Every Championship club ranked by their wage bill in 2024-25: Where do Leeds rank?

Relegated clubs Burnley, Sheffield United and Luton Town predictably make up three of the top four biggest Championship wage bills for 2024-25, but they’re all beaten to the top spot.

Leeds United, the bookmakers’ hot favourites for promotion, pay out more in wages than any other club – despite selling star players like Crysencio Summerville and Archie Gray.

Daniel Farke’s squad are estimated to be paid a total of £40million a year collectively, which is marginally more than Burnley and more than double Luton’s wage bill.

Leeds are estimated to pay more than four times in wages half the clubs in the second tier and well over 10 times what newly-promoted Oxford United do.

Having missed out on promotion after reaching a 90-point tally, losing to Southampton in the play-off final, Leeds’ squad now boasts the division’s five biggest earners.

There are usually exceptions to the rule, with notable underachievers and overachievers – just look at Ipswich Town last season – but wage bills are usually a pretty good benchmark for what ought to be expected of each team, more often than not tallying pretty closely with the final standings in the league table.

Beyond Leeds and the three relegated sides, Norwich City, West Brom, Cardiff City and Watford are all shelving out wages more at the top end of the scale.

At the other end, Derby County and Portsmouth predictably join fellow promoted outfit Oxford in making up the three lowest wage bills – it’s thought that the three clubs, combined, pay less than a third of what Burnley shell out in wages.

Here’s how the Championship annual wages for the upcoming break down for the upcoming 2024-25 campaign. The numbers are via Capology and it’s worth remembering that they’re only industry estimates.

It’s also worth noting that with over three weeks of the summer transfer window to go, these wage bills could still change dramatically after incomings and outgoings.

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1. Leeds United – £40,768,000
2. Burnley – £37,160,000
3. Sheffield United – £21,450,000
4. Luton Town – £20,015,000
5. Norwich City – £17,850,000
6. West Bromwich Albion – £17,160,000
7. Cardiff City – £15,132,000
8. Watford – £12,242,000
9. Middlesbrough – £10,704,000
10. Stoke City – £10,588,000
11. Bristol City – £10,204,000
12. Queens Park Rangers – £10,138,000
13. Swansea City – £10,000,000
14. Coventry City – £9,762,000
15. Sheffield Wednesday – £9,254,000
16. Blackburn Rovers – £9,222,000
17. Preston North End – £8,849,000
18. Hull City – £8,774,000
19. Sunderland – £8,582,000
20. Millwall – £9,708,000
21. Plymouth Argyle – £6,192,000
22. Derby County – £5,156,000
23. Portsmouth – £4,412,000
24. Oxford United – £3,537,000