Every Premier League Club Ranked by Their Wage Bill

Every Premier League club’s wage bill has been revealed and, unsurprisingly, there’s a gaping chasm between those at the top – namely one half of the Manchester-based duo – and the lowest-paying teams such as Burnley and Brentford.

There is so much money involved in the world of football in the modern day that fans would be forgiven for thinking every top-flight team has endless amounts of cash to pay their playing staff. While some clubs do spend huge amounts on their wage bill, others have a much lower ceiling when it comes to finances.

Many of the figures in question are bordering on astronomical, and they are only set to rise further due to the growing influence and competition posed by the wealth of the Saudi Pro League. Top players in England are looking for a pay rise, or considering moves to the Middle East for the lucrative contracts being handed out in that part of the world.

With that being said, very little sympathy can be felt for Premier League clubs that have almost taken over Europe in terms of financial power. Clubs that are seen as historically and traditionally bigger find themselves towards the top of the list, while the sides that have become Premier League sides in the more recent past are struggling to keep up.

With more business still to be done in the January window, the wage bills for each club come via SalaryLeaks. In the case of some clubs, there is limited data out there, meaning some of the figures given are estimates. We’ve taken a look at the annual wage bills of each Premier League club in order from lowest to highest.

20

Brentford – £54,400,000

If anything truly highlights the excellent job that Brentford’s well-drilled recruitment team have done – and continue to do on a year-by-year basis – at the London-based club, it’s that they have the lowest wage bill of any club in the top tier, yet the Bees continue to operate above their pay grade and remain a solid, and competitive, side in the division.

With the departure of talismanic forward Bryan Mbeumo, things were expected to be a little trickier for the club going forward, buth they’ve only improved under Keith Andrews.

If they continue to do so, it’s only another testament to how impressive the recruitment has been in recent years. That said, Aaron Hickey and Reiss Nelson are among the capital side’s highest-earning players. Dango Ouatarra, Jordan Henderson and Mikel Damsgaard conclude the Bees’ top five earners.

19

Burnley – £54,400,000

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Burnley, after their automatic progression back to the promised land, are still hoping Scott Parker’s tactics and their concoction of experience and youth will see them retain their status as an English top-flight outfit. They’ll have to do so with the second-lowest wage bill in the division. As a result, it’s not a massive surprise that Parker’s side have struggled to compete so far.

In terms of which Clarets player lines their pockets with the most money, it should come as no surprise that Kyle Walker, a six-time Premier League winner, is at the summit with an annual take-home of £3,600,000. Behind the English right-back, who is widely viewed as one of the greatest defenders in the history of the division, are Loum Tchaouna, Josh Cullen, Jaidon Anthony and Lyle Foster.

18

Bournemouth – £58,500,000

There’s been plenty of change at Bournemouth over the last few years. The arrival of Andoni Iraola marked a real act of ambition from the club, and they exceeded expectations during his debut season in England. Complicating matters on the pitch, the club lost their star forward, Dominic Solanke, to Tottenham Hotspur in the summer of 2023, but it did, in turn, slash a large chunk from their wage bill.

They still have several high earners in the squad, though, such as Justin Kluivert, son of footballing icon Patrick, Ryan Christie, and Evanilson. Antoine Semenyo, who earned £3,900,000 on an annual basis, has been shifted from the wage bill. In comparison to their fellow Premier League sides, they still boast a small wage bill.

17

Brighton & Hove Albion – £61,300,000

As is the case with Brentford, plenty of credit has to go to Brighton & Hove Albion – and in particular, their recruitment genius over the years – for the enviable manner in which the football club has been run from top to bottom over the years. With manager Fabian Hurzeler at the helm, the German tactician’s spell been promising, but there have been some bumps in the road along the way.

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With a very young squad in general, the Seagulls do not have many high earners on the books in comparison to other sides, and top of their list is full-back Ferdi Kadioglu. The Turkish defender joined from Fenerbahce in 2024 and immediately became the highest earner on the coast. Other big earners in the team include Kaoru Mitoma, Lewis Dunk, Danny Welbeck and former Leeds United talisman Georginio Rutter.

