One would assume that English football, thanks to the popularity of the Premier League, would be a money-spinning machine. That would be correct in regard to how much money players in England’s top flight tend to get paid on a weekly basis. Clubs in the Championship, from Leicester City to Oxford United and Millwall, spend far less money on player wages.

The focus, from teams in England to those in the Middle East following the boom of the beautiful game, is typically centred around the riches, and it’s not unreasonable to wonder how much players get paid to do what they love: play football.

Typically, for clubs in England’s second tier, transfer fees are significant sums of money – but the same cannot be said about the average salary of a player, especially in comparison to those plying their trade in the Premier League. Using data from Capology, we’ve taken a look at each club’s annual wage bill for the current season. Let’s take a closer look.

24. Charlton Athletic – £11,731,200

After boss Nathan Jones oversaw last season’s promotion to England’s second-tier, Charlton Athletic will be hoping to stay put – and given the size and stature of the south London outfit, it may come as a surprise that they’ve got the lowest wage bill of all 24 teams at £11,731,200 a year. Will the Addicks survive the drop?

23. Sheffield Wednesday – £11,754,600

Sheffield Wednesday have been in all sorts of financial trouble this season, being docked 18 points for multiple rule breaches. Their top earners are Ike Igbo, Dominic Iorfa and Nathaniel Chalobah, all of whom are on £20,000-per-week.

22. Portsmouth – £12,506,000

Between 2003/04 and 2009/10, Portsmouth were a bona fide Premier League side, but serious financial issues have seen them dance up and down the English football pyramid since. With John Swift their highest-earning player on £20,000-per-week, they are now in the nation’s second tier and are spending just £12.5m on wages.

21. Queens Park Rangers – £13,146,800

After being relegated from England’s top flight in the 2014/15 season, Queens Park Rangers have enjoyed a decade-long spell in the Championship. Will they ever return to the promised land is the question; but, for now, the London outfit are spending £13,146,800 on wages for the likes of Steve Cook and Rhys Norrington-Davies.

20. Oxford United – £14,008,800

Oxford United won’t be happy with their campaign, especially given they are spending such a hefty wad – £14,008,800 – on player wages. In other news, the club have been given the green light to build a one-of-its-kind stadium worth a grand total of £130 million, which is nearly ten times the amount of their year-by-year wage bill.

19. Swansea City – £14,638,000

Swansea City, one of two sides in the Championship that are based in Wales, are on course for another mid-table finish this season. Summer additions Adam Idah and Cameron Burgess both earn £25,000 on a weekly basis.

18. Bristol City – £14,834,800

Bristol City were looking to make the playoffs again this season, but they have fallen short. On £20,000-per-week apiece, Luke McNally and Samy Morsy are the club’s joint highest-earning assets.

17. Blackburn Rovers – £15,056,000

Back in the day, especially in 1994/95 when they won the Premier League with Alan Shearer as striker, Blackburn Rovers were a force to be reckoned with in England. That’s no longer the case, however, and they are plying their trade in the Championship with a wage bill around the £15 million mark. Earning double that of Sean McLoughlin, Todd Cantwell is the Rovers’ highest-earner on £30,000-per-week.

16. Preston North End – £15,340,000

Paul Heckingbottom and Preston North End can count themselves lucky to still be in the Championship given they finished just above the three-team drop zone in 2024/25. They’ve avoided a relegation battle this campaign, all while spending £15,340,000 on player wages.

15. Millwall – £15,769,000

Millwall‘s home of The Den may have been ranked among the five worst in England by a journalist, but that won’t stop their dream of reaching the Premier League. The south London outfit, who are fighting for promotion this season, cough up £15,769,000 a year on player wages, with Joe Bryan and Alfie Doughty taking home the most.

14. Derby County – £15,912,000

Another club that were lucky to avoid a date with relegation last term are Derby County, who finished one point ahead of the relegated Luton. With an annual wage bill of £15,912,000, which is the 14th-highest in the division, they’ve enjoyed a much better campaign and are fighting for a playoff berth.

