed finish in his first season in charge before a 11-game winning run took them to the cusp of their first Premier League title in 2013-14, with Liverpool leading by five points with three games remaining.
However, a calamitous Steven Gerrard slip sparked a stunning implosion: Liverpool lost 0-2 at home to Chelsea and blew away a 3-0 lead at Crystal Palace with just 11 minutes remaining to finish runner-up behind Manchester City despite scoring 101 goals in the season.
Rodgers left after an underwhelming start to the next campaign before returning to the Premier League three years later when he took over the reins of Leicester City in February 2019.
Under the former Liverpool manager, Leicester City played a refreshing brand of attacking football, winning seven games in a row to sit second in the Premier League table after 15 games.
Rodgers was rewarded with a contract extension that would keep him at Leicester till 2025 even as the Foxes ran out of steam and missed out on a Champions League place on the last day of the season following a defeat to Manchester United.
Leicester City have won both games of the new Premier League season to lead the fledgling league table as Brendan Rodgers became the 23rd manager to record 100 wins in the competition.
“We won't be getting carried away. We stay calm, it's only the second game. We hope to get better as the season goes on. How we finished in terms of league position last season was great, and we want to build on that. We aim to be competitive with the talent we have,” Rodgers said after Leicester's second win of the season.
Under the Northern Irishman, the Leicester faithful have every reason to believe.
#4 Carlo Ancelotti (Everton) - £11.5 million
Everton pulled off a coup when they managed to land Carlo Ancelotti as their first-team manager.
The Italian has one of the most decorated managerial resumes among any active manager in the game. Ancelotti, one of only three men to win three Champions League titles, also has experience in the Premier League.
In the Italian gaffer's first season in English football in 2009-10, Chelsea became the first team to score 100 goals in a season. The Blues beat Manchester United by a point to the Premier League title as Ancelotti became the first Italian manager to win the competition.
However, a second-place finish next season saw the Italian relieved of his duties, and it would be eight long years before he would be back in English football.
In the intervening period, Ancelotti led Real Madrid to their much awaited La Decima in the Champions League before replacing Pep Guardiola at Bayern Munich where he won the Bundesliga title in both seasons. After a season and a half at Napoli, Ancelotti was back in the Premier League with Everton.
The Italian's magic didn't work in the half season he was in charge as Everton finished a lowly 12th in the Premier League table.
With the club getting in the likes of Allan, James Rodriguez and Abdoulaye Doucore in the summer, things look bright for Everton who have won their first two games of the new season to jointly lead the league table with Leicester City.
"We want to make progress. The position last season was not enough. 'We want to improve and we are trying to do everything to improve the squad to be better next season," said Ancelotti after the signing of Allan.
With the much-decorated Ancelotti at the helm, the Toffees have every reason to believe that good things are around the corner as they look to return to Europe next season and perhaps break into the top four.
#3 Jurgen Klopp (Liverpool) - £15m
Jurgen Klopp became only the tenth manager in history to win the Premier League title when Liverpool won their first English top-flight title in three decades last season. Not surprisingly, he is one of the three-most well paid managers in the Premier League.
The Klopp project at Anfield commenced in October 2015, with Liverpool making steady progress under the German tactician after narrowly missing out on the Premier League title under Brendan Rodgers in 2013-14.
Under Klopp, who is a two-time Bundesliga winner with Borussia Dortmund, Liverpool play a brand of high-pressing attacking football as their two full-backs Andrew Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold tirelessly blaze down the flanks to add bite to their attack while also fulfilling their defensive responsibilities.
In Sadio Mane, Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino, Liverpool have arguably one of the best attacking triumvirates in world football while in Virgil Van Dijk, they have one of the best centre-backs in the game.
Last season, Klopp's men waltzed to the Premier League title with several games to spare as competitors fell by the wayside.
With rival teams significantly strengthening their squads, Liverpool could face an uphill task to defend their title but Klopp sounded upbeat about his team's chances this season.
"We will not try to defend it, we will try to attack the next one.That's the truth, you don't change your approach. That is what we always did and there is no reason for changing it. Motivation will not be our problem. I know this team will not stop trying. I don't expect everything to happen for me, I never expected it, but I expect I will give absolutely everything and I expect the boys to do that as well."
Under Klopp, Liverpool are one of the teams to beat in the Premier League and the Anfield faithful have every reason to believe that the club's maiden Premier League triumph was not a flash in the pan.
#2 Jose Mourinho (Tottenham Hotspur) - £15 million
Jose Mourinho is one of the most decorated managers in the Premier League. The Portuguese tactician is one of only three men to have won three Premier Leagye titles.
The three-time Premier League winner (with Chelsea) was back for his fourth stint in the Premier League when Tottenham Hotspur handed him the reins of their first-team after the departure of their long-serving erstwhile manager Mauricio Pochhetino.
Following his arrival in November, Mourinho notched up his 300th Premier League win as a manager but Tottenham failed to finish in the top four.
The Lilywhites have started the new campaign with a win and a defeat as they look to return to Europe's elite next season.
“We don't need much. We don't need many players. We don't need huge investment. That's not our profile as a club. With or without COVID, with or without Champions League, so I think we will manage to improve our squad which is what we want,” Mourinho said at the start of the season.
Under Mourinho, one of the shrewdest tacticians in the modern game, Tottenham might have one of the best in business to help them realise their ambitions and also end their long title drought in all competitions.
#1 Pep Guardiola (Manchester City) - £20 million
Pep Guardiola is one of the most skillful managers in the modern game who has delivered success wherever he has gone. Not surprisingly, he is the most well-paid manager in the English top flight.
After delivering Barcelona's first continental treble en route to a plethora of titles in a hugely successful stint at Camp Nou, Guardiola scripted more success at Bayern Munich before arriving in the Premier League as the manager of Manchester City in 2016.
The Spanish tactician missed out on the league title in his first season in charge at the club, but City romped to back-to-back Premier League titles in the next two seasons while breaking a slew of records along the way.
Guardiola, who failed to achieve a three-peat last season as Liverpool left every other team trailing in their wake, will be itching to get back to winning ways as he looks to join an exclusive group of managers to have won three Premier League titles.
“I would love to stay longer here. To extend the contract, I have to deserve it and we are going to see if I deserve it this season, in terms of how the team goes forward and improves. I know the standards of this club, and I have to win and deserve to extend my contract,” Guardiola said at the start of the new season.
City started the 2020-21 season with a 3-1 win at Wolves as they seek to overtake high-flying Liverpool to the Premier League title. Under Guardiola, who has won more matches in his first 150 games than anyone else in the League's history, City know that they have the right man at their helm.
