Southampton have started preparing for the 2026/27 Championship season, which begins in one month against Watford at Vicarage Road.
However, the South Coast club’s off-season has been anything but typical, since they were demoted from the Premier League at the end of the 2024/25 season.
The Saints’ first season back in the Championship began disastrously under Will Still, before Tonda Eckert was able to oversee a remarkable improvement in results, which ultimately counted for very little as the club was expelled from last season’s play-off final and given a four-point deduction for the new season following the Spygate scandal.
There has been much speculation about whether Eckert should be given the opportunity to oversee his first full season, but the German was photographed in pre-season training last week, which may hint at his future plans.
Although the club did not win promotion for the first time last season, their finances are still much higher than many divisional competitors, and FLW has looked at St Mary’s seven greatest earners, according to ESTIMATED Capology numbers.
7 Ben Brereton-Diaz
Starting this list is Chilean international attacker Ben Brereton-Diaz, who has been permanently bound to Southampton for three seasons following a £7 million transfer from Villarreal in 2024.
Brereton-Diaz is currently 27 years old and has substantial Championship football experience, despite the fact that none of those appearances have been for the Saints.
Indeed, he spent last season on loan at divisional rivals Derby County, netting eight goals in 41 appearances, but is claimed to earn £35,000 per week in Hampshire.
6 Mads Roerslev
Mads Roerslev, a Danish right-back who signed a four-year contract with Brentford last August, comes in sixth place after having a mediocre season on an individual level.
The 27-year-old started five of his nine Championship games last season, all but two coming before Still’s departure in early November.
However, he sustained a catastrophic achilles injury, forcing him to miss the rest of the season while earning £40,000 per week.
5 Jack Stephens
Club captain Jack Stephens is claimed to earn £40,000 per week, with his last contract extension signed 12 months ago, keeping him at St Mary’s until the summer of 2028.
Over his career, the 32-year-old has made over 230 appearances in all competitions for Southampton, scoring nine times, and has formed a good defensive partnership, particularly with former England international Taylor Harwood-Bellis, in the last three years.
4 Yukinari Sugawara
Yukinari Sugawara is also thought to earn £40,000 per week, though it is unclear how long the Japanese defender will be on Dragan Solak’s payroll.
Indeed, the full-back was signed for £6 million from Dutch club AZ Alkmaar two summers ago and has appeared 35 times for Southampton in all competitions so far.
However, after spending last season on loan with Werder Bremen, the Bundesliga club chose not to execute the option-to-buy provision included in the deal, but it is still expected that the 26-year-old, a member of Japan’s World Cup squad, will depart the club.
3 Cameron Archer
Cameron Archer is the final Saints player who is supposedly paid £40,000 per week, but the striker has also been linked with a move away.
The 24-year-old was signed from Aston Villa for £15 million after Russell Martin secured promotion to the Premier League, but such a high price has yet to be justified.
Despite making 30 league appearances last season, Archer was used sparingly, scoring only four goals and assisting three times.
Despite the fact that Eckert appears to have to reconfigure his attacking department, Archer has also been linked with a move to West Bromwich Albion.
2 Finn Azaz
The second-highest earning in Eckert’s squad is Finn Azaz, an Irish playmaker who joined from future Spygate rivals Middlesbrough for £12 million in August 2025.
Although the season ended in well-documented turmoil for Saints, the former Aston Villa player was critical to their early ascent up the Championship table and progress to the FA Cup semi-finals, when he scored a sensational opening against Manchester City.
The 25-year-old appeared in 49 games across all competitions last season, with 10 and seven of his combined Championship goals and assists coming for the South Coast club, where he is thought to earn £50,000 per week.
1 Aaron Ramsdale
However, Aaron Ramsdale is the highest earner in the squad, earning £120,000 per week, and it is no wonder that the goalkeeper has been linked with a move this summer.
The Saints had already re-signed Daniel Peretz on a permanent basis from Bayern Munich, but Ramsdale has returned from his loan spell at Newcastle United, who did not exercise an option to buy the 28-year-old, who made only 23 appearances in all competitions under Eddie Howe.
Ramsdale hasn’t played in the Championship in nearly five years, having joined the Saints from Arsenal for £25 million two years ago.
xz
