admin The best-paid Premier League players invariably come from Manchester City, Chelsea, Manchester United, Liverpool and Arsenal. It’s little wonder that some European clubs have begun to snidely refer to the Premier League as the ESL – the English Super League.
The financial strength of Britain’s leadership puts the rest of the continent to shame. Napoli won Serie A last season at a gallop and played brilliant and captivating football that also saw them reach the semi-finals of the Champions League. However, Luciano Spalletti’s side were paid less than Leicester City, who also failed to avoid relegation from the Premier League.
At this top end of the economic range are some of the highest paid soccer players in the world. However, not everyone in this top-notch group offers full value for money.Here are the top earners of the heavily overfunded Premier League.
The highest wages in the Premier League
| Player | Club | Weekly salary |
|---|---|---|
| Kevin De Bruyne | Man City | £400,000 |
| Erling Haaland | Man City | £375,000 |
| Mohamed Salah | Liverpool | £350,000 |
| Jadon Sancho | Man Utd | £350,000 |
| Raphael Varane | Man Utd | £340,000 |
| Romelu Lukaku | Chelsea | £325,000 |
| Raheem Sterling | Chelsea | £325,000 |
| Enzo Fernandez | Chelsea | £315,000 |
| Jack Grealish | Man City | £300,000 |
| Casemiro | Man Utd | £300,000 |
| Kalidou Koulibaly | Chelsea | £295,000 |
| Gabriel Jesus | Arsenal | £265,000 |
| Reece James | Chelsea | £250,000 |
| Joao Cancelo | Man City | £250,000 |
| John Stones | Man City | £250,000 |
| Anthony Martial | Man Utd | £250,000 |
Data via Spotrac
Despite the club’s massive and controversial support, Manchester City, like any other club, have found themselves in dire financial straits due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, Kevin De Bruyne managed to persuade City to make him the highest-paid Premier League player during that descent. Using the services of a data company, De Bruyne’s argument for a 30% increase proved very compelling.
First, the De Bruyne management team contacted Analytics FC to see if City would continue to be De Bruyne’s best club. With the predictions confirming their status as permanent Champions League contenders, the club analyzed De Bruyne’s strengths, weaknesses and internal impact on the squad.
Erling Haaland is said to have a slightly lower base salary (£375,000 a week) than his team-mate (£400,000) but will be generously rewarded with a host of fantastic bonuses included in his contract. According to the Daily Mail, Haaland raises a total of £865,000 every Friday if he hits attendance figures described as “almost guaranteed”.
After lengthy negotiations, Mohamed Salah finally signed a stunning new deal with Liverpool in the summer of 2022, becoming the highest-earning club in history at around £18.2million a year. At that rate, Salah earns the £440,000 Liverpool pay for legendary Kenny Dalglish every nine days.
While the division’s three top earners are inarguably among the best players in the league, not everyone on this list of high rollers represents the same sound investment.
Jadon Sancho reportedly earns the same wage as Salah. Playing in a similar position for a club of comparable stature, the Manchester United winger can come nowhere Salah’s output; while Liverpool’s talisman directly contributed to 31 Premier League goals last season, Sancho couldn’t break into double digits.
The hefty deals for Raphael Varane, Casemiro and Anthony Martial ensure that United pay their players more than any other club in England. Marcus Rashford‘s imminent contract extension will increase this swollen salary list further.
