30 Highest-Paid English Footballers in 2026 [Ranked]

Money makes the world go round. And that notion is particularly true for footballers, especially for those earning their corn in the Premier League, as they often take home jaw-dropping amounts of money each week. It has now become a construct that fans and pundits alike tend to converse about. Most notably, whether footballers deserve to be paid much more than their teammates is based on a string of factors.

The likes of Harry Kane, Jude Bellingham and Ivan Toney have seen their weekly salaries rise dramatically since their moves to Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, and the Saudi Pro League respectively. But which Englishmen are receiving eyebrow-raising amounts of money each week? And who, rightly or wrongly, is being paid the most money of all English footballers on the planet?

30

Jarrad Branthwaite (Everton)

£120,000-per-week

There was one point in time when Jarrad Branthwaite, who has been on the books of Everton since moving from Carlisle United in January 2020, was courted by a raft of Premier League sides – both sides of the Manchester divide were among those interested in his signature. The defender is still 23 years of age but is already earning £120,000 per week and he’s among the 30 highest-paid Englishman.

At the time of writing, Branthwaite – who is yet to be capped by the English national team – is racing towards 100 appearances for the Toffees. A move to an, on paper, bigger side in England is perhaps on the horizon for the Carlisle-born defender – and what would naturally follow would be a rise in pay.

29

Ollie Watkins (Aston Villa)

£130,000-per-week

Ollie Watkins has been instrumental to Aston Villa’s rise from top-half hopefuls to a staggering force at Europe’s top table under Unai Emery – and his bucketload of strikes has been central to the club’s stratospheric trajectory over recent months. At his current employers, he’s notched 94 goals and 43 assists in 252 outings.

Not only that, but he has been quality for England, too, as evidenced by his 90th-minute strike against the Netherlands in his nation’s Euro 2024 semi-final. For being such a threat in the final third, combined with his leadership ability, the potent marksman earns the same as the likes of Chelsea hotshot Cole Palmer (more on him soon) – £130,000-per-week.

28

Cole Palmer (Chelsea)

£130,000-per-week

Where would Chelsea be without the goalscoring exploits of the aforementioned Cole Palmer? A young and hungry creator, he struggled to make the cut at Manchester City and moved to the capital in the summer of 2023 and things have been glittering since. Aside from his glut of goals, Palmer brings a sense of threat to his side’s attack.

By virtue of the England international being Chelsea’s go-to man in front of goal, Palmer – regarded as one of the best free-kick takers in the Premier League right now – pockets a handsome £130,000-per-week on a week-by-week basis. You can expect that to rise exponentially if he continues to break records in the west of the capital.

27

Dominic Solanke (Tottenham Hotspur)

£140,000-per-week

A goalscoring sensation for Bournemouth, it was no surprise to see Tottenham Hotspur cough up a £60 million fee for the sharpshooting Dominic Solanke in the summer of 2024. Since, the Basingstoke-born striker – capped three times at international level – has scored 16 times for Spurs. Like many on this list, the centre-forward has had to contend with a number of injury issues.

Such problems have limited his influence for Ange Postecoglou and now Thomas Frank. Irrespective of how many matches he’s played, he still earns £140,000-per-week. On the international stage, Solanke faces the challenge of competing with Kane for a starting berth – and, as a result, his caps have been restricted to three.

26

Morgan Rogers (Aston Villa)

£150,000-per-week

Morgan Rogers is among the most important assets for Unai Emery. His concoction of touch-tight dribbling and flair-ridden play in behind the striker, Manchester City will be ruing their decision to allow the 12-cap England international to move on back in the day – and a return to his former club is not off the cards as the years go on.

In fact, there has been a smattering of top clubs sniffing around his signature. For now, however, the fact that Rogers has signed a £150,000-per-week contract with the Birmingham outfit means that he is staying put for now. In 2025/26 alone, the architect behind much of his side’s brilliance has started every single Premier League outing – and that ultimately means that his wage is money well spent.

25

Noni Madueke (Arsenal)

£150,000-per-week

Is Noni Madueke a player waiting to explode? Some would suggest so; some would suggest that his poor form for Chelsea was exactly what the 23-year-old winger can provide a Premier League side. Alas, Mikel Arteta and Arsenal saw him as a forward able to provide something different from a forward-thinking perspective – and the Londoner has performed well for the Gunners.

So far, despite not being a regular starter for the north Londoners, Madueke has been a constant thorn for defences up and down the country. His positional versatility, however, is what makes him such an attractive option for both club and country – and if he can get some minutes under his belt ahead of the summer, he could be a decent outside shout for Thomas Tuchel and Co. From a wages perspective, he earns £150,000-per-week in the north of his homeland.

24

Jordan Pickford (Everton)

£150,000-per-week

There’s an awful lot of unjust discourse over Jordan Pickford’s position between the sticks for England, isn’t there? For years, Everton’s shot-stopper has been the nation’s first choice – and, well, he’s rarely put a glove wrong. Some supporters, however, are not as convinced about the talents of Pickford, who has racked up 81 appearances for the Three Lions.

For the Toffees, the 31-year-old has been equally integral. Albeit not the tallest of goalkeepers, his combination of shot-stopping and leadership is perfect for the Merseysiders. At the time of writing, the glovesman earns £150,000-per-week and, on a separate note, he’s Everton’s highest-earning asset.

23

Jarrod Bowen (West Ham United)

£150,000-per-week

Having started his career with Hereford, Jarrod Bowen joined Hull City in 2014, where he would stay for six years, gradually developing his game as a winger and eventually, as an overall forward. The versatile forward’s strong form saw West Ham United come calling for him in 2020 and now, six years on from his move, the England international serves as club captain.

Bellingham is the obvious example when people ask about talents sniped from the Championship, but the man in question, Bowen, can not be too far down on that list. The winger/striker has shown, time and again, that he can be a dependable figure for the Hammers, who rewarded him with a bumper contract extension in 2024, taking his pay to £150,000-per-week.

22

Kalvin Phillips (Manchester City)

£150,000-per-week

The last few years of Kalvin Phillips’ career can hardly have gone as he would have expected. The defensive midfielder – who earns £150,000 every week – spent eight years with boyhood club Leeds United, rising to prominence in Marcelo Bielsa’s system and style of play. Such was his form that it caught the eye of Pep Guardiola and Manchester City, who moved to sign him in 2022.

Despite his calibre, Phillips struggled to break into the City first team given that Rodri was ahead of him in the pecking order. Minimal minutes led to a loan to West Ham United earlier this year, which was of mixed success. The one-time England player of the year concluded his loan spell at Ipswich Town in the summer – and he’s back in Manchester, rotting away on the bench.

21

Anthony Gordon (Newcastle United)

£150,000-per-week

Having started his career with Everton, much was said about the manner in which Anthony Gordon departed Goodison Park. The winger wanted a move to Newcastle United, which he would eventually get in January 2023, though only after forcing through the transfer, much to the disdain of fans of the Merseysiders.

Since his arrival on Tyneside, Gordon has steadily developed into one of manager Eddie Howe’s most important players, often being utilised as the left prong of a front three including Alexander Isak and Jacob Murphy. The former has now left and Gordon’s form – and output in the final third – has dipped as a result.

The winger did blossom in 2023/24, notching 21 goal contributions in 35 Premier League games. Though Gordon failed to match that tally in the season just gone, he remains a crucially key player for both club and country – and, regardless of his inconsistent form, he is still earning a lofty wage of £150,000 on a weekly basis.