Now, any club keen to acquire a manager under a contract will have to pay a premium. Football will always be a game won and lost by the players, but managers and their drift towards personality cults mean those on the touchline are blossoming into stars themselves.

Tottenham Hotspur have named Thomas Frank as their new head coach, following the dismissal of Ange Postecoglou. The 51-year-old Dane joins Spurs after a successful seven-year tenure at Brentford, where he guided the club to promotion from the Championship and established them as a competitive Premier League side.