Football’s top table comes with a heavy financial price, and no clubs illustrate that better than the Premier League’s Big Six, who have collectively paid £379.85 million in compensation to dismissed managers since 1992.
According to data compiled by FootballBlog.co.uk, Chelsea have spent the most, shelling out a staggering £156.6 million to part ways with managers over the years.
The Blues’ managerial merry-go-round has included eight payouts exceeding £10 million, more than any other club in England’s top flight.
Conte tops individual payouts; Manchester United lead per-sacking average
The report highlights that Antonio Conte received the single largest compensation package, £26.6 million, when Chelsea terminated his contract in 2018.
While Chelsea dominate in total expenditure, Manchester United hold the record for the highest average payout per sacking, spending around £10.48 million each time they’ve shown a manager the door.
Liverpool follow with £8.47 million, and Arsenal average £7.33 million per managerial exit.
Meanwhile, Manchester City have been the most financially restrained, paying just £24.25 million in total compensation since 1992.
Mourinho and Wenger among costliest exits
The five most expensive sackings in Premier League history all came from Big Six clubs. José Mourinho appears twice on the list, while Brendan Rodgers’ 2015 Liverpool exit cost the Reds £15.6 million.
Interestingly, Arsène Wenger’s 2018 departure from Arsenal, initially framed as a resignation, reportedly cost the Gunners £17.1 million in compensation. Wenger later remarked, “The timing was not my decision.”
The data underlines what’s long been evident in English football: managerial turnover in the Premier League isn’t just brutal, it’s expensive business.
