Insider
Money talks in football – and a new analysis shows Manchester City is shouting the loudest, with the biggest wage bill in the Premier League.
The study, carried out by football shirt retailer UKSoccerShop using data from Spotrac, looked at which clubs are paying the most to their players.
Newly promoted sides weren’t included, as their first season’s numbers don’t give a fair comparison to long-established Premier League teams.
Manchester City wage bill is unmatched at £229.8 million a year, more than 32% higher than its closest rival. Erling Haaland alone takes home £27.3 million, the biggest salary in the league. The club won four league titles in a row from 2020/21 to 2023/24, but slipped last season and missed out on the finals – a reminder that money alone doesn’t guarantee success.
Manchester United comes next, spending £174.2 million on player wages – about 24% less than City’s total. Yet despite paying Casemiro £18.2 million a year, the biggest salary at Old Trafford, United has struggled to turn its financial muscle into consistent results.
Arsenal follows in third with a wage bill of £166.3 million, which is 27.7% smaller than City’s but still keeps it ahead of most of the competition. The club’s highest-paid player is Kai Havertz, on £14.6 million annually.
Chelsea sits in fourth place, spending £141.8 million a year on player salaries. That figure is 38% below City’s level, though still hefty enough to underline its status as one of the league’s richest clubs. Reece James leads Chelsea’s wage list, earning £13 million a year.
Liverpool takes fifth on £123 million, which is 46% less than City’s. Mohamed Salah tops the wage bill on £18.2 million a year, underlining his star status. And while it doesn’t spend like City, Liverpool showed last season that success isn’t just about money, winning the title ahead of Newcastle.
Aston Villa comes in sixth with £115.1 million – around 50% down on City’s total, but a sign of how far the club has grown in recent seasons. Its wage structure is spread more evenly, with Youri Tielemans, Emiliano Martínez and Boubacar Kamara all earning £7.8 million a year.
Tottenham Hotspur sits seventh on £111.4 million, which is 52% less than City’s. Heung-Min Son, its captain and talisman, is the highest earner on £9.88 million annually.
West Ham United follows, spending £105 million a year on their players – about 54% below City’s outlay. Lucas Paquetá and Jarrod Bowen share top billing in east London, both earning £7.8 million each year.
Newcastle United ranks ninth with £88.4 million in salaries, 62% lower than City’s spend. Its standout player Bruno Guimarães is also the best-paid, earning £8.32 million a year.
Crystal Palace completes the top ten with a wage bill of £55.1 million – nearly 76% below City’s figure. At Selhurst Park, the top earners are Eberechi Eze and goalkeeper Dean Henderson, who each take home £5.2 million annually.
At the other end of the table, the financial contrast is stark. Brentford spends just £14.3 million on salaries, which is only 6.3% of City’s wage bill. Its top earner is defender Aaron Hickey on £3.64 million a year – a figure that underlines the gulf between the two clubs.
Southampton follows on £16.6 million, or 7.2% of City’s total. Its best-paid player is goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale, earning £6.24 million annually, which makes up a significant chunk of the club’s overall spend.
Nottingham Forest ranks third from bottom with £30.2 million, just 13.1% of City’s figure. Its top earner is Nikola Milenković, who collects £5.46 million each year.
Wolverhampton Wanderers sits just above them on £31.5 million, equal to 13.7% of City’s total. Its biggest salary belongs to striker Matheus Cunha, on £4.68 million annually.
AFC Bournemouth completes the bottom five with a spend of £34.8 million – around 15.1% of City’s bill. Its best-paid player is new signing Francisco Evanilson, on £4.42 million a year.
Simon Pretswell, CEO of UKSoccerShop, commented on the findings,
“Our study reveals a massive gap in the Premier League. Some clubs are paying huge wages, while others are working with a fraction of that budget. At the top end, you’ve got clubs paying hundreds of millions in wages, while others are trying to compete on only a fraction of that.
“What really stands out is that one Manchester City player could earn more on his own than the entire starting eleven at a club like Brentford. In fact, City’s wage bill is more than 16 times larger than the league’s lowest spenders. And when you remember the average UK salary is around £37,000 a year, it’s staggering – some Premier League stars take home that much in just a few days.
“Despite these vast differences in financial resources, the competitiveness of the Premier League remains one of its greatest attractions. Less wealthy clubs regularly challenge the financial giants through smart recruitment and tactical innovation.”