Pep Guardiola's lavish spending habits have earned him plenty of criticism during his time at the summit of the game. 

While many have opted to eulogise over his revolutionary tactics and steadfast commitment to his aesthetically pleasing philosophy, others have labelled his achievements as nothing more than a product of aggressive spending in the transfer market. 

Whatever your stance, there is no doubt that he has spent eye watering sums of money in the transfer market throughout his career and particularly during his time at Manchester City. 

But the Catalonian's extravagance is far from an anomalous case.

Using data acquired from Transfermarkt, GIVEMESPORT have ranked the 15 biggest spending managers since the 2016/17 season. 

With the January transfer window looming on the imminent horizon, though, this list may well be subject to change when the opportunity for new signings arises in the New Year. 

Here's the current list of 15 in ascending order...

15. Julen Lopetegui (Total spending €388m) 

Despite serving as Spain manager from July 2016 to June 2018, Julen Lopetegui sneaks onto this list due to his spending at Real Madrid and Sevilla. 

Since taking the reins at Sevilla the Spaniard has spent €242.25m.

14. Nuno Espirito Santo (€405.25m)

Wolves have been widely lauded for how they've risen to the challenge of Premier League football under Nuno Espirito Santo. 

Tactically they play a distinct brand of football and have won admirers for it, but Nuno's certainly had a healthy injection of cash to help him realise his vision for the club. 

Jorge Mendes' influence has contributed to a wave of Portuguese arrivals at Molineux.

13. Zinedine Zidane (€423m)

We'll stop short of feeling sorry for Zinedine Zidane's total expenditure but for a club of Real Madrid's size it's rather intriguing to see him this far down the list. 

12. Leonardo Jardim (€438.1m) 

Monaco's former head honcho piled money into the club during his two spells in charge and reaped the rewards of that by winning the Ligue 1 title in the 16/17 season. 

A second place finish the following year consolidated his fine work, but he has since been dismissed, reappointed and dismissed once again in a difficult period for the Portuguese manager.

11. Carlo Ancelotti (€449.87m)

Across spells with Bayern Munich, Napoli and Everton, Carlo Ancelotti has racked up a considerable spending habit. 

Given the Toffees' willingness to splash out in the transfer market, expect Ancelotti's spending to continue rising at Goodison Park.

10. Jurgen Klopp (€525.85m)

Liverpool, the kings of net spend if Twitter has taught us anything, have piled money into Jurgen Klopp's project and enjoyed great success. 

The German's spending needs to be juxtaposed with the Reds' outgoings in order to be fully understood.

9. Thomas Tuchel (€528.1m)

Borussia Dortmund are renowned for their ability to sign precocious talents before their competitors and reap the financial rewards further down the line. 

On the other hand, Paris Saint-Germain have showcased a willingness to spend big in order to chase an elusive Champions League trophy and the vast majority of Thomas Tuchel's contribution to his total figure here has arrived during his stint with the French capital outfit.  

8. Maurizio Sarri (€599.3m)

Like any Chelsea manager of the Roman Abramovich era, Maurizio Sarri spent big during his time at Stamford Bridge and that has been supplemented with significant outlays at Napoli and Juventus more recently. 

7. Jose Mourinho (€611.1m)

The Special One boasts a CV that would convince most chairmen to provide him with the players he desires. 

During his time at Manchester United, Ed Woodward opened the chequebook to get players into the club and that trend looks set to continue with Daniel Levy at Spurs.

6. Massimiliano Allegri (€623.43m)

Juventus' nine consecutive Serie A titles have not come cheap and Max Allegri's 6th place position here attests to how much they've needed to spend to consolidate their dominance year on year.

5. Unai Emery (€645.45m) 

It's pertinent to note that €372.5m of Unai Emery's total figure was spent during his time at PSG, but his place in 5th still serves as a damning indictment on his stint as Arsenal boss. 

One has to question how much the current Villarreal boss will be backed in the market should be appointed to another high profile job in the future.

4. Diego Simeone (€650.7m)

The master of the dark arts has been lauded for his pragmatism during his time as Atletico Madrid, but his total expenditure undermines the underdog aura that has surrounded much of his and his side's progress in recent years. 

Having emerged from the shadows of Real Madrid and Barcelona and sanctioned some huge signings in recent years, the Rojiblancos' reputation has undergone a significant transformation.

3. Antonio Conte (€677.82m) 

Antonio Conte claims the managerial spending bronze medal for his transfer exploits at Chelsea and Inter Milan. 

With the Nerazzurri striving to end Juventus' interminable supremacy in Italy's top flight, Conte has been backed with €387.42m worth of transfers since accepting the Inter post. 

2. Ernesto Valverde (€774.6m) 

Some of the business Barcelona have conducted in recent years has been nothing short of shambolic and Ernesto Valverde has overseen much of that. 

Moves for Philippe Coutinho, Antoine Griezmann and Ousmane Dembele have proven to be particularly underwhelming signings. 

1. Pep Guardiola (€924.91m)

Mr. Chequebook Manager himself. Who else would top the pile? 

Pep Guardiola's pursuit for silverware at Manchester City has been massively bankrolled by Sheikh Mansour, and the total figure here attests to just how heavily the Spaniard has been backed.

Until City get their hands on the Champions League it's difficult to envisage a scenario in which that level of spending begins to slow down.