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How every PL and Champ club’s wage bills compare to their league positions

The amount clubs spend on wages rather than transfer fees is often a better indicator of success – so which clubs have over-performed and under-performed according to their wage budgets?

Using figures collected from the Swiss Ramble and David Conn’s report in The Guardian, we’ve ranked every club in the Premier League and Championship by their total wage spend from the 2017-18 campaign.

To reiterate, these numbers relate to the 2017-18 campaign, not 2018-19, as those are the most recent accounts published.

Sheffield Wednesday’s figures relate to the 2016-17 season as they have not yet published their most recent accounts.

Bolton Wanderers’ figures are not included at all as their most recent accounts are also yet to be published, and the numbers from the previous season would be unrepresentative as they relate to a campaign in League One.

1. Manchester United
League position: 2nd (Premier League)
Total wage bill: £296m

2. Liverpool
League position: 4th (Premier League)
Total wage bill: £264m

3. Manchester City
League position: 1st (Premier League)
Total wage bill: £260m

4. Chelsea
League position: 5th (Premier League)
Total wage bill: £246m

5. Arsenal
League position: 6th (Premier League)
Total wage bill: £240m

6. Tottenham
League position: 3rd (Premier League)
Total wage bill: £148m

7. Everton
League position: 8th (Premier League)
Total wage bill: £145m

8. Crystal Palace
League position: 11th (Premier League)
Total wage bill: £117m

9. Leicester City
League position: 9th (Premier League)
Total wage bill: £119m

10. Southampton
League position: 17th (Premier League)
Total wage bill: £113m

11. West Ham
League position: 13th (Premier League)
Total wage bill: £107m

12. Bournemouth
League position: 12th (Premier League)
Total wage bill: £102m

13= Newcastle United
League position: 10th (Premier League)
Total wage bill: £94m

13= Stoke City
League position: 19th (Premier League)
Total wage bill: £94m

15. West Brom
League position: 20th (Premier League)
Total wage bill: £92m

16. Swansea City
League position: 18th (Premier League)
Total wage bill: £91m

17. Watford
League position: 14th (Premier League)
Total wage bill: £86m

READ: Club-by-club: A breakdown of the 2018-19 Premier League prize money

18. Burnley
League position: 7th (Premier League)
Total wage bill: £82m

19. Brighton
League position: 15th (Premier League)
Total wage bill: £78m

20. Aston Villa
League position: 4th (Championship)
Total wage bill: £73m

21. Huddersfield Town
League position: 16th (Premier League)
Total wage bill: £63m

22. Fulham
League position: 3rd (Championship)
Total wage bill: £54m

23. Wolves
League position: 1st (Championship)
Total wage bill: £51m

24. Middlesbrough
League position: 5th (Championship)
Total wage bill: £49m

25. Cardiff City
League position: 2nd (Championship)
Total wage bill: £48m

26. Sunderland
League position: 24th (Championship)
Total wage bill: £47m

27. Norwich City
League position: 14th (Championship)
Total wage bill: £42m

28. Derby County
League position: 6th (Championship)
Total wage bill: £40m

29. Birmingham City
League position: 19th (Championship)
Total wage bill: £39m

30. Reading
League position: 20th (Championship)
Total wage bill: £35m

31= Leeds United
League position: 13th (Championship)
Total wage bill: £31m

31= Hull City
League position: 18th (Championship)
Total wage bill: £31m

31= QPR
League position: 16th (Championship)
Total wage bill: £31m

34. Sheffield Wednesday (2016-17 figure)
League position (2017-18): 15th (Championship)
Wage bill: (2016-17): £29m

35. Nottingham Forest
League position: 17th (Championship)
Wage bill: £28m

36. Bristol City
League position: 11th (Championship)
Wage bill: £27m

37= Sheffield United
League position: 10th (Championship)
Wage bill: £19m

37= Ipswich Town
League position: 12th (Championship)
Wage bill: £19m

39. Brentford
League position: 9th (Championship)
Wage bill: £17m

40. Preston North End
League position: 7th (Championship)
Wage bill: £15m

41. Millwall
League position: 8th (Championship)
Wage bill: £13m

42. Barnsley
League position: 22nd (Championship)
Wage bill: £11m

43. Burton Albion
League position: 23rd (Championship)
Wage bill: £10m


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