Leeds United are back in the Premier League and are going to be competing with the heavy spenders next season.
The parties are only just coming to an end – for now at least – after Leeds United won promotion back to the Premier League on Monday.
There were wild scenes at Elland Road during and after the 6-0 drubbing of Stoke City, with Burnley’s subsequent win over Sheffield United sending both sides back up to the top flight.
Daniel Farke has now earned his third promotion to the Premier League but murmurings have already started on whether he is good enough to keep them there.
Michael Brown and Gabby Agbonlahor are just two to suggest Leeds might have to consider sacking him, with Darren Bent suggesting Jose Mourinho would like the job.
Farke hasn’t got a good record in the Premier League, having won just six out of 49 matches for Norwich City, but Simon Jordan believes he was set up to fail due to a lack of investment in the transfer market.
Leeds won’t be the big fish in the pond next season and will be competing with the highest-spending clubs in the world, as their wage bill compared to the 20 Premier League sides attests.
Leeds United’s yearly wage bill
Leeds have one of, if not the, biggest wage bill in the Championship in the 2024-25 season, which has certainly helped them secure promotion.
Farke’s squad is dripping with quality and players with ample Premier League experience, reflected in their ridiculous points return, scoring rate and defensive record.
According to Sports Salary, this is the club’s wage bill this year:
£31,747,560 per year
£610,530 per week
There may be variation on the figure depending on what percentage of wages Leeds are paying for on-loan duo Manor Solomon and Joe Rothwell and other factors but, regardless, it’s a massive sum for the second tier.
Yet, it pales in comparison to most of the Premier League.
Where Leeds United wages rank in the Premier League
Leeds’ wage bill will likely increase immediately after Premier League promotion, before new signings even arrive.
The Leeds squad took pay cuts at around 50-60% when the club was relegated to the Championship and those wages might shoot back up next season.
Those players who have been signed in the two years since may also be set for a pay rise after securing promotion.
Still, at present, Leeds’ wage bill is absolutely dwarfed by the Premier League clubs, with Erling Haaland nearly earning as much himself in a year as the Whites spend on their whole squad.
Ranking Team Weekly wage bill Yearly wage bill
1 Manchester City £3,471,160 £180,500,320
2 Chelsea £3,262,085 £169,628,420
3 Arsenal £3,183,351 £165,534,252
4 Manchester United £2,965,415 £154,201,580
5 Liverpool £2,702,650 £140,537,800
6 Tottenham Hotspur £2,262,015 £117,624,780
7 Newcastle United £2,023,065 £105,199,380
8 Aston Villa £1,874,466 £97,472,232
9 West Ham United £1,710,350 £88,938,200
10 Everton £1,489,346 £77,445,992
11 Nottingham Forest £1,307,120 £67,970,240
12 Fulham £1,287,825 £66,966,900
13 Brighton £1,268,573 £65,965,796
14 Wolves £1,245,253 £64,753,156
15 Crystal Palace £1,236,340 £64,289,680
16 Bournemouth £1,194,045 £62,090,340
17 Leicester City £1,170,345 £60,857,940
18 Southampton £ 971,000 £ 50,492,000
19 Ipswich Town £820,465 £42,664,180
20 Brentford £792,791 £41,225,132
21 Leeds United £610,530 £31,747,560
All wage date via salarysport.com
Though Brentford reportedly have the lowest wage bill and are 11th in the league, they are an exception that proves the rule. It takes big money to thrive, even survive, in the first division.
Leicester have a wage bill that is currently near double Leeds’ yet have been humiliated this season, while Ipswich and Southampton have been unable to survive despite increasing their spending as well.
Other than Brentford, the three lowest wage bills will be relegated this season, which just shows that Leeds will likely have to outspend at least four other clubs on wages and more than double their bill if they want to stay up.
Leave a Reply