After Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City Departure
Pep Guardiola’s departure from Manchester City has reshaped more than the Premier League managerial landscape. It has also produced a new leader at the top of the division’s coaching pay scale.
Mikel Arteta is now reported as the Premier League’s highest-paid manager at around £15 million per year, while Nottingham Forest’s appointment of Oliver Glasner on a deal reported at up to £13 million annually puts the Austrian among the division’s biggest earners.
The salary figures in the supplied graphic rank Arteta first on £15m, followed by Glasner and Chelsea boss Xabi Alonso on £13m, with Manchester City’s Enzo Maresca and Tottenham’s Roberto De Zerbi shown on £12m.
These numbers should be treated as reported estimates rather than official club salary disclosures, particularly because some reports distinguish between guaranteed basic salary and performance-related bonuses. For example, one recent estimate places Glasner’s guaranteed Forest salary at £11.5m, potentially rising to £13m with bonuses.
What is clearer is why Premier League clubs are willing to invest so heavily in elite coaches. At this level, managers are being paid not simply to select a starting XI. They are expected to build winning systems, develop expensive squads, handle enormous pressure and deliver Champions League qualification and trophies.
Highest-Paid Premier League Managers in 2026/27
Based on the reported figures highlighted in the supplied graphic:
| Rank | Manager | Club | Reported Annual Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mikel Arteta | Arsenal | £15m |
| 2 | Oliver Glasner | Nottingham Forest | £13m* |
| 2 | Xabi Alonso | Chelsea | £13m* |
| 4 | Enzo Maresca | Manchester City | £12m* |
| 4 | Roberto De Zerbi | Tottenham Hotspur | £12m* |
*Reported/estimated figures. Salary reporting can differ depending on whether bonuses are included.
Independent salary estimates vary. One recent wage ranking, for example, lists Arteta at £15m but places Glasner and Alonso at £11.5m and Maresca at £10m. The £13m figure for Glasner has nevertheless been widely reported as the potential value of his Forest package.
The huge salaries arrive during an unusually volatile period for Premier League managers. Eleven of the league’s 20 clubs enter 2026/27 with coaches who have been in their jobs for less than a year, illustrating both the value clubs place on managerial expertise and how quickly expectations can turn into pressure.
1. Mikel Arteta – Arsenal – £15m a Year
Mikel Arteta has moved to the top of the Premier League managerial salary rankings following Guardiola’s exit from Manchester City.
His reported package is worth around £15 million annually, including incentives connected to Champions League football.
Why is Arteta paid so much?
Arteta’s value to Arsenal goes far beyond matchday tactics.
The Spaniard has overseen the development of a squad capable of competing at the highest level and has helped establish a clear tactical and recruitment identity at the Emirates Stadium.
His position also carries enormous responsibility. Arsenal are no longer simply trying to qualify for the Champions League. The expectations surrounding Arteta are those of a manager leading a club expected to win major trophies.
That changes the value of his job.
An elite manager influences recruitment decisions worth hundreds of millions of pounds, develops valuable players, determines how effectively those players are used and can make the difference between Champions League qualification and missing out.
What Arsenal expect from Arteta
The expectations are straightforward: keep Arsenal at the top and win trophies.
The pressure is particularly significant after Arsenal’s success in the 2025/26 Premier League campaign. Manchester City’s transition following Guardiola’s departure creates another opportunity for Arsenal to establish themselves as the dominant force in English football.
At £15m a year, competing is no longer enough. Arteta is being paid to deliver sustained success.
2. Oliver Glasner – Nottingham Forest – Up to £13m a Year
Perhaps the most eye-catching name on the list is Oliver Glasner.
Nottingham Forest reportedly handed the Austrian a package worth as much as £13 million per year, making him the highest-paid manager in Forest’s history and one of the Premier League’s leading earners.
One salary report breaks that package down as approximately £11.5m in guaranteed annual pay plus as much as £1.5m in performance bonuses.
Why have Nottingham Forest paid Glasner so much?
Forest are effectively paying for proven performance and ambition.
Glasner arrived with a strong record. His recent achievements include success with Crystal Palace, while he previously won the Europa League with Eintracht Frankfurt.
That track record gives Forest something particularly valuable: a manager who has demonstrated an ability to organise teams, compete in knockout competitions and deliver trophies.
The contract also sends a message about the club’s ambitions.
Forest are not paying £13m for a manager whose only objective is avoiding relegation. Such an investment suggests they want to build a side capable of challenging significantly higher up the Premier League.
What Forest expect from Glasner
The salary raises expectations immediately.
Glasner will be expected to bring stability, establish a recognisable playing identity and turn Forest into a consistently competitive Premier League side.
European qualification will inevitably enter the conversation if the squad performs well enough.
That is the trade-off attached to an enormous managerial contract: the greater the investment, the greater the expectation for measurable progress.
3. Xabi Alonso – Chelsea – Reported £13m a Year
Chelsea’s Xabi Alonso is shown in the supplied graphic earning approximately £13 million annually, putting him alongside Glasner among the Premier League’s highest-paid coaches.
