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
Premier League finances: Full details of the 20 clubs' 2017-18 accounts here; total revenues £4.8bn; Manchester United made most with £590m, a director, presumably Ed Woodward, was paid a £4m salary. https://t.co/8kamGF0ERI
— David Conn (@david_conn) May 23, 2019
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
#ReadingFC £35m wage bill was the 10th highest in the division, meaning the club has badly under-performed, though it was a long way below #AVFC £73m. As incoming CEO Nigel Howe said, “I’ve taken over a lot of issues that need to be addressed in terms of player costs.” pic.twitter.com/YL3FMHn0t9
— Swiss Ramble (@SwissRamble) May 23, 2019
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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