It seems that last summer Graham Potter became the most expensive manager of all time. That information comes from annual figures from his former club Brighton & Hove Albion.
Chelsea made Potter the most expensive trainer ever
Chelsea appears to have transferred more than 24 million euros to Brighton to loosen Potter at the beginning of September last year. On 18 September 2022, the club were delighted to announce the appointment of Roberto De Zerbi following the departure of Graham Potter to Chelsea a few days earlier for a £21.5 million transfer fee.
In any case, Julian Nagelsmann is not far off the price Chelsea paid for Potter. The Bayern Munich coach was also acquired from RB Leipzig in the summer of 2021 for around 24 million euros.
It is not the first time that Chelsea has spent a lot on a manager. In 2011, the Londoners took over André Villas-Boas from FC Porto for 14.5 million euros. Other expensive trainer deals from the past are those of Brendan Rodgers from Celtic to Leicester City (ten million euros) in 2019 and Ruben Amorim from Braga to Sporting Portugal (9.7 million euros) in 2020. Both trainers are still active with their employers.
Chelsea have not yet experienced the desired success in the Premier League under Potter. The Blues are `currently tenth in that. In the Champions League, it will soon cross swords with Real Madrid in the quarter-finals of the billion dollar ball.
Southgate: “Diversity was essential when Hasselbaink arrived”
Staying in England, Gareth Southgate has elaborated on the addition of Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink to England’s coaching staff.
The arrival of Chris Powell’s replacement Hasselbaink has been partly prompted by the Football Association’s consistent commitment to diversity. “When Chris left, we wanted to keep the diversity in our coaching staff. At the moment there are not many black trainers who have the papers and the experience,” he said
Fifty-year-old Hasselbaink mainly works with the attackers in England. “He has a lot of energy, he is very interested in the tactical side of the game. He is typically Dutch, a student. I think he will add a lot to our coaching staff. I like what Jimmy brings and the diversity of the coaching team was essential,” Southgate said.
