The Championship season is underway, and many clubs are being judged on their performance in relation to the amount of money they spend on their squads.
Taking part in England’s second division is not a cheap endeavor; many club owners will be watching their weekly pay budget fly out of the club and wondering where it all went.
But how do the Championship teams rank in terms of weekly wage bill? Football League World analyzes the current situation…
24Charlton Athletic (£175,062)
Charlton Athletic has the lowest weekly salary spend in the league, perhaps unsurprising considering that they were the lowest-ranked side to achieve promotion to the second division previous season.
According to Capology’s calculations, the Addicks spend £175,062 per week on player pay.
Goalkeeper Thomas Kaminski, who earns £20,000 a week, accounts for a significant portion of it.
23Portsmouth (£184,000)
Portsmouth has managed to keep their spending reasonably low, with a projected wage expense of around £184,000 each week.
Much to Charlton, their highest-paid player, John Swift, earns £20,000, with the rest of the squad earning substantially less.
Still, some may be surprised that Pompey can manage their complete squad on around the same salary that many top-tier Premier League players receive individually.
22Sheffield Wednesday (£221,450)
heffield Wednesday have had numerous payroll concerns this season under former owner Dejphon Chansiri, with the club missing several paydays during his tenure.
Fortunately, the Owls are now in the hands of administrators, who have a far better handle on things until a new permanent owner can be found.
There are still considerable funds to be found each week, with an expected player wage bill of £221,450 to pay every seven days, in addition to the rest of the club’s workforce.
21Swansea City (£242,500)
Swansea City comes next on the list, with an estimated weekly wage bill of £242,500.
Over 20% of the number is spent on two players, Adam Idah and Cameron Burgess, who each earn £25,000 per week.
Given that Idah is not yet a guaranteed starter, some Swans may ask whether this is the wisest use of their limited finances, but the striker is only 24 years old and has plenty of time to improve.
20Coventry City (£249,000)
Perhaps the biggest surprise of the Championship season so far is Coventry City, who have started the season as a free-scoring machine under Frank Lampard.
What’s more alarming is that the Sky Blues are on the lower end of the wage spectrum, earning just £249,000 each week.
Luke Woolfenden, Matt Grimes, Ellis Simms, and Haji Wright are the top earners at £25,000 per week, and they typically earn every cent of it.
19Blackburn Rovers (£252,038)
Blackburn Rovers comes in slightly higher than Coventry, with a weekly wage bill of £252,038.
Todd Cantwell accounts for a sizable amount of that, making £30,000 every week, exactly double the next highest earner.
18Bristol City (£259,008)
Bristol City is another team that outperforms its pay bill.
That’s despite having a limited budget and losing manager Liam Manning at the end of last season.
Under new manager Gerhard Struber, they accomplished this on a weekly pay expense of only £259,008.
17Queens Park Rangers (£259,631)
Queens Park Rangers are just a few hundred pounds ahead of Bristol City, with an anticipated weekly wage bill of £259,631.
They count defender Steve Cook as their highest earner at £30,000 per week, which was most likely due to his significant experience in the Championship and Premier League.
16Oxford United (£264,450)
Oxford United, which ranks in the middle of the Championship wage bill, pays their players £264,450 per week.
As it is, this isn’t always creating outcomes for the side.
However, their top earner is rather small, with defender Ben Davies earning £20,000, although United may not be paying the full amount, as the 30-year-old is on loan from Scottish side Rangers.
15Preston North End (£266,200)
Preston North End are another team that has risen to the top of the second tier while having a relatively low pay expenditure.
They spend £266,200 per week on their players, with their best earner, Lewis Dobbin, earning only £17,500, of which the Lilywhites may only pay a fraction, as the winger is on loan from Aston Villa.
14Derby County (£276,885)
After a few years of administration, Derby County has risen into the Championship’s middle pack of spenders, and could go even farther if John Textor’s proposed takeover goes through.
If Textor took over the Rams right now, he would inherit a pay bill of £276,885.
Carlton Morris is Derby County’s highest-paid permanent player, earning an estimated £25,000, and the striker has already scored double figures this season.
13Millwall (£282,038)
Millwall are the next team on the list, with a weekly wage spend of £282,038, which is the Championship’s median.
