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Professional footballers plying their trade in the Premier League are some of the best paid athletes in the world. The English top flight is the most widely followed club competition in the world.
The Premier League and its clubs have fans all across the world. This popularity translates to a lot of money in terms of broadcasting rights and endorsement deals. That's why Premier League clubs are also some of the richest in the world.
They are able to rope in some of the best and most high-profile footballers in the world thanks to the clout they enjoy in the transfer market. But Premier League clubs do have a reputation for overpaying players.
The Premier League is not an easy competition to thrive in. Many big players who have found success elsewhere have struggled to do so in the English top flight. These players end up contributing very little to the side while pocketing a fortune in wages.
Without further ado, let's take a look at five of the most overpaid players in the Premier League.
#5 Kepa Arrizabalaga (Chelsea) - £150,000 per week
Chelsea made Kepa Arrizabalaga the world's most expensive goalkeeper when they signed him for £72 million in 2018. But the Spaniard endured a torrid time in his debut campaign.
Kepa made a number of mistakes between the sticks and was eventually replaced by Senegal international Edouard Mendy in 2020 as the club's number one. However, the Spaniard continues to be one of the highest paid players in the Chelsea squad.
He is tied to Chelsea until 2025 on a contract, courtesy of which he earns a whopping £150,000 per week. That's way too much money for a second-choice goalkeeper, who made a total of 15 appearances across all competitions last season.
#4 Jesse Lingard (Nottingham Forest) - £200,000 per week
Former Manchester United man Jesse Lingard joined Nottingham Forest as a free agent earlier this summer. Lingard had an excellent loan spell with West Ham United in the second half of the 2020-21 season.
Unfortunately for him, he spent the entirety of the 2021-22 campaign playing a bit-part role at Manchester United. Lingard made 22 appearances across all competitions for the Red Devils last term, scoring two goals and providing one assist.
As such, it was quite surprising that Nottingham Forest decided to make him their highest paid player in the summer. Forest secured his services on a lucrative one-year contract which gets him a whopping £200,000 per week.
#3 Anthony Martial (Manchester United) - £250,000 per week
Anthony Martial is what you'd call a 'confidence player'. When he is in form and scoring goals, the Frenchman is one of the most talented attackers in the world. However, when things are not going his way, he starts looking indifferent and casual.
Martial has blown hot and cold for the entirety of his stay at Manchester United. He scored just one goal in 11 appearances across all competitions for the Red Devils last term. He was subsequently shipped out on loan to Sevilla for the second half of the season.
Martial flopped big time at Sevilla, scoring just one goal and providing one assist in 12 appearances across all competitions for the Andalusians. Even after such a terrible season, Martial takes home £250,00 per week in wages.
#2 Jadon Sancho (Manchester United) - £350,000 per week
Manchester United shelled out £76.5 million to sign young winger Jadon Sancho from Borussia Dortmund in the summer of 2021. The Englishman had been excellent for the Bundesliga outfit, scoring 50 goals and providing 64 assists in 137 appearances across all competitions for them.
Those numbers helped Sancho land a lucrative deal at Manchester United. He earns £350,000 per week in wages at Old Trafford. But so far, Sancho has failed to deliver on the promise. He has scored just five goals and provided three assists in 39 appearances across all competitions for Manchester United so far.
#1 David de Gea (Manchester United) - £375,000 per week
David de Gea was the best shot stopper in the world in his prime. But the Spaniard, who has been at Manchester United for 11 years, is no longer as reliable as he used to be. He has been erratic in goal for a few seasons now and his distribution is rather poor.
De Gea has received a lot of flak for his inability to command his backline and establish his authority inside the area. He shies away from coming out to collect crosses, hugs the goalline too often and the less said about his distribution the better.
The Spaniard signed a four-year contract in 2019 which sees him earn a whopping £375,000 per week. It's an awful lot of money for a player who is no longer a reliable presence between the sticks.
