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How every Premier League club’s wage bill compares to their league position

Plenty of people use net spend as an argument for where or whereabouts any given club should be finishing in the Premier League, but wage bills are probably a better barometer.

For example, one club might overhaul their squad with a significant outlay in the transfer market, but they’ll still be playing their players a fraction of what the established elite are.

The “big six” have their financial clout reflected in the figures, as the only ones to have broken the £100million barrier in terms of annual player salaries.

Manchester United are said to spend more on wages than any other club, but they’re finally back at the top of the Premier League and backing that up with results on the pitch.

At the other end of the table, Sheffield United are bottom but also have the division’s lowest wage bill, which should be factored into any judgement of how Chris Wilder is doing.

In between, Tottenham, West Ham and Wolves are all whereabouts they should probably be via this metric. Leicester, Southampton, Leeds and Aston Villa are among the most overperforming clubs, while Chelsea, Arsenal, Crystal Palace and Fulham are at the other end of the scale.

We’ve looked at how much each club is reportedly spending on player wages, and how that compares to how they’re actually doing. Note: the figures come via from sports finance outlet Spotrac.

1. Manchester United
Premier League position: 1st
Total wage bill: £183m

2. Arsenal
Premier League position: 11th
Total wage bill: £145m

3. Chelsea
Premier League position: 9th
Total wage bill: £143m

READ: Comparing every Premier League club’s net spend in 2020 to 2019

4. Manchester City
Premier League position: 6th
Total wage bill: £136m

5. Tottenham
Premier League position: 5th
Total wage bill: £131m

6. Liverpool
Premier League position: 2nd
Total wage bill: £122m

7. Crystal Palace
Premier League position: 13th
Total wage bill: £87m

8. Everton
Premier League position: 4th
Total wage bill: £86m

9. Leicester City
Premier League position: 3rd
Total wage bill: £77m

READ: The only team to vote against PPV: How Leicester City became the fans’ club

10. West Ham United
Premier League position: 10th
Total wage bill: £68m

11. Fulham
Premier League position: 18th
Total wage bill: £58m

12. Aston Villa
Premier League position: 8th
Total wage bill: £57m

13. Newcastle United
Premier League position: 15th
Total wage bill: £56m

14. Wolverhampton Wanderers
Premier League position: 14th
Total wage bill: £54m

15. Southampton
Premier League position: 7th
Total wage bill: £50m

READ: Ranking the Premier League clubs by who is most affected by VAR in 2020-21

16. Brighton
Premier League position: 17th
Total wage bill: £46m

17. Burnley
Premier League position: 16th
Total wage bill: £35m

18. West Brom
Premier League position: 19th
Total wage bill: £25m

19. Leeds
Premier League position: 12th
Total wage bill: £22m

20. Sheffield United
Premier League position: 20th
Total wage bill: £19m


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