Every Premier League club’s wage bill has been revealed and, unsurprisingly, there’s a gaping chasm between those at the top – namely one half of the Manchester-based duo – and the lowest-paying teams such as Burnley and Brentford.
There is so much money involved in the world of football in the modern day that fans would be forgiven for thinking every top-flight team has endless amounts of cash to pay their playing staff. While some clubs do spend huge amounts on their wage bill, others have a much lower ceiling when it comes to finances.
Many of the figures in question are bordering on astronomical, and they are only set to rise further due to the growing influence and competition posed by the wealth of the Saudi Pro League. Top players in England are looking for a pay rise, or considering moves to the Middle East for the lucrative contracts being handed out in that part of the world.
With that being said, very little sympathy can be felt for Premier League clubs that have almost taken over Europe in terms of financial power. Clubs that are seen as historically and traditionally bigger find themselves towards the top of the list, while the sides that have become Premier League sides in the more recent past are struggling to keep up.
With the 2026 January window now shut, the wage bills for each club come via SalaryLeaks. In the case of some clubs, there is limited data out there, meaning some of the figures given are estimates. We’ve taken a look at the annual wage bills of each Premier League club in order from lowest to highest.
20 Brentford – £54,600,000
If anything truly highlights the excellent job that Brentford’s well-drilled recruitment team have done – and continue to do on a year-by-year basis – at the London-based club, it’s that they have the lowest wage bill of any club in the top tier, yet the Bees continue to operate above their pay grade and remain a solid, and competitive, side in the division.
With the departure of talismanic forward Bryan Mbeumo, things were expected to be a little trickier for the club going forward, but they’ve only improved under Keith Andrews.
If they continue to do so, it’s only another testament to how impressive the recruitment has been in recent years. That said, Aaron Hickey and Reiss Nelson are among the capital side’s highest-paid players. Dango Ouatarra, Jordan Henderson and Mikel Damsgaard conclude the Bees’ top five earners.
Brentford’s Five Highest Earners
Player
Annual Wage
Reiss Nelson
£3,900,000
Mikel Damsgaard
£3,900,000
Jordan Henderson
£3,900,000
Aaron Hickey
£3,700,000
Dango Ouattara
£2,900,000
19 Wolverhampton Wanderers – £57,000,000
Despite being tipped for a season of struggle last year, Wolverhampton Wanderers were invigorated by the arrival of Vitor Pereira, though they haven’t been the same since the loss of Matheus Cunha. Old Gold are diving head first into the Championship currently, but their relatively low wage bill means they should be fine.
Celebrated midfielder Joao Gomes stands tall as the highest earner at Molineux. They also managed to trim their wage bill in January, as Jorgen Stran Larsen and Emmanuel Agbadou departed for Crystal Palace and Besiktas.
Wolverhampton Wanderers’ Five Highest Earners
Player
Annual Wage
Joao Gomes
£5,200,000
Hee-chan Hwang
£3,900,000
Toti Gomes
£3,900,000
Marshall Munetsi
£3,600,000
Jackson Tchatchoua
£3,100,000
18 Burnley – £59,600,000
Burnley, after their automatic progression back to the promised land, are still hoping Scott Parker’s tactics and their concoction of experience and youth will see them retain their status as an English top-flight outfit. They’re having to do so with the third-lowest wage bill in the division, so it’s not a massive surprise that Parker’s side have struggled to compete so far.
In terms of which Clarets player lines their pockets with the most money, it should come as no surprise that Kyle Walker, a six-time