Norwich City and Ipswich Town will once again be separated by a division for the 2026-27 season, with The Tractor Boys having been promoted back to the Premier League.

Since 2019, the two East Anglian rivals have only played in the same league twice, with Ipswich spending the early part of the 2020s in League One before achieving two promotions from the Championship in three seasons, the second coming last year.

However, the mood for both may be considerably different this summer than it was a few months ago, with Ipswich having lost manager Kieran McKenna and Norwich likely to maintain their status as promotion contenders in Philippe Clement’s first full season at Carrow Road next season.

Norwich managed to take four points off their arch-rivals in the 2023-24 season, as Ipswich finished as second-tier runners-up to Leicester City, but Town completed the double over Norwich last year, with those six points crucial to finishing second to Coventry City in the Championship.

The first of those wins, a 3-1 victory at Portman Road in October, ended Norwich’s 14-match unbeaten streak against their rivals, while the second win marked the first time either side had done the double over the other since the 2014-15 season, when Norwich gained promotion via the play-offs after defeating Ipswich in the semi-finals.

The teams were separated by 19 points last year, but Norwich finished remarkably well, indicating that they aren’t too far apart. We checked to see if that was reflected in both parties’ salaries.

How Ipswich and Norwich City’s payrolls compared in the Championship

According to Capology, Ipswich Town had two Championship players making £35,000 per week last season, with defensive combination Leif Davis and Dara O’Shea leading the way, along with on-loan midfielder Jens Cajuste.

In addition, Town had three players who reputedly earned £30,000 per week: experienced and now retired full-back Ashley Young, defensive midfielder Azor Matusiwa, and former West Ham United defender Ben Johnson.

In comparison, Norwich had one player making £35,000 per week, experienced centre-back Shane Duffy, and two players, Jack Stacey and marquee summer addition Mathias Kvistgaarden, earning the £30,000 per week Ipswich paid for Young, Matusiwa, and Johnson.

Norwich are thought to have 11 players making £20,000 or more per week, whereas Ipswich spend that much each week on 16 players, one of them being Chilean midfielder Marcelino Nunez, who made the controversial move from Norwich to Ipswich last summer.

Only loanees Ivan Azon and Dan Neil, as well as youngster Frankie Runham and now-departed Millwall player Elkan Baggott, are claimed to have earned less than £10,000 per week at Ipswich.

Norwich, on the other hand, has 19 members of their large squad earning less than that figure, with renowned players such as Jovon Makama, Mohamed Toure, and Oscar Schwartau claimed to be paid £7,500, £5,000, and £5,000 per week, respectively.

How did Norwich and Ipswich compare to the rest of the Championship?

Last season, neither side has a player in the top 22 highest-paid players in the Championship, despite having the highest earners at £35,000 per week.

Surprisingly, the subsequently relegated Leicester City had the top five highest earners, with Harry Winks leading the way at £90,000 per week. Leicester players accounted for eight of the top eleven.

Naturally, Leicester had the division’s highest weekly payroll, paying £900,500 per week for a club that has since advanced to League One.

Southampton and Sheffield United rounded out the top three, while Ipswich and Norwich were close behind, finishing fourth and fifth, respectively.

Overall, Ipswich spent £569,500 on payroll, while Norwich spent £478,808, emphasising how much of a letdown their first half of the season was prior to Clement’s arrival.

Ipswich effectively outperformed their payroll by two places and roughly £120,000 per week, while Norwich underperformed by four spaces and about £70,000, despite closing the season brightly.