For all the superstars playing in the Premier League, often the most crucial member of the team is the manager. No wonder, then, that some of them are paid the big bucks. Of course, some bosses earn more than others, but what do managers' pay packets look like?
Based on the latest reports, here are the details of how much the current top-flight managers earn. As you might expect, there are some eye-watering sums here, so brace yourselves.
Note: At the time of writing, there was no definitive information available for Brighton & Hove Albion's Fabian Hurzeler, Leicester City's Steve Cooper and Southampton boss Russell Martin.
| Rank | Manager | Club | Wage per year |
| 1 | Pep Guardiola | Man City £20m |
|
| Mikel Arteta | Arsenal | £9m | |
| Unai Emery | Aston Villa | £8m | |
| Erik ten Hag | Man Utd | £6.75m* | |
| Arne Slot | Liverpool | £6.2m | |
| Sean Dyche | Everton | £5m | |
| Ange Postecoglou | Tottenham | £5m | |
| Thomas Frank | Brentford | £4.5m | |
| Oliver Glasner | Crystal Palace | £4.5m | |
| Enzo Maresca | Chelsea | £4.2m | |
| Marco Silva | Fulham | £4m | |
| Eddie Howe | Newcastle | £4m | |
| Julen Lopetegui | West Ham | £3.4m | |
| Kieran McKenna | Ipswich | £3m | |
| Nuno Espirito Santo | Nottingham Forest | £2m | |
| Gary O'Neil | Wolves | £1.5m | |
| Andoni Iraola | Bournemouth | £1m |
17 Andoni Iraola (Bournemouth)
Annual wage: Over £1m per year
Andoni Iraola only had one victory in his first ten Premier League matches at Bournemouth last term. Expectations were high for the 41-year-old, especially considering the promising signings he made during the summer.
Thankfully, the Spaniard found his feet and the Cherries stayed up comfortably, playing an entertaining brand of football along the way.
Iraola was among the lower earners in the division, reportedly making £1m per season under his initial two-year deal with the Cherries. However, given the former Rayo Vallecano boss signed a 12-month extension just before the end of the last campaign, we reckon he would have had his wages bumped up somewhat.
16 Gary O'Neil (Wolves)
Annual wage: £1.5m per year
Gary O'Neil is arguably one of the top flight's most underappreciated managers. Brutally binned by Bournemouth after taking over from Scott Parker in 2022/23 - keeping the newly promoted Cherries up in the process - he was given the task of maintaining Wolves' Premier League status last year.
He did this with some ease, finishing in 14th, 20 points clear of relegation, which never really looked a possibility despite the Old Gold being backed to struggle following the departure of Julen Lopetegui and amid their financial constraints.
There is little detail known about his earnings at Molineux, but O'Neil is thought to be receiving around £1.5m a year - and the way it's going, you wouldn't argue against a pay rise coming his way soon.
15 Nuno Espirito Santo (Nottingham Forest)
Annual wage: Over £2m per year
Now in his third Premier League role, Nuno Espirito Santo was tasked with steering Nottingham Forest to safety. The former Wolves and Spurs boss was thought to have been made Forest's highest-paid manager when brought in by Evangelos Marinakis, and with predecessor Steve Cooper on a salary of £2m upon his departure, we can assume Espirito Santo is on a heftier wage.
Espirito Santo guided the Reds to safety despite a mid-season points deduction, though his role may never feel completely secure while under Marinakis' watchful eye. At least he's believed to be earning a decent amount of money to make up for it.
14 Kieran McKenna (Ipswich Town)
Annual wage: £3m per year
With Ipswich Town fending off apparent interest from the likes of Chelsea and Manchester United in manager Kieran McKenna, the Tractor Boys handed the 38-year-old a new contract - giving the boss a fresh boost going into the club's first Premier League season in over two decades.
It is thought that McKenna's new terms will see him earn around £3m a year, which, while representing a significant rise, still has the double-promotion-winning coach at the poorer end of the Premier League scale.
Given the high-profile interest in McKenna, you would imagine that more money will be coming his way on his managerial journey - be it through keeping Ipswich in the top flight or being lured into a bigger career move.