13. Coventry City – £17,056,000

Frank Lampard has masterminded promotion for his Coventry City side this season, despite having the 13th highest wage bill in the division. Luke Woolfenden, Matt Grimes, Ellis Simms and Haji Wright all earn £25,000-per-week at the club, which takes their overall annual spend to just over £17 million.

12. Wrexham – £17,864,600

Like Birmingham, the popular Wrexham – buoyed by the financial power of their owners, Ryan Reynolds and Rob Mac – achieved promotion last season, but the Welsh side’s wage bill is perhaps lower than initially expected. Keiffer Moore and Jay Rodriguez, both of whom possess Premier League experience, are the club’s highest-earners.

11. Watford – £19,022,000

Following the odd stint in the Premier League over the years, Watford have plied their trade in the Championship for four years, establishing themselves as a side that tend to settle for mid-table obscurity. Their wage bill of £19,022,000 sees the London outfit just finish outside the top ten on this list.

10. Stoke City – £19,162,000

Stoke City flirted with the prospect of relegation to League One last season, finishing on 51 points – two ahead of Luton Town, who finished 22nd. They’ve enjoyed a better campaign this term and, in doing so, they are paying the players a total of £19,162,000. Ben Gibson is their highest-earner on £35,000-per-week.

9. West Bromwich Albion – £19,500,000

West Bromwich Albion would have been hoping to crack the play-offs this season but, instead, they’ve flirted with relegation. Nat Phillips (£40,000-per-week), Chris Mepham (£35,000-per-week) and Charlie Taylor (£30,000-per-week) provide the Baggies with plenty of experience and are, understandably, three of James Morrison’s highest-earning players.

8. Middlesbrough – £21,100,000

Middlesbrough, under the stewardship of Kim Hellberg, are flying near the summit of the Championship and fighting for a return to the Premier League. The on-loan Matt Targett is currently their biggest earner.

7. Hull City – £21,213,400

For Hull City, John Lundstram leads the way as the club’s highest-paid player on £45,500 and the Englishman is closely followed by Amir Hadziahmetovic and Ryan Giles, who both pocket £35,000 on a weekly basis. Altogether, The Tigers – who are fighting for a spot in the play-offs – have an annual wage bill of £21,213,400.

6. Birmingham City –​​​​​​​ £22,932,000

The sixth highest-spending side in regard to wages are Birmingham City, who achieved promotion back to England’s second tier last term. Thanks to their fruitful summer, welcoming the likes of Kyogo Furuhashi and Demarai Gray to the club, their wage bill currently sits at an eye-catching £22,932,000.

5. Norwich City – £24,898,000

In 2024/25, Norwich City finished in the middle of the pack after a torrid conclusion to the campaign. They are on course to finish in the top half this campaign and they’ve done so with the fifth-highest wage bill in the division – £24,898,000.

4. Ipswich Town – £29,614,000

Ipswich Town – managed by Kieran McKenna – signed a host of players in the summer of 2024 as a means of competing in the big time. Now in England’s second tier, Dara O’Shea, Leif Davis and Jens Cajuste are the Tractor Boys’ three highest earners on £35,000 every seven days.​​​​​​​

3. Southampton – £31,538,000

Next up, we travel to the south coast. Tonda Eckert is hoping that he can steer Southampton back to where they belong: England’s top flight. He’s doing so with players such as Finn Azaz and Cameron Archer, who earn £50,000-per-week and £40,000-per-week respectively. Altogether, Saints spend £31,538,000 on player wages on an annual basis.

2. Sheffield United – £31,551,000

Chris Wilder is back for his third stint in charge of Sheffield United, who are set to part ways with £31,551,000 on player wages this season. The Blades, who are set to finish in the bottom half, will be extremely upset with their season, given only one side in the Championship spends more than them.

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1. Leicester City – £42,666,000

Despite being the Championship’s biggest spenders when it comes to player wages, Leicester City have suffered yet another relegation and will play in League One next season. They’ve suffered demotion despite Harry Winks, Ricardo Pereira and Patson Daka all earning just shy of the £100,000-per-week mark.