In the modern day, managers are given licence to spend huge money on players.
Back in 2017, Neymar's move to Paris Saint-Germain essentially broke the transfer market, with fees sky-rocketing as a result.
It now means that managers operating in the present day will amass enormous cumulative totals of money spent on players.
In fact, five managers have spent over €1bn since the year 2000. It's a stark reminder of just how influential money is within the sport.
Below, you'll find the 25 managers who have spent the most on players since the turn of the century, along with the number of players they have signed.
All data sourced from Transfermarkt.
25. Ronald Koeman
Players acquired - 71
Amount spent - €505.05m
The Dutchman embarked on quite the spending spree with Everton, signing the likes of Gylfi Sigurdsson and Yannick Bolaise for huge fees.
24. Mauricio Pochettino
Players acquired - 41
Amount spent - €508.28m
A manager renowned for discovering talent, but Poch wasn't afraid to spend either, with Tanguy Ndombele his record purchase at €60m.
23. Louis van Gaal
Players acquired - 43
Amount spent - €512.85m
When you manage the likes of Bayern Munich and Manchester United, you're not exactly going to be penny-pinching, are you?
22. Rudi Garcia
Players acquired - 82
Amount spent - €521.20m
The curent Lyon manager's place on the list is basically due to the volume of players acquired throughout his journeyman career.
21. Thomas Tuchel
Players acquired - 53
Amount spent - €521.56m
Managing PSG in the modern era goes hand-in-hand with spending big. Kylian Mbappe alone accounts for €145m of Tuchel's total.
20. Brendan Rodgers
Players acquired - 67
Amount spent - €561.33m
Don't forget, this is the man who signed Roberto Firmino for Liverpool - and paid €45m for Christian Benteke...
19. Leonardo Jardim
Players acquired - 68
Amount spent - €592.94m
The Portuguese has certainly not been short of cash to spend during his stints as manager of AS Monaco.
18. Mark Hughes
Players acquired - 62
Amount spent - €597.27m
It's easy to forget that Hughes was manager at the time Manchester City received their cash-injection from Sheikh Mansour.
17. Luciano Spalletti
Players acquired - 87
Amount spent - €620.77m
Like Garcia, much of Spalletti's total is down to the number of players acquired. However, Hulk and Axel Witsel cost €40m apiece when the Italian was in charge of Zenit.
16. Maurizio Sarri
Players acquired - 38
Amount spent - €644.62m
A small number of players signed and a hefty spend total accumulated, the common outcome of being an elite-level manager in the present day.
15. Jurgen Klopp
Players acquired - 69
Amount spent - €649.77m
For one of the most successful managers of the past decade at both Borussia Dortmund and Liverpool, Klopp's overall total is very respectable.
14. Sir Alex Ferguson
Players acquired - 52
Amount spent - €666.71m
Fergie bowed out of the game before Neymar essentially broke the transfer market. Were he still a manager today, he'd probably make the top 10.
13. Claudio Ranieri
Players acquired - 88
Amount spent - €753.51m
The Italian has signed A LOT of players during his managerial career, none more expensive than his acquisition of James Rodriguez at Monaco for €45m.
12. Unai Emery
Players acquired - 68
Amount spent - €813.60m
Okay, €222m of Emery's total stems from Neymar's move to PSG, but he's still spent close to €600m on other players.
11. Roberto Mancini
Players acquired - 82
Amount spent - €815.80m
Being City manager during the Mansour era certainly has its privileges! The Italian helped deliver the club's first Premier League title as well.
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