
Manchester City
Age 45
It's not just the players who are benefiting from the money
Manchester City have been spending under Sheikh Mansour and, before
him, Thaksin Shinawatra. By moving from Blackburn to take over at
City in June 2008, Mark Hughes doubled his contract to £3m a year
– £60,000 a week, in footballers' terms.
It's better than his first managerial contract: in 1999, while
still playing, he agreed a four-and-a-half-year deal as Wales
manager, the first 18 months of which was served on a part-time
basis. That was said to be worth £300,000 but in 2004 he replaced
Graeme Souness at Ewood Park, signing that £1.5m-per-year contract
on a three-year deal in May 2006.
Sparky has outside interests including stakes in Mark Dafydd Design
and Developments and Mark Dafydd Prestige Homes, two small building
companies. He also owned H2 Soccer Schools, which he ran with Eric
Harrison, the legendary United youth manager who discovered all the
Fergie fledglings such as David Beckham and Paul Scholes. With his
luxury home in the Cheshire stockbroker belt, his share of
transfers and salaries as a top player plus his current business
interests, Sparky should be worth £8m.
Aston
Villa Age 57
You wouldn't think Martin O'Neill was 57, judging by his
irrepressible touchline antics. But like Sir Alex Ferguson, he
celebrates every goal likes it's his first – or last. And he's been
around a while: O'Neill was at an underachieving Nottingham Forest
when a certain Brian Clough arrived to turn the club around with
two European Cup wins – one of which was watched from the bench by
O'Neill, perhaps forging the Ulsterman's steely will to win.
O'Neill served his managerial apprenticeship with Wycombe (whom he
took into the Football League) and made a name for himself at
Leicester, with whom he won two League Cups, before leading Celtic
to three league titles in five years plus a UEFA Cup final. Before
leaving Celtic he was given a £700,000 a year contract as a
consultant.
O'Neill has outside interests, like commentating for the BBC during
the World Cup finals and in August 2006 he joined Aston Villa on a
12-month rolling contract worth up to £2.5m a year. A spokesman for
new Villa owner Randy Lerner said O’Neill would be offered a
six-year deal, worth up to £15m.
Liverpool Age
49
Contracts don't often mean an awful lot but when Rafa Benitez
signed a new four-year deal at Anfield in March 2009, it sent out a
few very strong signals.
Firstly, Benitez had made it very publicly clear that he wanted the
major say on transfers; chief executive Rick Parry was sacrificed
to keep the manager happy. In return, the contract effectively
ended any hopes that Real Madrid had of luring the Spaniard back
home.
Benitez was on Madrid's books as a player and junior coach before
making his name at Valencia. He took the Spanish side to a league
title and enjoyed extended runs in the Champions League. In June
2004 he joined Liverpool as manager on a five-year £10m contract –
since, of course, updated and improved. He should be worth around
£9m right now on the back of his Liverpool money and past earnings
at Valencia.
Tottenham Hotspur
Age 62
That Tottenham Hotspur were happy to pay Portsmouth £5m
compensation to hire Harry Redknapp may be a sign of how desperate
the London club were to be bottom of the Premier League. But it is
proving to be money well spent.
Redknapp was given a three-year contract by a grateful Pompey in
May 2006 after keeping them from relegation. He lives on Panorama
Road, in Sandbanks, one of the most expensive areas of real estate
in the world, where a dilapidated bungalow was recently sold for
£3m. Redknapp's house dates from 1911 and is reckoned to be worth
£8m. But allowing for any mortgage, Redknapp should easily be worth
£10m with his past contracts and current one.
Arsenal Age
68, last year £14m (92nd)
Arsene Wenger keeps finding gold mines. One of football's canniest
talent scouts, he consistently makes money for Arsenal by signing
and developing promising youngsters for whom the club receive huge
transfer fees.
That's good news for a club which indebted itself with a move to
the Emirates Stadium. Wenger's Arsenal contract was worth around
£3m annually but he signed a new £4m a year deal in September 2007
for four years. A careful and abstemious man devoted to the
Gunners, Wenger should be worth £15m now.
Notts
County Age 61, re-entry
Sven-Göran Eriksson may have been no great shakes as a player, but
he keeps his accountant busy. Gothenburg, Benfica, Roma,
Fiorentina, Benfica, Sampdoria, Lazio, England, Manchester City and
Mexico have all added him to the honour roll – and payroll.
When spooked by alleged interest from Premier League clubs, the FA
raised his wage to £4m a year; offered £5m a year to manage Aston
Villa by the News of the World's "fake sheikh", he seemed
very amenable. By July 2007, after a year out, he was down to a £3m
annual salary at Manchester City – on a three-year contract,
of which he survived 10 months. After an 11-month spell as Mexico
manager he's now back in English football as director of football
at Notts County, on a five-year contract reportedly worth an annual
£2m.
No wonder Martin Samuel described him as a man who "does not appear
the sort of guy who has to hide in a doorway if he sees his bank
manager walking down the street".
Chelsea Age
50, new entry
Sometimes it's worth a change of scenery. Carlo Ancelotti spent
eight years as manager of AC Milan, collecting two more Champions
League wins to add to the two he won in his five years there as a
player. That pedigree prompted Chelsea to offer him a three-year
deal worth £6.5m a year – with bonuses including £1m if the
team wins the Champions League and another £1m for the Premier
League.
In total, he could earn a tidy £10m a year – or £200,000 a
week, enough to make even the most well-heeled player take note.
With his past earnings at Milan and his Chelsea contract, Ancelotti
should already be worth £17m. If he brings success to the Bridge,
he could find himself rapidly rising up the Rich List.
Manchester United
Age 67
Sir Alex Ferguson is said to have earned £15m in wages between 1996
and 2003, and his salary is now £3.6m a year. His company, ACF
Sports Promotions, shows just £342,000 net assets in 2007-08. He
also made £1m from his autobiography and another £1m from a
testimonial organised by his son, Jason.
But with reports that he has been hit by soured investments in the
property downturn, we stick with a £22m valuation for Sir Alex –
plenty enough for his retirement nest-egg... whenever that might
happen.
Ipswich Town
Age 38
Roy Keane turned football and politics upside down when former
shop-steward Alex Ferguson demanded Manchester United's
arch-capitalist chairman Martin Edwards rip up the club's wage
structure to keep the Irishman.
As usual, Ferguson won, and it was worth it. Having signed for
United for a British record £3.75m, Keane dragged them to the
pinnacle and few fans begrudged him when his salary eventual broke
the £100,000-a-week barrier.
The £1m advance on the hardback and paperback editions of his
autobiography was also money well spent: both became bestsellers.
He later earned £35,000 a week for a farewell six-month spell with
Celtic, before moving into management with a three-year £6m package
at Sunderland. After that bitter experience, Ipswich will be paying
him well too.
England Age 63
The FA can be happy with the return so far on Capello's £6.5m
annual salary. But then, Capello has led every club he has managed
to a league title.
Now settled in Belgravia, the art lover admires the works of Marc
Chagall, Wassily Kandinsky and Piero Pizzi Cannella, who is also a
close friend. His art collection is worth £17m. He also wears
Zerorh+ prescription eyewear and has been the face of the range
since 2001.
Taking account of his two decades at the top of management, we
reckon Capello is now worth £30m.