How much is a football manager actually worth?

It is the culmination of managerial contracts that often grab the headlines. But as Vithushan Ehantharajah finds out the real work gets done at the beginning

Some contracts at football clubs end up being worth more than others (Getty)

“A football manager’s contract is worth the paper it’s printed on.”

In an industry where managers are regularly binned off on whim, and in a season where Watford sacked both Javi Gracia and Quique Sanchez Flores within 86 days, that statement jars. But for lawyers like Ray Wann, their job is to make sure this is absolutely the case.

Wann specialises in senior executive deals in football for sports law group Sheridans, their job is to make sure this is the case. Over the years, he has worked both for clubs and managers in negotiations over deals, both at the start and the end of the process.