13 Julen Lopetegui (West Ham United)
Annual wage: £3.4m per year
West Ham United's attempts at getting back into Europe saw them turn to a former Europa League winner in ex-Wolves boss Julen Lopetegui. With some Premier League experience in the bag, the Spaniard's return to the English top flight has been marked by the arrival of some big signings - namely the £40m purchase of fellow former Molineux man Max Kilman.
Reports suggest that Lopetegui will earn around €4m (£3.4m) a year at the London Stadium, which is less than what predecessor David Moyes was thought to be earning. Perhaps the new boss can get there with the kind of success that the Scot had in east London.
12 Eddie Howe (Newcastle United)
Annual wage: £4m per year
Since taking the helm at Newcastle United, the Toon boss has delivered nothing short of remarkable results, ensuring they're well ahead of schedule with a top-four finish in 2022/23. Under his leadership, the Magpies have not only soared to impressive heights, but have now established themselves as one of the Premier League's more impressive outfits.
Eddie Howe is currently on an annual salary of £4m, which would have increased had the Magpies qualified for European football once again last term. The manager's future has been a talking point of late given the current vacancy at England, with the 46-year-old one of the reported frontrunners for the job.
So PIF could yet increase his wages in a bid to retain Howe's services, though whether money would stop Howe from managing his country remains to be seen. Either way, he's sure to earn plenty more over the course of his career in the dugout.
11 Marco Silva (Fulham)
Annual wage: £4m per year
Marco Silva has helped establish Fulham as a stable Premier League outfit since securing the Championship title and achieving promotion, further solidifying his position in the eyes of owner Shahid Khan. Since taking charge at Craven Cottage in 2021, the former Everton boss has worked wonders, earning a substantial £4m salary along with an annual bonus of £500,000.
This high-profile success has clearly served as motivation for Silva, as his team are preparing for a third consecutive top-flight season and look more like outsiders for a European place than a team troubling the bottom regions of the table.
10 Enzo Maresca (Chelsea)
Annual wage: £4.2m per year
The latest boss churned out on the Stamford Bridge conveyor belt of managers is ex-Leicester City man Enzo Maresca. While he has more recent trophy-winning experience than predecessor Mauricio Pochettino, his reported wage is dwarfed by that of the Argentinian, who was apparently earning over £10m a year in west London.
The Chelsea hierarchy is clearly giving Maresca the opportunity to up his salary through positive results, as if they were to make another change, it won't be as pricey as letting Pochettino go prematurely. However, given the ex-Spurs boss managed to haul a disjointed Blues side into Europe and make a cup final, who knows what will truly be expected of the Italian in the year ahead?
9 Oliver Glasner (Crystal Palace)
Annual wage: £4.5m per year
Oliver Glasner was appointed as Crystal Palace boss on a deal until 2026 and has reportedly been earning a salary totalling around £4.5m a year.
The 2022 Europa League winner has had a promising start to his career at Selhurst Park, with the Eagles steering well clear of relegation bother to finish in the top half by winning six of their last seven - drawing the other one. The way Glasner's going, this is just the beginning for him in south London.
8 Thomas Frank (Brentford)
Annual wage: £4.5m per year
£4.5m is a respectable amount of money for a very respectable manager. Thomas Frank, who assumed the role of Brentford's manager in 2018, has helped the club to the promised land of the Premier League and become an established top-flight outfit.
Following Jürgen Klopp's departure from Liverpool, Frank is now second behind Pep Guardiola as the division's longest-serving manager. Having dropped from 9th to 16th last year, you would think an improvement is required over the next 12 months - which should reap further rewards for the Dane.
7 Ange Postecoglou (Tottenham Hotspur)
Annual wage: £5m per year
Despite missing out on Champions League football after a poor finish to the campaign, Ange Postecoglou had a relatively successful first season at Tottenham Hotspur.
He achieved the best start to a Premier League season for a new manager in the league's history, beating out Premier League legends like Pep Guardiola and Jose Mourinho.
While they will target a top-four finish once more this term, the former Celtic boss stands to see a boost in his current annual salary of £5m, which would be no less than he'd deserve given where Tottenham were upon his arrival.
