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While the Barclays Premier League has recently set a staggering record of £897 million spent on new players this summer transfer window, it is needless to say that the wage bill also played a big part in attracting the foreign players to make a move to the most exciting league in the world.
It is no surprise that the average salary for a Premier League footballer is a mouth watering £44,000 on a weekly basis and £2.29 million annually. But the biggest clubs pay a lot more money than we can imagine to their significant players.
Despite the high wages earned by a player from their respective clubs, the earnings from the shirt sales by the star players are in a league of their own. Players like Manchester United’s Wayne Rooney earns an estimated salary of £260,000-a-week and is expected to earn £73m during his five-and-a-half-year contract at Old Trafford.
On the other hand, Wayne Rooney’s counterpart and cross-town rival Sergio Aguero penned a deal last year similar to that of Rooney’s but the proportion of his wages will come in the form of bonuses. This could well work in the Argentine’s favor as City are regarded to be the strong contenders to win the Premier League title this season.
Without a doubt, the wages table is dominated by the top three clubs in the country – Manchester City, Chelsea and Manchester United, whereas Arsenal playmaker Mesut Ozil is the only player outside the ‘Financial Big Three’ to make the cut in the list of top 10 earners in the Premier League.
Gap between top 4 clubs’ wages and smaller teams is huge
Despite the big gulf existing in the Premier League between the superpowers and the rest of the teams, it’s baffling to understand the intense competition existing in the league season after season. The smaller clubs on that regard deserve the praise and admiration for giving the bigger clubs a run for their money. For instance, Burnley who got relegated last season managed to seize four points from the hands of Manchester City when their top earner George Boyd earns a figure of £18,000-a-week.
Swansea City are currently the neutral fan’s favourites at the moment and the signing of Ghanian international midfielder Andre Ayew (£48,000-a-week contract) made him the highest earner at the club. You could say the smaller teams with weaker financial power are generating their money from various channels and this is a good sign for the league.
As expected the bigger teams like Manchester City splash their cash on making their marquee signings every year. They recently signed Raheem Sterling and Kevin De Bruyne during this season’s transfer window. The City players earn on average £96,445-a-week at the Etihad Stadium which makes them the third-highest in world football behind Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid.
It’s no surprise five Premier League clubs are in the top 20 of European football’s highest payers. Arsenal and Liverpool football club also feature in the list apart from Chelsea and United.
The Red Devils have been one of Premier League’s highest spenders and their recent released figures relating to 2013/14 accounted for up to £215 million on their wage bill. Hull City are ranked the lowest with £43m but scraped their way to the final of the FA Cup in 2014. Higher wages help to some extent, but it doesn’t always guarantee success as Hull City were relegated from the top flight following their increased spending the following season.
Top 10 earners in the Barclays Premier League
| # | Player | Club | Wages/week |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wayne Rooney | Manchester United | £260 K |
| 2 | Sergio Aguero | Manchester City | £240 K |
| Yaya Toure | Manchester City | £240 K | |
| 4 | Eden Hazard | Chelsea | £220 K |
| 5 | David Silva | Manchester City | £200 K |
| 6 | Mesut Ozil | Arsenal | £190 K |
| 7 | Raheem Sterling | Manchester City | £180 K |
| 8 | Cesc Fabregas | Chelsea | £170 K |
| Kevin De Bruyne | Manchester City | £170 K | |
| 10 | John Terry | Chelsea | £160 K |
*All estimated figures are pre-tax. Wages may vary according to bonus payments
