Roberto De Zerbi flukes his way high onto the best-paid Premier League managers list | OneFootball

In no other job can you fail upwards quite as spectacularly as you can as a football manager.

Roberto De Zerbi, who was sacked by Marseille in February following a 5-0 hammering to PSG, has landed himself the Tottenham job and is being paid a king’s ransom to do it.

Tottenham CEO Vinai Venkatesham has offered the crown jewels to the former Brighton boss and while Spurs fans protest against the principles of the new manager, the rest of us are wondering how on earth his agent pulled it off.

Here’s the top six best-paid managers in the Premier League and where De Zerbi fits in.

6) Eddie Howe – Newcastle United (£6m)

Having taken over when the club was in the midst of a relegation scrap, Howe has proved good value for his salary and turned Newcastle United into a team capable of consistently qualifying for the Champions League.

He delivered the club’s first trophy in decades, something every fan would say £6m a year was worth, but there are – for the first time – real question marks about whether he can take the club to the next level.

A disappointing league campaign, highlighted by two defeats to newly promoted rivals Sunderland, combined with a humiliation at the hands of Barcelona, mean Newcastle have little to play for this year and face a summer of once again trying to keep their best players.

Howe then could face the chop if the Newcastle owners are serious about becoming part of the Premier League elite.

5) Arne Slot – Liverpool (£6.6m)

With Jurgen Klopp on a reported £15m, paying a different manager less than half that haul to deliver a Premier League title seemed like a bargain bit of business from the Anfield higher-ups.

But there are now more question marks about the credentials of Slot, who was given a record-breaking summer spend only to have his team stutter.

Liverpool are currently fifth in the league, which should be good enough for a Champions League spot, and although the Liverpool board have maintained they are sticking with the Dutchman, a trophy would go a long way to silencing those who want Xabi Alonso in.

4) Unai Emery – Aston Villa (£8m)

Considering where Aston Villa were when he took over and where they are now, Unai Emery is worth every penny of that £8m.

The club were relegation candidates when he arrived in October 2022 and are now semi-consistent Champions League qualifiers, even if there is no silverware to show for it.

PSR has kept a ceiling on the club breaking through that next barrier but it’s easy to imagine they would be a lot lower with the Spaniard at the club.

3) Roberto De Zerbi – Tottenham Hotspur (£12m)

Tottenham’s situation left them in a terrible negotiating position when they approached Roberto De Zerbi but even with that in mind, the deal seems ludicrous.

According to a number of reports, De Zerbi will be paid £12m per season, making him the third-highest-paid manager in the league, and he has been given a seven-figure bonus for signing.

Reports suggest there is no relegation clause so there is a very real possibility Spurs could be paying their manager £12m a year in the Championship. For context, that figure would be double the current highest-paid second-tier boss with Ipswich’s Kieran McKenna reportedly on £6m a year.

To make matters worse, Spurs have given De Zerbi a five-year deal so if (when) it all explodes, they could face a payout of up to £60m. Just some great work from Vinai Venkatesham…

2) Mikel Arteta – Arsenal (£15m)

While there are still question marks over whether Arteta can make the final step, there is no doubt that he has improved the club since taking over in December 2019.

At that time, Arsenal were an ill-disciplined joke who finished fifth under Unai Emery; Arteta’s biggest achievement has been changing the mindset around the club.

Good but troublesome characters like Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang were moved on and Arteta created arguably the strongest defence in the world.

He signed his latest extension in September 2024 and needs to show now that he is the manager who can win Arsenal the really big trophies.

1) Pep Guardiola – Manchester City (£20m)

If De Zerbi’s salary is laughable, few will argue that Pep Guardiola has been worth his.

A cool £20m a year, or around £380k a week, puts Guardiola behind only Mo Salah and Erling Haaland in terms of best-paid people in the Premier League, but he has delivered.

Guardiola has won 19 trophies whilst at the Etihad and 2026 marks his 10th year at the club, more than double the four years he spent at Barcelona.

The Catalan manager signed his latest extension in November 2024, taking him through to 2027, but there are some suggestions he could walk away this summer and whoever comes in next will surely be on a lot less than Guardiola.