6 Sean Dyche (Everton)
Annual wage: £5m per year
Sean Dyche cemented his status as a top-level manager by keeping Everton up after being parachuted in to save them in the 2022/23 season, finishing two points above Leicester City thanks to a final-day win.
On top of his reported £5m salary, it is thought that maintaining the Toffees' top-flight status earned him around another £3m on top. So having finished comfortably above the drop last season (but for their eight-point deduction, they'd have finished in 12th), who knows what riches the ex-Burnley boss is enjoying these days?
5 Arne Slot (Liverpool)
Annual wage: £6.2m per year
Amid all the managerial changes since last season, the man stepping into the biggest shoes this summer is most likely new Liverpool boss Arne Slot. Replacing Jurgen Klopp and rebuilding in his absence will by no means be an enviable task, with the standards the German reached at Anfield potentially handing the ex-Feyenoord boss a poisoned chalice of sorts.
However, the Reds were prepared to pay handsomely to get the man they wanted from the Dutch Eredivisie.
Reports in the Netherlands claimed that Slot is now earning $8m (£6.2m) a year as Liverpool manager, which is (understandably) a significant climbdown from Klopp's apparent wages of around £15m per annum. At least Slot knows what he has to do if he wants to double his money before he leaves Merseyside.
4 Erik ten Hag (Manchester United)
Annual wage: £6.75m per year*
Manchester United have often set the standard over the years. Therefore, merely winning an FA Cup at the end of a gruelling season would hardly pass as a successful campaign. Having finished eighth in the league - their lowest finish since 1990 - it was no wonder that Erik ten Hag was looking like a goner.
However, it appears the Red Devils' victory over neighbours Man City at Wembley to win the cup has bought the Dutchman some valuable time at Old Trafford - though this has potentially come at a cost.
While Ten Hag has since signed a new deal at Old Trafford, it had been suggested that should he continue as United boss heading into the 2024/25 season, the ex-Ajax manager would have to take a 25% pay cut on his £9m-a-year wages, which would take his annual earnings down to £6.75m.
*Whether this has come to pass is unclear, so take it with a pinch of salt, though we find it hard to believe that failure to qualify for the Champions League and a series of underwhelming performances will have warranted the previous outlay for Ten Hag.
3 Unai Emery (Aston Villa)
Annual wage: £8m per year
Potentially the most underrated coach in the Premier League, Unai Emery has consistently demonstrated his managerial prowess. It's no easy feat to come from La Liga to the Premier League, but Emery has exceeded expectations.
Emery's time at Villarreal was marked by various accomplishments, with his standout achievement being the remarkable Europa League triumph in 2020/21. This success not only reaffirmed his status as a top-tier manager, but also played a crucial role in enhancing his market value.
The impact of his success was evident when he secured a lucrative deal with Aston Villa in the Premier League. Villa showed faith in Emery's abilities by offering him an impressive salary package of £4m - a package which has now substantially increased in the wake of their qualification for the Champions League this coming season.
Reports state that after signing a new deal at Villa Park in May - lasting until 2029 - Emery will now earn £8m a year.
2 Mikel Arteta (Arsenal)
Annual wage: £9.5m per year
While there may be such a thing as too much money, one could argue that Mikel Arteta has fully earned his worth at Arsenal.
After a lacklustre - even borderline disastrous - beginning to his managerial career, Arsenal's transformation under the Spaniard has been remarkable. After two successive near-misses going for the Premier League title (something unthinkable when he took over), the Gunners are set to go for glory once again in 2024/25 with the £9m-a-year Arteta at the helm.
What's more, a new contract is thought to be in the offing for the ex-midfielder, with Arsenal reportedly looking to put their manager on a par with Pep Guardiola's ridiculous wages at Manchester City (no spoilers).
1 Pep Guardiola (Manchester City)
Annual wage: £20m per year
Who else was it going to be? Pep Guardiola and Manchester City are inevitable. With an incredible collection of six Premier League titles to his name, he stands atop the rich list with a substantial £20m. When factoring in bonuses, his earnings typically soar by another £5m.
Guardiola, widely regarded as the mastermind behind Manchester City's dominance in the Premier League, boasts an illustrious track record that firmly places him among football's greats. Guardiola's impact, both tactically and in terms of silverware, is undeniably profound - and he has a wage to match.
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