After a rather bonkers few years in the dugout, Ange Postecoglou is cashing in.
The Australian nearly relegated Premier League giants Tottenham, but then broke their near-two decade trophyless run with Europa League glory.
The joint success and failure saw him sacked, only to rock up at Nottingham Forest and put the trophy behind him.
The Greek-born coach failed miserably in his second high-paid job in England and was sacked after failing to win in eight games.
Big names head to the Saudi Pro League
The Premier League has long been the best-paying league in the world for coaches, attracting the best talent while players still often opt for other European leagues for more cash.
Yet there’s now a challenger in the shape of the Saudi Pro League, copying England’s model of not just overpaying players to get them to join, but managers too.
Postecoglou is the latest to cash-in, and he does so at one of the Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund [PIF]-owned teams.
Joining Cristiano Ronaldo’s champions Al Nassr, he will have one of the highest salaries in the division.
The PIF have signalled withdrawals from various sports over the past months, but football appears to be the exception.
Money is still being pumped into their four teams – Nassr, Al Hilal, Al Ahli and Al Ittihad.
That’s not to say the other teams pay a pittance, far from it, and we take a look at how that plays out across the 20 teams for the 2026/27 season.
Ange Postecoglou’s Al-Nassr salary
In joining a PIF club as a big name, Postecoglou will likely be getting the big bucks.
The Australian was on a reported £5million per-year at Tottenham, and he can expect at least double that at Nassr.
His predecessor Jorge Jesus was on £10m, but hadn’t come from the high-paying Premier League to demand a more substantial fee.
Postecoglou can likely accept close to the £15m that it took to tempt Stefano Pioli over from Serie A.
Simeone Inzaghi’s Al-Hilal salary
It’s fair to say Al Hilal aren’t getting much bang for their buck with Simeone Inzaghi.
They signed the Italian after his 5-0 Champions League final loss to PSG in 2025, and paid a staggering £20m per-year to do so.
The figure reportedly makes him the second-best paid coach in the world, only behind Diego Simeone who’s had salary increases due to his incredible Atletico Madrid longevity.
Yet he failed to win the Pro League in his debut campaign.
Marino Pusic’s Al-Ahli salary
Matthias Jaissle was being paid £9.6m a year before leaving for Newcastle to be replaced by Marino Pusic.
While Pusic isn’t as exciting, he is a proven winner in Netherlands and Ukraine, and had already been on a hefty salary in the Middle East, suggesting he’ll be paid similar to Jaissle.
Brendan Rodgers’ Al-Qadsiah salary
One of the most ambitious non-PIF teams, Qadsiah beat a PIF team into the Champions League next season thanks to Brendan Rodgers.
Rodgers spent all of his career in Britain, winning titles with Celtic and Leicester, and, according to reports, doubled his salary from the former to £8m in Saudi.
Jens Wissing’s Al Ittihad salary
Ittihad have gone for the Jaissle route with a young up-and-coming German coach wanted in the Bundesliga with Jens Wissing.
Wissing is barely known by casual fans, though, but he did impress hugely in Asia with Gamba Osaka, winning the AFC Champions League 2 final against Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al Nassr.
The move is still a massive surprise for a PIF-owned club who were reportedly willing to offer Antonio Conte a staggering €20m per-year.
Former well known coaches Sergio Conceicao and Laurent Blanc were on €10m per-year, which means it’s a safe bet Wissing is on lower than that.
Zarko Lazetic Al-Taawoun salary
Lazetic earns a reported £1.5m at Taawoun.
Arthur Papas’ Al-Ettifaq salary
Ettifaq have gone for a relative unknown in Papas, unlike previous coach Steven Gerrard.
The Liverpool legend was reportedly on a stunning £15m, with Papas accepting around £6m.
Christophe Galtier’s Neom Salary
Formerly the next big thing in France, Neom had to play plenty to get Christophe Galtier out of the country.
The ambitious promoted side are reportedly paying the two-time Ligue 1 winner one of the league’s highest wages at £15.4m.
Jalel Kadri’s Al-Hazem salary
Former Tunisia coach Jalel Kadri is on a reported £1.7m at Hazem.
Fabio Carille’s Al-Fayha salary
Carille has only just joined Fayha, and no reports claim to know his salary
Jose Gomes’ Al-Khaleej salary
Gomes recently swapped Al Fateh for Khaleej. He was on around £2m per year at his former club, so is likely to have taken a pay-rise.
Bruno Lage’s Al-Diriyah salary
One of the bigger names at the bottom of the table, former Benfica and Wolves coach Bruno Lage joined newly-promoted Diriyah this summer.
Reports claim he will be paid around £2.1m per-year.
Thomas Letsch’s Al-Shabab salary
Letsch has a decent profile from Germany and Austria, joining the Pro League ahead of the 2026/27 season. His salary is as yet unknown.
Des Buckingham’s Al-Kholood salary
No reports claim to know Buckingham’s salary at Kholood.
Mauricio Dulac’s Al-Riyadh salary
No reports claim to know Mauricio Dulac’s salary at Riyadh
Damir Buric’s Abha salary
No reports claim to know Damir Buric’s salary at Abha
Giovanni Solinas’s Al-Faisaly salary
No reports claim to know Giovanni Solinas’s Al-Faisaly salary
Khaled Al-Atwi’s Al-Fateh salary
No reports claim to known Khaled Al-Atwi’s salary at Al-Fateh
Complete list of Saudi Pro League manager salaries
| Club | Manager | Nationality | Salary (per-year) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Al-Nassr | Ange Postecoglou | Australian | £10m-£15m |
| Al-Hilal | Simone Inzaghi | Italian | £20m |
| Al-Ahli | Marino Pusic | Croatian | <£9m |
| Al-Qadsiah | Brendan Rodgers | Northern Irish | £8m |
| Al-Ittihad | Jens Wissing | German | <£10m |
| Al-Taawoun | Zarko Lazetic | Serbian | £1.5m |
| Al-Ettifaq | Arthur Papas | Australian | £6m |
| Neom | Christophe Galtier | French | £15.4m |
| Al-Hazem | Jalel Kadri | Tunisian | £1.7m |
| Al-Fayha | Fabio Carille | Brazilian | Unknown |
| Al-Fateh | Khaled Al-Atwi | Saudi | Unknown |
| Al-Khaleej | Jose Gomes | Portuguese | >£2m |
| Al-Shabab | Thomas Letsch | German | Unknown |
| Al-Kholood | Des Buckingham | English | Unknown |
| Al-Riyadh | Mauricio Dulac | Brazilian | Unknown |
| Abha | Damir Buric | Croatian | Unknown |
| Al-Faisaly | Giovanni Solinas | Italian | Unknown |
| Al-Diriyah | Bruno Lage | Portuguese | £2.1m |
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