The international break is likely to bring the Premier League season’s first managerial sackings of the season.
Manchester United are expected to dismiss Michael Carrick, while Crystal Palace are expected to part company with Pierre Sage. Both clubs are in the relegation zone and handed their head coaches new contracts less than six months ago.
The length of a contract gives some idea of the cost of a dismissal, but the termination clause can matter more. Some agreements cap compensation at a fixed number of months’ salary. Others allow clubs to reduce or stop payments if the manager finds another job. United were spared the full £15.9m they could have owed Rúben Amorim when he took charge of AC Milan. Clubs can also negotiate a settlement. Chelsea reportedly paid Liam Rosenior substantially less than the £24m implied by the remainder of his contract.
The bill can rise quickly if the backroom staff leave as well. Sage brought his assistant Jamal Alioui from Lens, while United extended the contracts of five coaches, including Steve Holland and Jonathan Woodgate, by two years when they appointed Carrick permanently. Those coaches have their own contracts, and any successor who brings his own staff adds another set of salaries.
Chelsea and United stand out in the published figures. One estimate put Chelsea’s spending on the departures of managers and other senior figures at close to £200m since 2010. United’s cumulative bill since 2014 is close to £100m, before any potential payouts to Carrick and his staff. Clubs can recognise the expense in their accounts years before the final instalment falls due, leaving less cash to strengthen the squad in subsequent seasons.
Hiring a replacement can carry a separate bill. Palace agreed a deal worth up to £4.3m to release Sage from Lens. Tottenham’s accounts show they paid Brentford £6.7m for Thomas Frank and his staff, while United may have paid Sporting up to £11m for Amorim and his team. Meanwhile, it might cost United as much as £7 million to release Mauricio Pochettino, the current favourite to replace Carrick, from his obligations to the US national team.
For some managers, dismissal can prove lucrative. Frank was entitled to compensation after just eight months at Tottenham and is now the favourite to succeed Sage. José Mourinho has collected payouts estimated in excess of £100m after several high-profile sackings, including at Chelsea, Manchester United, and Fenerbahçe.
The historical totals give little indication of what clubs still owe. One club may have settled a costly dismissal years ago, while another may still be paying a manager whose successor has already gone. Paying several former employees while funding a new coaching team may seem preferable to relegation or missing out on European football, but the calculation depends on results improving. If the problems at United or Palace lie in how the club is run, sacking the manager can be like rearranging the deckchairs on the Titanic.
