Who is the most important person at a club? It can often depend what way you look at it.
At some teams, the chief executive or director of football is the one who stitches everything together. At others, the entire structure is built around satisfying one or two star players.
However, most often it is the manager who rules the roost.
There have been no shortage of examples of the incredible impact the right manager can have at a club. Footballing history is littered with brilliant managers who single handedly flipped the fortunes of a team, forming dynasties at a domestic or continental level.
While bosses who spend decades at one side are very much a rarity in the modern game, we still see the impact that a top manager can have. Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp are just two current examples, with Manchester City and Liverpool unlikely to be anywhere near the level they have been in recent years without that pair.
Missing on a few transfers can be a bit of a setback for any side, but appointing the wrong man as manager can have disastrous effects that take years to get over.
Considering all of this, why haven't the compensation fees paid for managers experienced the same sort of inflation that we have witnessed in player transfer fees in recent decades?
Eyebrows were raised when it was reported in recent weeks that RB Leipzig were seeking a compensation fee of around €30million to let manager Julian Nagelsmann leave this summer. Bayern Munich wanted to bring him to Bavaria, while Spurs were also hoping to lure him to the Premier League.
It is a massive request, one that would put it at twice the previous highest mark a club has received to allow their manager to join another side.
That record currently belongs to Andre Villas Boas, with Chelsea forking out €15million to bring him from Porto in 2011. He only lasted nine months at Stamford Bridge.
It is also worth noting that Brendan Rodgers appears twice in the top six.
Fascinating chart in today's @abolapt showing world's biggest "transfers" (buyout clauses paid) for managers. 6/11 are Portuguese coaches, Mourinho & BrendenRodgers appear twice on list. Rúben Amorim has been a head coach for 10 weeks, played 13 matches, but jumps in at number 3! pic.twitter.com/xjvbq1UthF
— Tom Kundert (@PortuGoal1) March 4, 2020
Considering the fee clubs fork out to sign players, it is remarkable to think that managers can be recruited for such relatively meagre sums.
Of course, many coaches that are brought in are out of work so not compensation would be required, but that is far from always the case.
Teams who have these talented managers under contract need to have a greater understanding of their potential worth.
That's why RB Leipzig are completely correct in their stance on Nagelsmann. At 33-years old, he is one of the most exciting managerial prospects the game has seen in quite some time.
Bayern have agreed a deal with the manager to bring him to Munich, and look set to pay a massive fee to Leipzig. They are certainly making the correct decision in not pursuing a cheaper option. After all, that is well below what the club has previously paid for the likes of Renato Sanches and Arturo Vidal.
If Leipzig do manage to get the desired amount, we imagine other teams will seeking similar fees moving forward. It wouldn't be before time.
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