The bubble is yet to burst in the Premier League. Able to offer bigger wages than any other league on average, mid-table Premier League clubs have been able to lure players from Champions League teams in other top European leagues.
The knock-on impact on Premier League betting is not always clear. A high wage bill does not always equate to on-field success, but it of course helps if a team can splash the case on their playing staff.
Inevitably, the players among the betting favourites for PFA Player of the Year are invariably among the league’s highest-paid players.
Let’s start off with a look at all 20 Premier League payrolls in 2024-25.
Premier League Wage Bills
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Manchester City – £216.8 million
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Chelsea - £194.9 million
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Arsenal - £168.1 million
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Manchester United - £162.3 million
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Liverpool - £125.8 million
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Tottenham - £113.2 million
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Aston Villa - £98.8 million
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Newcastle - £94.6 million
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West Ham - £84 million
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Crystal Palace - £67.4 million
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Everton - £61.5 million
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Fulham - £58.2 million
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Wolves - £57.8 million
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Nottingham Forest - £56.9 million
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Bournemouth - £52.2 million
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Leicester City - £51.8 million
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Brighton - £51 million
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Brentford - £36.3 million
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Southampton - £31.4 million
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Ipswich Town - £7.9 million
*Figures correct as of August 2024*
Premier League referee salary is incomparable to the riches of the players they must officiate.
Football is a sport based on financial disparity, and that concept shines brightly when we see how much the world’s best footballers get paid. Manchester City only became the Premier League’s top spenders on wagers for the 2023-24 season.
Chelsea’s wages in recent years have been outrageous considering their lack of on-field success, and the same can be said for Manchester United.
The Red Devils, though, have cut some sizeable salaries over the last couple of years, and could move on from some of their top earners in the weeks to come.
Average Premier League Player Salary
According to Capology, the average Premier League salary is in the region of £60,000 per week.
This number has trended upwards throughout the Premier League era. Salaries have increased consistently, with occasional spikes due to new lucrative broadcast deals.
On average, Premier League players are paid much higher wages than their peers in La Liga, Serie A, and the Bundesliga.
The top six Premier League teams obviously drag this average up, but even mid-table Premier League sides are handing out £100,000-per-week contracts, which would have been unheard of even a decade ago.
There are understandably questions about when the average Premier League salary will stop increasing.
Money keeps pouring into the league through massive commercial deals and wealthy owners, so it doesn’t seem like the cash will disappear any time soon.
Biggest Premier League Player Contracts
Kevin De Bruyne is the highest-paid Premier League player at £400,000 per week. De Bruyne comes in just ahead of his Manchester City teammate, Erling Haaland.
Casemiro, Mohamed Salah, Raheem Sterling, Romelu Lukaku, Bernardo Silva, Jack Grealish, and Marcus Rashford are the other Premier League players on £300,000 per week or more, according to Spotrac.
Multiple of those players could leave the Premier League this summer (this article was first written in August 2024).
Manchester City have the highest payroll by a considerable margin, but the top of the list of the highest-paid Premier League players features an even mix across the top five teams in player wage expenditure.
Manchester United have five players in the top 20, including Jadon Sancho. Arsenal currently have four after spending big money to bring in Gabriel Jesus, Declan Rice, Martin Odegaard and Kai Havertz in recent years.
Premier League Salary Cap
The concept of a Premier League salary cap has occasionally been suggested.
Breaches of current financial regulations have brought penalties for Everton and Nottingham Forest in recent years, but a salary cap similar to the NBA and NFL could go a long way to levelling the playing field.
While the non-big-six teams are richer than they were five years ago, they are still miles behind the top teams. Manchester City’s wage bill is over double that of Aston Villa’s, which is the seventh highest in the Premier League.
The combined payroll of Crystal Palace, Everton, and Fulham adds up to around £187 million. That would be the third-most in the Premier League.
Are Premier League Players Overpaid?
The discussion around Premier League wages is one constant of modern life. It’s a debate that can get heated on both sides.
Premier League players earn way more in a week than most people do in a year, and that is always going to seem unjust to many.
It is a moral question as much as a sporting one. It’s fair to ask whether anyone should earn £300,000 a week. It isn't just the players earning huge sums of money though - the average football manager salary figures are also astronomical.
The pro-player view would pose that this money is generated by the success of the Premier League, for which the players are primarily reasonable.
Of course, if they did not demand such lofty wages, where would the money go? Could ticket prices drop? Or would the already billionaire owners just line their pockets further?
Premier League Salary FAQs:
How Much Does A Premier League Player Make?
The average Premier League salary works out at around £250,000 per month. Kevin De Bruyne, the league’s highest earner, receives in the region of £1.7 million per month.
Do Premier League Players Get Paid Weekly?
Yes. Regardless of injury, matches or availability, Premier League players get paid every week.
Why Are Footballers Paid So Much?
Clubs are making more money than ever and this is being passed on to players.
Television deals and worldwide popularity have allowed the clubs to generate more revenue, and increased the demand for the top players. They have been able to command higher wages as a result.
How Much Tax Do Footballers Pay In The UK?
Footballers in the United Kingdom face a 45% income tax, but they have a much lower 19% corporation tax rate for image rights.
*Credit for the photo in this article belongs to Alamy*
