'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,/9j/2wBDAAYEBQYFBAYGBQYHBwYIChAKCgkJChQODwwQFxQYGBcUFhYaHSUfGhsjHBYWICwgIyYnKSopGR8tMC0oMCUoKSj/2wBDAQcHBwoIChMKChMoGhYaKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCj/wgARCAAGAAoDASIAAhEBAxEB/8QAFQABAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABQf/2gAIAQEAAAAAjZn/xAAUAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAD/9oACAECEAAAAD//xAAUAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAE/9oACAEDEAAAAG//xAAiEAACAgEBCQAAAAAAAAAAAAABAgMEAAUGERIUIkFxgYL/2gAIAQEAAT8A2b06rZmnr3k6JEZFZFBaMhWfiB+QPBOcgO6Rb/ef/8QAFxEAAwEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAECEv/aAAgBAgEBPwCG90j/xAAbEQABBAMAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACAAEDBBIhsf/aAAgBAwEBPwCzEA1ITFtvl1f/2Q=='%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
The Premier League is easily the most watched and lucrative football league in the world, with television and sponsorship deals running into billions of pounds annually.
With this kind of mega money flowing into the league, it goes without saying that Premier League players are among the best paid anywhere on the planet, and are constantly the envy of their compatriots in other parts of the world.
Clubs like Manchester United, Chelsea, Manchester City and Arsenal regularly feature among the highest earning clubs in terms of revenue, as their matches are broadcast to hundreds of millions around the world and as such, it comes as no surprise to see that they have some of their players featured among the best paid players in the league.
In this piece, we shall be taking a look at the five best paid players in the Premier League at the moment.
#5 Gonzalo Higuaín (Chelsea) - £270,000 / week
The Argentine international striker was signed during the last winter window to replace the struggling duo of Alvaro Morata and Olivier Giroud.
Chelsea brought him in on loan till the end of his season, cutting short his six-month loan spell at AC Milan and it was hoped that he could help revive the Londoner's fledgling Premier League campaign to boost their top four chances.
Having previously worked together with Sarri at Napoli for two seasons to devastating success, the Italian was expected to help bring out the best in the 31-year-old, but that has largely not worked to plan.
So far, Higuaín has scored just three goals from 10 matches which is far from what was expected from him upon his arrival especially considering that he earns the humongous sum of £270,000 every week.
Also see : Fantasy Premier League , Fantasy Premier League Tips, Intercontinental Cup
#4 Paul Pogba (Manchester United) - £290,000 / week
Having found playing time extremely difficult to come by as a youngster at Manchester United, Paul Pogba departed the club for Juventus on a free transfer in 2012 and helped kickstart the Bianconerri's recent dominance of Italian football.
In shocking scenes, he returned to Old Trafford four years later in 2016 as a more refined and complete midfielder, with United making him the most expensive player of all time when they paid £89.6m for his signature.
Under Mourinho, the 25-year-old struggled badly, playing inconsistently and being affected by numerous offield clashes with his manager which came to a head at the start of this season, with Pogba being stripped off his captaincy in addition to being dropped from the first team.
Mourinho's departure in mid-December coincided with a massive upturn in fortunes for Manchester United, as the club now finds themselves firmly in the race for a top four league finish as well as in the quarterfinals of the Champions League which would have been scarcely believable three months ago.
Paul Pogba has been arguably the major driving force behind Manchester United's renaissance, leading the charge from midfield which is good news to fans of United, given that he earns the princely sum of £290,000 every week.
#3 N'Golo Kante (Chelsea) - £290,000 / week
Kante has unarguably been the world's standout defensive midfielder over the last five years, playing a key role in two EPL titles as well as one World Cup triumph and it is hard to find a more hardworking and dedicated player who discharges his duties with next to no fuss.
The 27-year-old has also been receiving accolades deserving of his otherworldly performances, being named the PFA Player of the year in 2017, in addition to making it into the FIFPro XI last year.
This in itself is a very rare achievement for a player in Kante's position, and when you add that to the fact that he is one of the Premier League's highest paid players, then you begin to get the feeling of just how truly phenomenal his performances have been.
Amidst reported interest from clubs like Real Madrid, Chelsea tied the Frenchman to a new contract last November which sees the unassuming Kante pocket the sum of £290,000 every week, although that has had no impact on his personality, as he remains the humble hardworking powerhouse everyone fell in love with.
#2 Mesut Ozil (Arsenal) - £350,000 / week
Mesut Ozil courted world attention in the 2010 World Cup when at the age of just 22, he was one of the masterminds behind Germany's run to the semifinal with what was a largely youthful squad.
His performances in South Africa earned him a move to Real Madrid and he boosted his reputation as one of the premier playmakers in the world even further at the Bernabeu, striking a wonderful onfield partnership with Cristiano Ronaldo.
His display for Los Blancos convinced the otherwise frugal Arsene Wenger to part with the sum of £40m to sign the World Cup winner in 2013, making Ozil the then most expensive player in Arsenal's history.
Over the next five years, Ozil discharged his duties effectively, regularly churning out mind boggling assists but still faced criticisms over his poor work ethic.
With less than six months until the end of his previous deal, Ozil had yet to sign an extension, leading many to suggest he could leave the club on a Bosman until he finally put pen to paper in January last year.
New coach Unai Emery does not seem to share the same belief in Ozil as his predecessor, regularly leaving him out of his starting 11, which is rather pitiful, as the German costs Arsenal the insane sum of £350,00 per week.
#1 Alexis Sanchez (Manchester United) - £400,000 / week
Manchester United fans felt they had pulled off a huge coup in snatching Alexis Sanchez right from under the noses of their city rivals Manchester City, with the Chilean's piano playing video widely circulated on social media.
For four years, the 30-year-old had dazzled in the colors of Arsenal, almost single-handedly carrying the club on his back most times and proving himself to be one of the best players in the league.
It was expected that he would bring this tenacity with him to Old Trafford, but that has largely not been the case, as the former Barcelona man has been nothing more than a shadow of his former self.
Till date, Sanchez's piano unveiling has been the highlight of his United career, as he has scored just five goals in 41 appearances in all competitions for Manchester United, and this is a rather poor output, given that he is the highest paid player in Premier League history.