In comparison to previous seasons, they have a strong top earner in Joe Bryan, who earns £32,500 each week.
12Stoke City (£343,000)
Stoke City is the next team on the list, with a weekly wage spend of £343,000.
Although this is far higher than the likes of Coventry, when compared to some of the sides further down this list, the Potters are doing very well for their budget, remaining competitive around the top of the play-off spots.
11Wrexham (£349,750)
Given that Wrexham was recently in the National League, the fact that they are now in the top half of Championship wage bills comes as a surprise.
That is, unless you watched their transfer business closely throughout the summer, when they spent significantly in an attempt to establish themselves in the second tier after being promoted last season.
The Red Dragons pay £349,750 a week in player wages, with former Premier League striker Kieffer Moore at the top of the list, earning an estimated £30,000.
10Birmingham City (£362,500)
Wrexham are frequently compared to Birmingham City, both of which have bold, US-based owners who competed in League One last season.
It’s natural that they’re ranked next to each other on this list, with the Blues having a slightly higher payroll bill of £362,500.
Kyogo Furuhashi is believed to be the highest-paid person on the list, earning £35,000 each week.
9Watford (£371,808)
Watford are next on the list, with a weekly pay spend of £371,808, and their present mid-table position puts them roughly where their expenditure predicts they should be.
Moussa Sissoko, the Hornets’ highest-paid player, earns £45,000 a week.
8Middlesbrough (£388,269)
Middlesbrough have had a rocky start to the season, losing Rob Edwards, who they assumed would be their long-term manager, to Wolverhampton Wanderers.
He had put them in an excellent position prior to his departure, and they will expect to preserve that position with the top-class players at their disposal.
They do not come cheap, though, with a weekly wage bill of £388,269.
Matt Targett is their highest earner, earning £60,000 per week, but he’s on loan from Newcastle United, who may share some of those costs.
7Hull City (£395,700)
Hull City’s weekly wage bill is almost £400,000, at £395,700.
They will be satisfied with their investment thus far.
6West Bromwich Albion (£404,000)
The first club in the £400,000 bracket is West Bromwich Albion, which pays £404,000 a week.
Disappointingly, the Baggies are in an unusually low place.
Nathaniel Phillips, the club’s highest earning at £40,000 per week, has become a regular member of the first squad after joining from Liverpool in the summer.
5Norwich City (£438,500)
Another surprise, for all the wrong reasons, is Norwich City, who have the league’s fifth-highest salary bill but have spent the first half of the current season in the relegation zone.
They pay their players £438,500 a week, with Shane Duffy the highest earner at £35,000.
4Sheffield United (£522,000)
Sheffield United were another struggling team, but they have improved when manager Chris Wilder was rehired.
They have the fourth-highest weekly salary bill, at an estimated £522,000.
Ben Godfrey, the Blades’ top earner, earns an eye-watering £75,000 per week, however he is on loan from Italian side Atalanta, so the Yorkshire club may not be paying the entire amount.
3Ipswich Town (£559,000)
Unsurprisingly, the three Premier League relegated teams top this list, with Ipswich Town coming in first, with a weekly pay spend of £559,000.
Individual salaries, however, are quite cheap, with Jens Cajuste, on loan from Napoli, and Dara O’Shea earning the club’s highest salaries of £35,000.
2Southampton (£758,500)
Southampton comes in second place with a weekly wage bill of £758,500, a significant increase over Ipswich.
The Saints haven’t really reaped the benefits of their lofty position this season, having previously fired previous manager Will Still.
They have a handful of top earners on their books who earn far more than the second-tier average, including Joe Aribo (£70,000), Adam Armstrong (£60,000), and Finn Azaz (£50,000).
1Leicester City (£840,500)
Finally, former Premier League winners Leicester City top the list, with a weekly pay spend of £840,500, more than double that of West Brom, who are just a few places below them on the list.
As expected, this includes some costly players, with the Foxes’ top earner, Harry Winks, earning £90,000 per week, more than half of Charlton’s total weekly wage spend.
Given that enormous investment, the powers that be at the King Power Stadium will be less than pleased with the club’s current Championship standing.
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