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Romelu Lukaku is Chelsea’s highest-paid player in 2021/22 after his big-money move from Inter
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Chelsea have the second-largest player payroll this season, just ahead of Manchester City
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Read below for more on Chelsea players salary figures
The salary of Chelsea players has long been a hot topic for those who bet on football. There are vast sums of money in the Premier League, and Chelsea have long been among the wealthiest.
Often near the top of Premier League odds in the Roman Abramovich era, the Blues have handed out some of the biggest contracts in football history.
Abramovich hasn’t been afraid to put his hand in his pocket, and while the transfer fees usually get the headlines, Chelsea’s weekly salaries are every bit as jaw-dropping.
Only Manchester United have a bigger wage bill than Chelsea in 2021-22. Chelsea have just three of the 22 biggest salaries in the league, however, with the Manchester clubs dominating the player wage charts.
According to Spotrac, Thomas Tuchel’s side have 16 players earning £100,000 or more per week.
With Andreas Christensen likely heading for a new contract, that number is expected to increase in the coming months. Here are Chelsea’s 10 highest earners this season.
Christian Pulisic - £150,000
Spending more time in the physio’s room than on the pitch, Christian Pulisic has only shown flashes of his talent since arriving in west London.
The American winger was the subject of interest from many of Europe’s biggest clubs before signing with Chelsea in 2019.
On the same salary as Bernardo Silva and narrowly more than Nicolas Pepe and Wilfried Zaha, Pulisic’s wage is the going rate for a player of his upside.
Squad players on contracts like this is what gives Chelsea one of the biggest Premier League wage bills. Pulisic is the long way down the pecking order at Stamford Bridge.
Mateo Kovacic - £150,000
If you’re trying to guess a player’s salary, their experience and former clubs is usually a good place to start.
Mateo Kovacic played for Inter and Real Madrid before joining Chelsea, and given his age, he was unlikely to take a pay cut to move to London.
Kovacic has been a divisive player at times. His best role isn’t always clear, and his production in the final third is limited, but there’s no doubt he’s important to this squad.
Kai Havertz - £150,000
Kai Havertz’s goal to win the Champions League has forever made him a part of the club’s history.
Blues fans will be hoping for much more from Havertz, though, who has been inconsistent since arriving for a then club-record fee from Bayer Leverkusen.
Much like Pulisic, Chelsea had to fight off other teams to sign Havertz. The Germany international remains one of the best young players on the planet – he’s a foundational piece of this Chelsea squad for the next decade.
Cesar Azpilicueta - £150,000
Only three men have more Premier League appearances for Chelsea than Cesar Azpilicueta.
Signed for just £7 million, Azpilicueta is notoriously reliable and has been a wonderful servant to the club.
He’s won all there is to win. He’s fought back when he looked in decline. He’s played on both sides of the defence and slotted in seamlessly at centre-back when required.
While never a name that gets much chatter in Premier League predictions, Azpilicueta is a true Chelsea great.
Kepa Arrizabalaga - £155,000
This is a signing and contract Chelsea regretted almost immediately. Panic-buying Kepa Arrizabalaga for a world-record fee, the Blues also offered a seven-year contract.
Amid errors in shot-stopping and judgement, Chelsea inevitably had to demote Kepa to a backup role.
Some of the pain of such an overpay has been nullified by the elite performances of Edouard Mendy, but many at the club must still wince when they see Arrizabalaga’s salary.
Ben Chilwell - £190,000
There’s always a premium when buying from a Premier League rival. Chelsea did just that with Ben Chilwell in what was a drawn-out negotiation.
They eventually got their man, but the England left-back didn’t come cheaply with a fee of over £50 million and a weekly wage just shy of £200,000.
Just three Premier League defenders are earning more per week. Chilwell’s salary comes in just above his England teammates Harry Maguire and Trent Alexander-Arnold.
Saul Niguez - £198,269
As champions of Europe, a striker was the priority for Chelsea, and they managed to check that box last summer by signing Romelu Lukaku. Midfield depth was a bit of a worry, too.
They opted for a loan deal for Saul Niguez and his near-£200,000 per week wage. Saul has looked way off the pace and been a liability in his early Chelsea appearances.
It looks like his career in west London could be cut short with rumours his loan will be terminated in January. This falls into the category of transfers we will forget happened in a couple of years’ time.
Timo Werner - £272,000
Chelsea faced stiff competition for Timo Werner’s signature. It was a real coup when they landed the German striker from RB Leipzig, but his first couple of seasons at Stamford Bridge haven’t lived up to expectations.
Just 10 players in the league are earning more than Werner. His on-field production is yet to match his transfer fee or contract – he has scored just seven Premier League goals in 33 starts.
N’Golo Kante - £290,000
Chelsea signing N’Golo Kante wasn’t a genius discovery, but given his impact on the team, it has to go down as one of their best deals in the Premier League era.
Injuries have become an issue of late, yet Kante remains in the top two or three in the world at his position.
The universally adored midfielder is on the same weekly wage as his France teammate Paul Pogba. Compared to many of Chelsea’s other highest earners, Kante’s contract is a bargain.
Romelu Lukaku - £325,000
Chelsea have spent much of the post-Didier Drogba era chasing a new centre forward. Diego Costa briefly filled the void, becoming one of the best Premier League strikers, but his love affair with the club was short-lived.
They were in the market for a striker once again in 2021 following a disappointing first season from Timo Werner. Rumours of Erling Haaland never developed.
Instead, Chelsea broke their club-record fee to re-sign Romelu Lukaku, who they had initially bought as a teenager in 2011 before selling him to Everton in 2014.
Lukaku idolised Drogba and grew up as a Chelsea fan – he was clearly keen for a second chance at the Bridge, but being made the sixth-highest earner in the Premier League probably helped, too.
*Credit for all of the photos in this article belongs to AP Photo*
