Manchester United’s wage bill is over eight times higher than Luton Town’s in a stark reminder of quite how stratified the Premier League is in the 2023-24 season.
Manchester City star Kevin De Bruyne, the league’s top-paid player, earns almost as much singlehandedly as Luton’s entire squad.
There are few surprises when it comes to the breakdown of Premier League wages for 2023-24 campaign. Manchester United boast the highest in the league, having added the likes of Andre Onana, Mason Mount and Rasmus Hojlund onto their wage bill this summer and agreeing a bumper new deal for key man Marcus Rashford.
However, Manchester United’s 2023-24 wage bill has actually been reduced since last season, having waved goodbye to their previous top earners Cristiano Ronaldo and David de Gea.
It’s no surprise that reigning champions Manchester City aren’t too far behind. The treble winners’ annual wage is just off the £200million-a-year barrier, with De Bruyne and Erling Haaland commanding a hefty proportion of that bounty.
Arsenal are steadily creeping up, now third in the wage bill chart, having made a series of ambitious moves in this summer’s transfer market after qualifying for the Champions League for the first time since 2016.
Chelsea aren’t competing in European competition whatsoever in 2023-24, making their £155million-a-year wage bill look a little bloated.
Todd Boehly’s Blues made big splash last summer by continuing to spend big recruiting more new players, but they did reduce their wage bill considerably after offloading – deep breath – N’Golo Kante, Mason Mount, Kalidou Koulibaly, Mateo Kovacic, Kai Havertz, Christian Pulisic, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and long-serving club captain Cesar Azpilicueta.
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READ: Ranking every Premier League club by how much their 2023-24 squad cost
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There were debates about how aggressive Liverpool were in the transfer market, but in recent years Jurgen Klopp has always been backed with a squad of some of the league’s top earners.
The likes of Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk still command hefty wage packets, but their overall spending has deflated considerably after this summer’s exodus.
The departures of Jordan Henderson, James Milner, Fabinho, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Naby Keita and Roberto Firmino now see Liverpool sit fifth in the Premier League’s wage bill ranking.
Tottenham sit sixth in the wage bill table, but only marginally ahead of Unai Emery’s ambitious Aston Villa.
Everton are still paying a mind-bogglingly high amount on wages, with the tenth-highest wage bill in the English top flight, while Nottingham Forest’s outlay also catches the eye, given last season was their first back in the big time. Saudi-backed Newcastle sit ninth, just behind West Ham.
Brighton and Brentford are arguably the Premier League’s biggest overachievers. They spend just £62million and £39million annually on wages, respectively.
Lower down, the newly-promoted trio comprise the bottom three wage bills, but Vincent Kompany’s Burnley spend considerably more than both Sheffield United and Luton Town.
Here’s the full rundown of how much each Premier League club pays in wages – via FBref, with estimates from Capology.
1. Manchester United – £205,756,000
2. Manchester City – £200,668,000
3. Arsenal – £166,036,000
4. Chelsea – £155,324,000
5. Liverpool – £136,240,000
7. Tottenham – £117,520,000
6. Aston Villa – £117,000,000
8. West Ham United – £95,316,000
9. Newcastle United – £84,500,000
10. Everton – £78,978,000
11. Nottingham Forest – £72,050,000
12. Crystal Palace – £69,050,000
13. Fulham – £64,610,000
14. Brighton – £62,400,000
15. Wolves – £53,820,000
16. Bournemouth – £53,794,000
17. Brentford – £39,936,000
18. Burnley – £38,506,000
19. Sheffield United – £28,756,800
20. Luton Town – £24,570,000
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