Which current Premier League managers have spent the most money in the transfer market?

Rankings 

The January transfer window is now open and in typical fashion football clubs up and down the Premier League will be racing to add new stars to their squads. Whether it’s Arsenal and Manchester City looking to bolster their title credentials or relegation-threatened Wolves or West Ham hoping some winter reinforcements can save their season, there’s little doubt that plenty of money will be spent this month.

However, while we all know which clubs typically spend the most amount of money in any given transfer window, it’s also worth taking a look at which sides have spent the most money under their current managers. Nothing gives a boost of confidence from the boardroom like flashing the cash in the transfer market. So which Premier League managers have spent the most money in their current roles? Let’s take a look.

To no great surprise, the manager that has the highest net spend (i.e the transfer fees paid minus transfer fees received) in the Premier League is none other than Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola. Since taking over the Etihad club in 2016, the Spaniard has spent an eye-watering sum of €1.03 billion on new players, even when we factor in the money earned from selling players. In second place is Mikel Arteta at Arsenal, who has overseen a €899m rebuild at the North London club since he took over in late 2019. Interestingly, that means that Arteta’s net spend at Arsenal is only €131m behind Guardiola’s at Man City, despite being in the job for three fewer years.

Third place on the list is Eddie Howe at Newcastle. Interestingly, the Geordie club’s net spend under the English tactician is less than half that of Arsenal’s, coming in at €463m since Howe took over in 2021. However, critics of the club will note that such sums suggest that Howe’s team should be doing far better to challenge for a top-four finish, considering that it’s the third highest sum on this list. Arne Slot, despite only being in his second season at Liverpool, comes in fourth with a net spend of €258m at Anfield. Which puts him narrowly ahead of Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim, whose team has had a net spend of €208m spent on it since the Portuguese manager arrived at Old Trafford late last year.

Some other interesting names on the list come in the form of Tottenham Hotspur boss Thomas Frank, who flies up the rankings into sixth place after Spurs’ net spend of €168m on new players this season. Similarly, David Moyes sits tenth on the list with a net spend of €117m since taking over the reins at Everton in January 2025. This places both managers ahead of Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca’s, whose net spend at Stamford Bridge comes in at only €116m - perhaps emphasizing the sheer scale of Chelsea’s outgoings since the Italian manager took over. And perhaps even more surprising is Unai Emery’s spot in thirteenth position, with Aston Villa’s net spend coming in at a rather paltry sum of just €47m since late 2022.

Wolves manager Rob Edwards has a net spend of €7.5m due to Wolves agreeing to sign Ladislav Krejci for that sum next season, while three Premier League managers have actually seen their respective clubs make a profit in the transfer window since they join: Daniel Farke’s Leeds United have a net spend of +€22m, Oliver Glasner’s Crystal Palace have earned €27.6m in pure profit during his tenure in London and Keith Andrews, despite only taking over this season, has overseen €56.6m in profits at Brentford. All other managers in the Premier League are excluded from the list because this transfer window is the first one with them in charge.