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The Premier League is the richest football league in the world and it is no surprise why several top players flock summer after summer to English top-flight clubs. The lucrative contracts offered by clubs in England is unparalleled to other clubs in the world barring teams like Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid & Barcelona. But this also leads to massive wage bills for Premier League clubs.
Money certainly speaks in football and it is clear from the wage bills of some of the top teams in the Premier League. While some clubs like Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur boast a controlled wage structure, it is still considerably higher than other big European teams.
On that note, let's take a look at five teams with the highest wage bill in the Premier League right now (August 2022).
(Note: All weekly wages are sourced from Spotrac.com)
#5 Arsenal (£244 million)
Arsenal had a bright start to their Premier League campaign as the Gunners secured a 2-0 victory against Patrick Vieira's Crystal Palace on Matchday 1.
But it has taken a lot of investment for Mikel Arteta to build this team, with the club spending upwards of £100 million for a second consecutive summer. What's worth noting, however, is the purchase of Gabriel Jesus from Manchester City for £45 million.
The Brazilian is bound to score a lot of goals after bagging seven strikes in pre-season. He bagged two goals and two assists against Leicester City in Arsenal's last league game which they won 4-2.
While his transfer fee has been proportionate to his qualities, he is currently on a reported £265k-per-week salary at the Emirates. This makes him the club's highest-paid player, with Thomas Partey (£200k-per-week) previously occupying that spot.
In total, Arsenal have a wage bill of £244 million and it is about time the Gunners start competing for the biggest trophies in Europe again.
#4 Liverpool (£314 million)
Under Fenway Sports Group, Liverpool have had an incredible transfer model while their wage structure has also been controlled to a certain extent.
However, since last year, several players have been tied down to new deals, including the likes of Alisson, Virgil van Dijk and Jordan Henderson.
Harvey Elliott, Diogo Jota and Mohamed Salah have also penned new deals recently. The latter became the highest-paid player at the club with a salary of £350k-per-week.
There is a major difference between the Egyptian and the second-highest wage earner in Van Dijk, who is currently at £220k-per-week. Hence, while they do pay their big stars well, there is a level of financial control as evidenced by their £314 million wage bill.
#3 Manchester United (£323 million)
Manchester United, for all their guts & glory, have not won a major trophy since 2017 despite shelling out huge wages for their players.
Offloading 11 players this summer, including Paul Pogba, has hardly put a dent in their massive wage bill. Signing the biggest players in the game has been their modus operandi. So far, it has not paid off, given the poor returns they have received for their heavy investments.
The Red Devils currently have a wage bill of £323 million, with wantaway star Cristiano Ronaldo earning a whopping 515k-per-week. The Portuguese superstar is then followed by David de Gea (£375k-per-week), Jadon Sancho (£350k-per-week) & Raphael Varane (£340k-per-week).
To put things into context, Liverpool, who have been vastly more successful than United in recent years, only have two players earning more than £200k-per-week. The Old Trafford outfit, in comparison, have six of them. Anthony Martial also pockets £250k-per-week, despite poor performances in the last couple of years.
Regardless, Erik ten Hag's rebuild might eventually see some sort of control over the wage bill. However, it is likely to be a few years before any such thing takes effect.
#2 Chelsea (£343 million)
Chelsea have always been known to spend the big bucks on players as it became a common theme under Roman Abramovich's ownership.
It remains to be seen whether things shall remain the same under the Todd Boehly-led consortium, but the Blues certainly have some massive wage earners.
Raheem Sterling's arrival from Manchester City this summer has immediately made him the highest-paid player at Stamford Bridge with a salary of £325k-per-week.
Kalidou Koulibaly, who is the club's second signing this summer, is second on the wage list as well as he is earning £295k-per-week. The only other player to also earn above £200k at Chelsea is N'Golo Kante (£290k-per-week).
In total, the club currently has a wage bill of £343 million. However, this could lessen if the club manage to offload the deadweight in the form of Ross Barkley, Michy Batshuayi and a couple of others.
Additionally, Callum Hudson-Odoi (as per Fabrizio Romano) could be on the move this summer. Marcos Alonso (as per Fabrizio Romano) is also reportedly set to sign for Barcelona soon.
#1 Manchester City (£355 million)
Manchester City, understandably so, have the highest wage bill in the Premier League right now at £355 million.
However, few will debate these salaries as the squad has delivered trophies season after season. Pep Guardiola's men have seldom performed below par. The manager's desire for excellence and silverware has propelled the club to new heights in his seven-year reign so far.
Kevin De Bruyne, in particular, has been the heartbeat of the side and it is no surprise that he is the highest-wage earner at the club at £400k-per-week. Erling Haaland, who is the club's blockbuster signing this summer, also penned a deal worth £375k-per-week, which is only likely to increase in the years to come.
Jack Grealish, who arrived for a British transfer record of £100 million last summer, is also earning £300k-per-week at the club. However, his performances are yet to justify this whopping wage. John Stones (£250k-per-week) and Rodri (£220k-per-week) also earn above the £200k mark.
The club's wage bill was considerably higher last year as they still had Jesus, Sterling and Oleksandr Zinchenko at the club. Regardless, high-performing players deserve top wages and the reigning Premier League champions have ensured the same under the ownership of the City Football Group.
