Writer, analyst, podcaster, Spurs fan. Three out of four is not bad. If there is a data angle, I will find it.
Wage Increases After January 2023 Transfer Window
When Todd Boehly took ownership of Chelsea, it was declared a new era for Stamford Bridge. However, nobody who scrutinizes the Premier League could have imagined just how expensive this new era would be.
After spending a decent amount of money in the summer transfer window of 2022, Boehly’s desire did not stop there. After a second wave of young and exciting playing personnel arrived at the start of 2023, the Blues have blown away their Premier League counterparts.
Not through results on the pitch but the ability to capture players off it and with the West London outfit now amassing £618m worth of transfer spend since Boehly’s arrival as owner, it only further highlights the Premier League’s overall purchasing power.
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While transfer spend offers insight into the financial functionality of a club or league, the greater focus should arguably be spent on salaries and how much is going into the player’s pockets annually.
With this angle in mind, we will now take a deep dive into just how much wages have increased from the end of last season to the midway point of the current Premier League campaign in 2023.
| Team | 2021/22 Active Players | 2022/23 Active Players | 2021/22 Total Salary | 2022/23 Total Salary | Salary Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nottingham Forest F.C. | 32 | 38 | £22,440,000 | £67,460,000 | £45,020,000 |
| Chelsea F.C. | 30 | 33 | £175,512,000 | £212,090,000 | £36,578,000 |
| Manchester City F.C. | 22 | 23 | £149,344,000 | £182,640,000 | £33,296,000 |
| Aston Villa F.C. | 21 | 22 | £57,805,396 | £89,880,000 | £32,074,604 |
| Liverpool F.C. | 27 | 29 | £136,754,000 | £158,788,000 | £22,034,000 |
| Tottenham Hotspur F.C. | 23 | 25 | £89,769,200 | £110,438,000 | £20,668,800 |
| Leeds United F.C. | 26 | 24 | £29,816,800 | £48,100,000 | £18,283,200 |
| Newcastle United F.C. | 32 | 27 | £61,096,200 | £76,220,600 | £15,124,400 |
| Fulham F.C. | 31 | 25 | £42,139,000 | £56,668,000 | £14,529,000 |
| Brentford F.C. | 23 | 24 | £15,654,600 | £30,170,000 | £14,515,400 |
| West Ham United F.C. | 30 | 24 | £66,904,000 | £80,060,000 | £13,156,000 |
| AFC Bournemouth | 34 | 26 | £35,742,000 | £42,276,000 | £6,534,000 |
| Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C. | 28 | 28 | £48,213,600 | £52,702,000 | £4,488,400 |
| Leicester City | 29 | 27 | £69,165,000 | £73,190,000 | £4,025,000 |
| Arsenal F.C. | 21 | 24 | £93,961,273 | £97,878,000 | £3,916,727 |
| Southampton F.C. | 27 | 28 | £51,134,000 | £51,496,000 | £362,000 |
| Crystal Palace | 24 | 24 | £67,362,000 | £67,624,000 | £262,000 |
| Manchester United F.C. | 28 | 27 | £214,485,000 | £211,875,000 | -£2,610,000 |
| Brighton & Hove Albion | 24 | 19 | £38,907,333 | £35,685,000 | -£3,222,333 |
| Everton F.C. | 31 | 26 | £87,275,000 | £80,707,000 | -£6,568,000 |
Unless you have been living under a rock you will be aware that Nottingham Forest has undergone the task of trying to sign every player who has ever kicked a football. A task that although they have not entirely completed, they are going the right way about it.
Last season’s Steve Cooper’s men had 32 players on their books, this season alone they have signed 30. An almost eye-watering amount of changes as the entrance and exit doors at the City Ground seem to be permanently revolving.
Nottingham Forests Current Manager Steve Cooper
As Forest eventually won last season’s play-offs, the squad was earning a total of £22.4m across the salaries for the season. That figure has now trebled as the price of Premier League safety is expensive.
A 200% increase in squad salaries for the club’s owner to budget for, a rise of £45m from the second tier of English football to the first and subsequently, the club with the highest rise in transfer salaries from one season to the next.
To put this into further context, we can look at the two other clubs that gained promotion to this season’s edition of the Premier League. Fulham and Bournemouth both gained automatic slots and have seen increases in overall salaries.
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Something that is hardly surprising, as neither team is looking to return to the EFL Championship immediately. Therefore, the Cottagers have spent an additional £14.5m in salaries compared to last season and the Cherries, have accrued an additional £6.5m.
Quite simply once you are in the party, you want to stay around for as long as possible. If a promoted side can stay up at the first time of asking, then an increase in player personnel and the salaries that come with it can only be considered as a good investment.
