5 biggest manager severance payouts in football history

Over the years, many high-profile managers have graced some of the top clubs in the game.

While some of them hit the ground running, others don't and face the sack. There have also been several instances of managers getting sacked even after delivering titles.

Some examples in this regard, in no particular order, are Bernd Schuster (Real Madrid - 2008), Claudio Ranieri (Leicester City - 2016), Jose Mourinho (Chelsea - 2007, 2015) and Laurent Blanc (PSG - 2016). The reasons for sacking can range from playing a non-attractive brand of football, falling out with the board/players, sudden downturn in the team's fortunes, and in some cases, failure to win a certain competition.

Whatever the reason may be, sacking never comes cheap for any club. It often involves dishing out a significant payout to compensate the manager and his staff for their loss of income for the remainder of their contract period. Only in rare cases does a club part ways with its manager by mutual consent without any payout involved.

So, without further ado, here's a look at the five biggest managerial payouts in football history:

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#5 Nuno Espirito Santo (Tottenham Hotspur) - £14 million (2021)

Nuno Espiritio Santo's stint at Tottenham Hotspur was short-lived.

Nuno Espirito Santo's short stint at Tottenham Hotspur was not a marriage made in heaven from the outset.

The Portuguese manager only arrived at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium last summer after the Premier League club failed to land their primary managerial targets. Spurs failed to land the likes of Antonio Conte (their current manager), Julian Nagelsman and Mauricio Pochettino before they settled on Santo.

Contrary to expectations, Santo's men won their first three league games without conceding to go atop the Premier League table. However, things nosedived from there on. Spurs lost five of their next seven games to plummet to ninth when they decided to sever ties with Santo.

The Portuguese was on £7 million annual wages and was contracted to the club till 2023. So Spurs had to pay a significant amount (£14 million) to sack their manager. Reportedly, Santo had a clause in his contract that would have allowed Spurs to let him go for free if the club hadn't finished in the top six in the ongoing season.

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#4 Laurent Blanc (PSG) - £17 million (2016)

Laurent Blanc had a successful stint with PSG.

Laurent Blanc is the most successful manager in PSG's history. He won 126 games during his three-season stint at the Parc des Princes, delivering a rich haul of 11 trophies. This includes three straight Ligue 1 titles amid two domestic quadruples.

Blanc also took the Parisians to three consecutive UEFA Champions League quarter-finals (losing against Chelsea on away goals in 2013-14). However, failure to win the continental competition would be his undoing.

Weeks after winning a third league title in 2015-16 - by a whopping 31 points - PSG parted ways with their manager, citing a 'desire to head in a new direction'. Interestingly, only a few months earlier, Blanc had signed a contract extension until 2018.

PSG's 'divorce' with Blanc was a costly affair worth £17 million (€22 million), marking the second-biggest severance package paid to a club manager.

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#3 Jose Mourinho (Chelsea) - £18 million (2007)

Jose Mourinho is one of the longest tenured managers at Chelsea in the last two decades.

Jose Mourinho arrived at Stamford Bridge in the summer of 2004, announcing himself as 'The Special One' after leading unfancied Porto to the UEFA Champions League.

True to his words, the Portuguese took English football by storm. Chelsea romped to their first league title in five decades, losing only one game, amassing 95 points and conceding a miserly 15 goals. Mourinho repeated the trick the following season, with the Blues successfully defending their title.

Mourinho's magic began to wane in his third season at Stamford Bridge, as Chelsea were beaten to the league title by Manchester United. However, things took a turn for the worse in 2007-08. Mourinho's relationship with the club was 'beyond salvation', and he was shown the door in September, which left many players teary eyed.

However, Chelsea had to fork out £18 million for sending 'The Special One' into premature unemployment.

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#2 Jose Mourinho (Manchester United) - £19.6 million

Jose Mourinho's stint at Manchester United was short-lived.

Jose Mourinho arrived at Old Trafford in the summer of 2016, hoping to return Manchester United to their halcyon days under the legendary Sir Alex Ferguson.

'The Special One', who became 'The Happy One' by now, delivered the Carabao Cup and the Europa League in his first season in charge. However, United finished sixth in the Premier League despite losing only five times all season.

The following season, Mourinho took United to a highly creditable second-place finish, with United finishing behind runaway winners Manchester City. However, things took a turn for the worse,

Following a calamitous start to the 2018-19 campaign - with five defeats in the opening 17 games - Mourinho's tenure came to a premature end, with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer taking over. Nevertheless, Mourinho collected a cool £19.6 million in his severance pay.

The Portuguese is currently at AS Roma after a failed stint with Tottenham Hotspur.

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#1 Antonio Conte (Chelsea) - £26.2 million (2018)

Antonio Conte departed Chelsea despite a successful stint.

Antonio Conte is another big-name manager who failed to survive the 'poisoned chalice' at Stamford Bridge.

The acclaimed Italian tactician delivered the Premier League in his first season in charge (2016-17) and followed up with the FA Cup in his next. The Blues won a record 30 wins in their title-winning 2016-17 campaign.

However, he was sacked days after delivering the 2017-18 FA Cup title, despite his contract running till 2019 due to 'irreconcelable' differences. The Blues had to pay out over £26 million as compensation, though.

Conte is currently at Tottenham Hotspur, having joined them late last year.