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How every Prem club’s wage bill compares to their 19-20 league position

Arsenal‘s reasoning behind joining the European Super League is made clearer by a quick glance at Premier League clubs’ wage bills from 2019-20. 

Despite having the fifth-highest wage bill in the English top-flight, the Gunners could only finish eighth last season, proving that money doesn’t guarantee success.

Thanks to the excellent work of Swiss Ramble, we’ve compared every Premier League club’s wage bill to their final position in the league table. 

Note: these numbers relate to the 2019-20 campaign, not 2020-21, as those are the most recent accounts published.

But the wage figures from Newcastle United and Watford are based on 2018-19 as they have not yet published their most recent accounts.

1. Manchester City
League position: 2nd
Total wage bill: £351m

2. Liverpool
League position: 1st
Total wage bill: £326m

3. Manchester United
League position: 3rd
Total wage bill: £284m

4. Chelsea
League position: 4th
Total wage bill: £283m

5. Arsenal
League position: 8th
Total wage bill: £225m

6. Tottenham
League position: 6th
Total wage bill: £181m

7. Everton
League position: 12th
Total wage bill: £165m

8. Leicester City
League position: 5th
Total wage bill: £157m

9. Crystal Palace
League position: 14th
Total wage bill: £132m

10. West Ham
League position: 16th
Total wage bill: £127m

11. Southampton
League position: 11th
Total wage bill: £114m

12. Aston Villa
League position: 17th
Total wage bill: £109m

13. Bournemouth
League position: 18th
Total wage bill: £108m

14. Brighton
League position: 15th
Total wage bill: £103m

15. Burnley
League position: 10th
Total wage bill: £100m

16. Newcastle United*
League position: 13th
Total wage bill: £97m

17. Wolves
League position: 7th
Total wage bill: £95m

18. Norwich City
League position: 20th
Total wage bill: £89m

19. Watford*
League position: 19th
Total wage bill: £84m

20. Sheffield United
League position: 9th
Total wage bill: £78m


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