16

Sunderland – £62,600,000

Sunderland look certain to survive the drop back down to England’s second tier – and that’s largely thanks to the brilliant transfer activity overseen by Regis Le Bris and Co. As a means of rubbing shoulders with the best, the Black Cats – who won the play-off final against Sheffield United – scoured the summer transfer window for as much experience as possible, as evidenced by the arrivals of Granit Xhaka, Nodri Mukiele and Brian Brobbey.

It’s no surprise to see the aforementioned triumvirate of stars among the club’s biggest earners. Swiss midfielder Xhaka, who played much of his career in north London for Arsenal, earns £5,700,000, which is £1 million more than Mukiele. Lutsharel Geertruida, who has joined the English club on a temporary basis, is earning £4,000,000 – which is just more than striker Brobbey and impressive midfielder Enzo Le Fee.

15

Wolverhampton Wanderers – £64,000,000

Despite being tipped for a season of struggle last year, Wolverhampton Wanderers were invigorated by the arrival of Vitor Pereira, though they haven’t been the same since the loss of Matheus Cunha. Old Gold are diving head first into the Championship currently, but their relatively low wage bill means they should be fine.

Celebrated midfielder Joao Gomes stands tall as the highest earner at Molineux. The likes of Jorgen Strand Larsen and Hee-chan Hwang are hot on his heels to earn that special status.

14

Leeds United – £64,100,000

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Daniel Farke and Leeds United are looking to stay afloat come May 2026. More was expected of the Whites, however, given they stormed the Championship with relative ease last time out. Back in the big time and things have gone relatively well, as Farke’s men look likely to avoid the drop. Dominic Calvert-Lewin, earning over £6 million, has paid the club back with his incredible goal-scoring run.

The Elland Road outfit are also shelling out handsome sums to Jack Harrison (£4,700,000) and Sean Longstaff (£4,200,000). Daniel James and Noah Okafor both get paid upwards of £3,500,000 too.

13

Crystal Palace – £66,600,000

Not least thanks to last season’s FA Cup win, a resurgent Crystal Palace side turned their form following Oliver Glasner’s arrival, with Michael Olise and Eberechi Eze being the main catalysts behind their turnaround. The former was one of the side’s highest earners, but his move to Bayern Munich this summer has shaken the apple cart. The latter has also moved on to Arsenal.

The two forwards were among the side’s highest earners before their exits, but that slot has now been filled by Daichi Kamada. The 30-year-old spent one year with Lazio before moving to Selhurst Park last summer, and he was handed the highest salary in South London. Eddie Nketiah, Yeremy Pino and goalkeeper Dean Henderson are also earning substantial wages.

12

Fulham – £75,800,000

Having lost their out-and-out talisman, Aleksander Mitrovic, to the riches of the Saudi Pro League in the summer of 2023, Fulham have still managed to outperform expectations in the seasons to follow by finishing comfortably in the Premier League. That’s because boss Marco Silva has put together a solid squad capable of avoiding any form of relegation battle, and he’s done so with an average payroll.

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Former Arsenal goalkeeper Bernd Leno is the top earner at Craven Cottage by quite some distance, but Samuel Chukwueze, Raul Jimenez, Alex Iwobi and Joachim Andersen also all take home quite a pretty penny. With two of their top earners being former Arsenal players, it wouldn’t be too surprising if Emile Smith Rowe, whose Fulham is yet to take off, was also taking home a large wage every week too.

11

Everton – £76,300,000

While Brighton and Brentford are often praised for being very well-run clubs that punch well above their weight from a financial standpoint, Everton, now managed by the seasoned David Moyes, are almost the complete opposite given how much they’ve struggled in seasons gone by. Their high wage expenditure hasn’t translated into success on the pitch in recent years, though.

This has at least been the case for as long as fans can remember, but they’ve slowly started to trim their payroll with players such as Amadou Onana and Andre Gomes, who were on huge wages, leaving them in the summer of 2024.

The club have been dragged into relegation battles for a few straight seasons now, despite their on-paper sturdy back line, which is buoyed by Jordan Pickford and Jarrad Branthwaite, who earn £7,800,000 and £6,200,000, respectively. As such, the two are among the highest earners from a permanent fixture perspective on the blue half of Merseyside. Jack Grealish, on loan from Manchester City, pockets a whopping £11,700,000.