The Championship has produced many great players over its history, and the current season has not disappointed in terms of drama or intrigue.
Promotion or relegation, in addition to generating key memories for supporters and everybody involved with the teams, is frequently accompanied by discussions about finance, which has become extremely significant in the modern game as a result of laws imposed by regulating organizations such as the EFL.
One of the major discussion points is how much money players are paid these days, and whether their on-field performances deserve their pay.
With that in mind, Football League World examined the 12 highest-paid strikers in the Championship for the 2025/26 season, using ESTIMATED FIGURES from Capology.
12 Daryl Dike – West Bromwich Albion
Daryl Dike, West Bromwich Albion’s American forward, begins this list as the 12th highest-paid striker in the Championship, earning an estimated £25,000 per week at The Hawthorns.
Since signing for the club in January 2022 for over £7 million, the 25-year-old has had various long-term ailments, limiting his game time to just 68 appearances and 11 goals.
Dike signed a four-and-a-half-year contract with Albion when he arrived from Orlando City, so he is currently out of contract on June 30th, and it remains to be seen if he will remain a part of James Morrison’s long-term plans in B71 after playing in all of Albion’s final 11 matches of 2025/26 as the club secured their survival despite a controversial points deduction.
11 Chuba Akpom – Ipswich Town
Next up is Chuba Akpom, who has yet to justify his ESTIMATED £26,000 per week salary in his debut season with Ipswich Town.
Only three years ago, the seasoned forward won the Championship’s Golden Boot with Middlesbrough, but his move to Suffolk may be remembered as a costly mistake, despite the club’s quick return to the Premier League.
Town are required to pay £7 million to Ajax as a result of a provision included in the aforementioned loan move, despite the fact that Akpom has only scored twice in all competitions this season and has not started a league game since New Year’s Day.
10 George Hirst – Ipswich Town
In tenth position comes one of Akpom’s Portman Road colleagues, George Hirst, who is claimed to earn £27,500 per week.
The Scotland international has already scored 30 goals in 125 appearances for the Tractor Boys, and has been a key member of three promotion-winning teams under Kieran McKenna’s management, two of which have advanced to the Premier League.
After struggling in the top flight in 2024/25, scoring just three goals in 26 appearances, the 27-year-old will look to help Town prove the naysayers wrong in an expected survival battle.
9Jordan Ayew – Leicester City
Meanwhile, much has been made of Leicester City’s dramatic decline from the Premier League to League One in consecutive seasons amid financial instability, and numerous high-profile earners are anticipated to be moved on to help balance the books.
One of those is experienced Ghanaian forward, Jordan Ayew, whose ESTIMATED wage figure falls at the £30,000 per week mark at the King Power Stadium.
Despite the fact that few Foxes players have recently won over their fans, Ayew remained the club’s highest-scoring natural central striker, with five goals in 42 Championship games, trailing only Abdul Fatawu and Jordan James.
8 Kieffer Moore – Wrexham
Wrexham is another team that receives a lot of media attention because to its finances, with Kieffer Moore making the list because of his club-high £30,000 per week salary.
The Welsh international has had a great first season at the Stok Cae Ras after joining from Sheffield United for £2 million last August, scoring 11 goals in 38 league games, including a memorable hat-trick against eventual champions Coventry City.
However, after losing out on promotion with the Blades a year ago, the 33-year-old has done so again this time, as the Red Dragons were beaten into the play-offs by Hull City on the final day of the regular season.
7Jacob Brown – Portsmouth
Perhaps a surprise inclusion on this list is Jacob Brown, who spent the second half of the season on loan with Portsmouth from League One club Luton Town while also earning an ESTIMATED £30,000.
After making only seven appearances for the Hatters prior to his temporary departure, the 28-year-old made more than twice as many appearances for Pompey after January, but only scored once.
However, it is unclear where the attacker’s long-term future rests after Luton failed to qualify for the third-tier play-offs under Jack Wilshere on the final day of the season.
6 Danny Ings – Sheffield United
Danny Ings, the veteran player, will not be at his current club come June 30th, as his departure from Sheffield United was confirmed following the final day triumph at Derby County.
The three-time England international will save an estimated £30,000 on the pay bill at Bramall Lane, having only featured 23 times since being signed as a free agent by Ruben Selles.
However, both of his goals would come under Chris Wilder’s management, against Norwich City and Hull City, respectively.
5 Patrick Bamford – Sheffield United
Another former Three Lions forward who will continue to earn an ESTIMATED £30,000 is Patrick Bamford, who has made a solid impression in S2 despite his intriguing previous history with Wilder.
After signing a short-term contract in November, the 32-year-old performed well enough to have his contract extended for another 18 months, and he has since finished the season with 13 goals in his first 29 appearances for the Blades, which will provide encouragement as he prepares for a full pre-season and overall campaign with the club.
4 Mathias Kvistgaarden – Norwich City
The final person on this list, said to earn £30,000 per week, is Norwich City’s Mathias Kvistgaarden, who was recruited from Brondby for a reported £6.9 million on a four-year contract in July.
Unfortunately for the 24-year-old, his first season at Carrow Road has not been the smoothest, despite the Canaries’ eventual resurgence up the table under Philippe Clement.
Only one-third of his league appearances have come from the starting lineup, but he has managed to score six goals during that time, which is a fair return all things considered.
3Kyogo Furuhashi – Birmingham City
Next up is possibly one of the most talked-about signings of the season for all the wrong reasons, as Kyogo Furuhashi’s first season at Birmingham City has been exceedingly disappointing.
The 23-time Japan international’s recent problems have continued after leaving Celtic, despite the fact that the Blues agreed to pay up to £10 million for his services on a three-year contract.
Overall, the forward has three goals in 31 appearances across all competitions, although his season was cut short in April due to a shoulder injury.
According to Capology, Kyogo earns £30,000 each week, however it is widely claimed that his earnings are significantly greater, around £40,000.
2Cameron Archer – Southampton
Southampton striker Cameron Archer, who was signed for £15 million from Aston Villa in August 2024, is believed to earn the same £40,000 per week as Kyogo.
However, since joining St Mary’s, the formerly highly-rated striker has struggled in terms of form and total productivity, scoring only a double-figure amount of goals for the club in just under 80 appearances.
This season, he has also fallen below erstwhile hotshot Adam Armstrong, Ross Stewart, and winter addition Cyle Larin in the pecking order, trailing Will Still and Tonda Eckert.
1Patson Daka – Leicester City
Another devastating indictment of Leicester’s decline is that they were relegated when Patson Daka earned a stunning £75,000 per week ESTIMATED pay.
The Zambian was bought from RB Leipzig for £23 million in July 2021 and has since had the most mixed fortunes in the East Midlands, resulting in the Foxes’ second relegation to League One in their history.
Unsurprisingly, the 27-year-old is anticipated to leave on a free transfer at the end of the season, when his contract expires, after scoring only five goals in the Championship.
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