How does Leicester City's estimated wage bill compare to the top Championship clubs? | OneFootball

Comparing Leicester City's wage bill to the top teams currently in the Championship

Leicester City are heading towards relegation back to the Championship after a difficult Premier League return.

Ruud van Nistelrooy has been unable to turn things around after replacing Steve Cooper at the King Power Stadium midway through the campaign.

The Foxes are currently in the relegation zone ahead of the top flight’s return from the March international break.

A strong run of results could yet save their league status, but time is running out with only nine games remaining.

Ahead of that likely EFL return, here we use estimated figures from Capology to compare Leicester’s current wage bill to the team’s fighting for Premier League promotion this season.

Leicester City’s wage bill

Leicester are paying £65,676,000 per year, or £1,263,000-a-week on their current first team squad’s salary.

The highest paid player for the Premier League club is Jamie Vardy, with the striker earning £140,000-a-week.

The next best-paid player is Harry Winks, who is receiving £90,000-a-week after his move from Tottenham Hotspur in the summer of 2023.

The Foxes have five other players all earning more than £70,000-a-week, including Boubakary Soumaré, Ricardo Pereira (both on £80,000), Conor Coady, Wilfried Ndidi and Patson Daka (all three earning £75,000).

The average weekly salary at Leicester is currently £43,552, with the likes of Jannik Vestergaard, Wout Faes and Oliver Skipp all also earning more than that.

If relegated, there is a strong chance that the club will want to reduce their spending in this area due to the drop in revenue they’ll suffer by being in the Championship.

Leeds United, Sheffield United, Burnley wage bill

Of the three sides currently in contention for automatic promotion, Leeds United have the highest annual wage bill of £37,206,000, which equals £715,000-a-week.

That is significantly smaller than Leicester’s tally, which has come from two summers of reducing their salaries with player sales.

The team’s remaining highest-paid player is Patrick Bamford at £70,000-a-week, after sales of the likes of Crysencio Summerville, Georginio Rutter, Luis Sinisterra, Tyler Adams and Rodrigo, among others.

While none of those players may have had a massive individual salary, the bulk figure has amounted to a big drop compared to their final year in the Premier League, when their annual wage bill was £61,074,000.

Sheffield United’s wage bill is currently £29,016,000 per year, or £558,000 per week, which is less than half of the Foxes’ figures.

Chris Wilder’s highest-paid permanent player is Rhian Brewster, with the forward earning £35,000-a-week, which is less than the average player makes at the Premier League club.

The Blades’ average weekly salary is £18,600, with Burnley’s actually amounting to more despite a smaller overall wage bill.

The Clarets are paying £29,952,000 per year on their players, or £576,000 per week, but this amounts to an average wage of £19,200.