The figure underlines Chelsea’s determination to build another successful era.
Why is Alonso worth a major salary?
Alonso belongs to a generation of highly regarded modern coaches valued for tactical intelligence, positional football and player development.
But managing Chelsea requires something more.
The manager has to maximise an expensive squad while operating in an environment where expectations remain extremely high.
There is little room for prolonged rebuilding at Stamford Bridge.
What Chelsea expect from Alonso
Chelsea will ultimately judge Alonso on results.
That means developing younger players without sacrificing competitiveness, creating a clear tactical identity and returning the club to sustained title contention.
The equation behind a salary of this scale is simple: Chelsea are investing in a coach they believe can turn elite talent into an elite team.
4. Enzo Maresca – Manchester City – Reported £12m a Year
Few managerial assignments could carry more pressure than replacing Pep Guardiola.
Enzo Maresca is the man tasked with beginning Manchester City’s post-Guardiola era.
The supplied graphic puts his annual salary at approximately £12 million, although external salary estimates vary. More important than the precise number is the scale of the responsibility he has inherited.
Guardiola left City after a decade in charge and 20 trophies, creating a standard against which his successor will inevitably be measured.
Why are Manchester City paying Maresca so much?
City need continuity without stagnation.
Maresca already understands many of the principles associated with Guardiola’s football, having previously worked on his coaching staff. He also arrives with major managerial experience of his own.
That familiarity can be extremely valuable during a transition.
City are effectively paying for a manager capable of evolving one of Europe’s most sophisticated football operations without dismantling everything that made it successful.
What Manchester City expect from Maresca
There will be virtually no settling-in period.
City will expect to challenge for the Premier League immediately, compete deep into major cup competitions and continue performing at Champions League level.
Maresca does not necessarily need to imitate Guardiola. In fact, reports from his opening weeks indicate he is already making changes and attempting to establish his own identity.
But he does have to keep City winning.
That may be one of the toughest managerial assignments in world football.
5. Roberto De Zerbi – Tottenham – Reported £12m a Year
Roberto De Zerbi completes the five managers highlighted in the graphic, with his Tottenham salary reported there at around £12 million annually.
De Zerbi’s reputation has been built around progressive football, tactical detail and an ability to improve teams through coaching.
At Tottenham, however, attractive football alone will not be enough.
Why are Tottenham investing heavily in De Zerbi?
Spurs want a manager capable of combining identity with results.
De Zerbi has already demonstrated the importance he places on relationships and squad culture as well as tactics. Reports from his Tottenham tenure describe a hands-on approach to building relationships with players while working closely with the club’s hierarchy on recruitment.
Tottenham’s substantial investment in the squad further increases the importance of having the right coach to maximise it.
What Tottenham expect from De Zerbi
The minimum objective will be making Spurs consistently competitive near the top of the Premier League.
Beyond that comes Champions League qualification and, eventually, silverware.
A manager receiving an elite-level salary is ultimately expected to deliver elite-level outcomes.
Why Are Premier League Managers Paid So Much?
Managerial salaries can look extraordinary, but they need to be viewed against the economics of modern Premier League football.
A head coach can influence almost every sporting asset inside a club.
Recruitment, player development, tactics, squad morale, academy opportunities, European qualification and ultimately the value of players can all be affected by managerial decisions.
A successful manager can help a club maximise hundreds of millions of pounds worth of playing talent.
There is also the financial importance of results.
Finishing in Champions League positions can transform a club’s revenue and international profile. Winning trophies can increase commercial opportunities and strengthen the club’s ability to attract players.
From that perspective, spending £10m-£15m annually on the person responsible for coordinating the entire sporting operation can represent a relatively small proportion of the investment clubs already make in their squads.
Big Salaries Bring Even Bigger Pressure
There is another side to these enormous contracts.
Premier League managers are highly paid partly because their jobs are brutally insecure.
The managerial turnover ahead of 2026/27 demonstrates the point. Nine clubs begin the new season with a different manager from the one who finished the previous campaign, while 11 managers have spent less than a year in their current jobs.
A long contract therefore provides little protection from expectations.
Arteta must win. Glasner must justify Forest’s unprecedented investment. Alonso has to restore Chelsea as a major force. Maresca must manage the transition from one of football’s greatest managerial eras. De Zerbi must turn Tottenham’s potential into tangible success.
Their salaries are substantial because so are the consequences of their decisions.
Arteta Takes Guardiola’s Place at the Top
Pep Guardiola’s departure has created a new Premier League managerial hierarchy.
Arteta now sits at the summit of the reported salary table at around £15m per year, while Glasner’s remarkable Forest package shows that huge managerial salaries are no longer restricted to the traditional title contenders.
For Nottingham Forest in particular, paying Glasner up to £13m annually is a statement of intent.
But money creates expectations.
The Premier League’s highest-paid managers are not simply being rewarded for what they have already achieved. They are being paid for what their clubs believe they can deliver next.
And in the Premier League, that means trophies, Champions League football, player development, sporting stability — and results.
