Cardiff City wage bill revelation emerges - it might shock some supporters | OneFootball

Cardiff City's records over the latest financial year have been published

Cardiff City's records from the last financial year have been revealed, with continued support from divisive owner Vincent Tan and a significant increase in the club's wage bill emerging as the most notable takeaways.

The Bluebirds have tightened the financial purse-strings in recent years, with myriad reasons at play. Cardiff were relegated from the Premier League in 2019 and are no longer in receipt of three-year parachute payment packages, while they are in a long-running legal dispute with Ligue 1 side Nantes over payment for Emiliano Sala.

The 28-year-old had been travelling to Cardiff to complete a £15 million, club-record switch from Nantes when he tragically lost his life in a plane crash in January 2019.

Cardiff were previously ordered to pay the first installment of that fee to Nantes, believed to be £7 million, while they formerly filed a complaint claiming losses in excess of £100 million as a result of their subsequent relegation from the top-flight that year.

It's no surprise that Cardiff have been forced into making financial cutbacks in recent times, but their latest records display continued investment from Tan and a monumental increase in their wage bill.

Cardiff City wage bill revelation emerges in surprise twist

The publishing of Cardiff's records over the last financial year included pre-tax losses of £11.66 million, the sale of a percentage share of a potential "proceeds from a litigation claim made by the club", a turnover fall of more than £3 million, a fresh £11.83 million worth of loans from Tan and a notable revelation pertaining to the wage bill over the 2023/24 season.

City's player wage bill was listed as increasing up to 40% to £19.9 million, which will certainly prompt surprise among supporters.

Cardiff finished 12th in the Championship under Erol Bulut last season but have since returned to a battle against relegation to League One this time around, with the Turkish boss having been relieved of his duties and replaced by Omer Riza back in September.

The Welsh side have notably fallen short of seeing tangible returns on investment in the playing squad in recent years, both in terms of player salaries and transfer fees.

Cardiff City's estimated 24/25 wage bill is alarming

Concerningly, though, Cardiff's wage bill for the current campaign, which is not covered in the recently-published records spanning the last financial year, could well have increased further.

As per Capology, a site that provides estimated figures on player salaries, Cardiff have an annual wage bill of £20.8 million.

The Bluebirds are therefore believed to have the division's seventh-highest wage bill, with five of the six sides currently shelling out more on salaries - namely Leeds United, Burnley, Sheffield United, Middlesbrough and Luton Town - either contending for promotion, in receipt of differing parachute payments, or both in the case of the first three.

By and large, there is an evident correlation between a club's wage bill and league position. There are always a small selection of outliers, though, of which 20th-placed Cardiff are most certainly one.

Cardiff made a number of high-profile signings last summer, including Chris Willock and ex-Aston Villa pair Calum Chambers and Anwar El Ghazi. Chambers, however, is the only player of the three to have really hit the heights thus far, with both Willock and El Ghazi flattering to deceive.

Although the estimated figures via Capology are not official in comparison to Cardiff's revealed wage bill from the last financial year, it's clear that the club is spending significant sums on salaries with a limited return.