THE BIG GUNS
Now that we have looked at the three promoted sides, we need to look at those teams that aim to operate at the sharper end of the table, and what better place to start than the team we mentioned at the start of the article.
In the last days of Roman Abramovich’s tenure as Chelsea owner, the Russian was playing out £175.5m in player salary. Fast forward to February 2023 and after two batches of multiple arrivals, that figure has increased to £212.09m.
An increase of £36.5m and the second highest rise in the Premier League behind wholesale purchases Nottingham Forest and whereas 30 players were in last season’s squad, this figure has now risen to 33.
Chelsea may be second in this table, but they are nowhere near Champions League qualification for next season and as Graham Potter still attempts to work out which is the best 11 from the 33 players available, one wonders if he will still be the manager by the time the 2023/24 campaign starts.
Image: shutterstock/ph.FAB - Chelsea Manager Graham Potter
The Blues expenditure sees them sit above Manchester City, as the arrival of Erling Haaland has played a part in a salary increase of £33.2m. Admittedly the Norwegian is not responsible for all of this, but his goals could be worth every penny at the end of the season.
While the final top four spot is not filled by a Champions League hopeful, more a team that is dreaming of any form of European football and it is Aston Villa who have also seen a turbocharge when it comes to annual salaries.
What was Steven Gerrard’s men has now become Unai Emery’s and with the Spaniard being installed before the January transfer window began, it is no surprise that the former Villarreal boss looked to install some new personnel of his own.
Combining the two managers' respective purchases in either transfer window has meant the total salary at the end of the season to the current moment in time has leaped from £57.8m to £89.8m – an increase of £32m.
A deeper look at the clubs that operate in the big six highlights Liverpool’s increase in salary outlay. Liverpool's manager Klopp may have said goodbye to Sadio Mane but the arrivals of both Cody Gakpo and Darwin Nunez would not have come cheap either.
This may be a team that is in some form of transition, that transition has taken the annual salary cost from £136m to £158m – an increase of £22m and £2m more than that of fellow Champions League rivals Tottenham.
However, the picture is far different across North London, and with Arsenal currently sitting pretty at the top of the Premier League, they also deserve a prize for balancing the books from one season to the next.
Even with the arrivals of both Oleksander Zinchenko and Gabriel Jesus, the Gunners are only spending £97.8m this season, whereas, at the end of last season, the figure was £93.9m. Could that extra £3.9m snare them a first league crown since 2004?
As for the final member of the big six, Manchester United’s wage bill has actually shrunk since the tail end of last season, and it does not necessarily need a genius to work out why. The Red Devils could call upon Cristiano Ronaldo before last year’s World Cup, but they cannot anymore.
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A departure to Saudi Arabia has played a part in the Old Trafford outfit saving £2.6m. With that being said, their total salary when looking at the current playing squad is still a staggering £211.8m for the 2022/23 campaign.
Erik ten Hag’s men are one of three clubs actually to see a decrease in the overall salaries. Joining them in the black are Brighton who have recently said goodbye to the likes of Leandro Trossard, Yes Bissouma, and Marc Cucarella and have subsequently shed £3.2m from their wage bill.
Editorial credit: kivnl / Shutterstock.com
Add the team that has saved the most money in salaries is none other than Everton. A team that has resembled something more akin to Frankenstein’s monster in recent years, as new manager after new manager adds players to the first team squad.
However, the reckless expenditure under the watchful eye of majority shareholder Farhad Moshiri has certainly been costly, and with the departure of Richarlison going alongside multiple free transfers to get players off the books, a saving of £6.5m per year has been made.
Whether that saving is enough to keep Everton afloat and maintain their Premier League status remains to be seen. Then again, with new manager Sean Dyche now at the helm, this particular investment may be the shrewdest one yet.
All in all, the Premier League has seen an increase of £272m in terms of player salary on an annual basis and with all the talk of Manchester United potentially being purchased for £4bn, the competition’s bubble does not look like it will be bursting anytime soon.
How Much Every Premier League Clubs Wage Bills had Increased or Decreased from 2021/22 to 2022/23 Season Start
This summer’s transfer window saw the combined spend of Premier League clubs surpass the billion pound mark for the third time in the last five windows, with the biggest contributors coming in the form of Chelsea's manager spending (£313,280,000) and Manchester United manager Erik ten Haag spending (£261,830,000). Sixteen out of the current twenty clubs spent over the £50 million mark in what was an excessive summer of spending for the vast majority of clubs.
But what impact (if any) has this summer's window had on each club's wage bills? Looking at the number of incomings at first glance, you would think that most clubs saw a massive rise in their payroll however, our research found the vast majority were able to reduce their outlay on player wages. Using data from Sportrac, OLBG have calculated how much each team's wage bill has decreased or increased in 2022/23 compared to the previous season.
Here’s how every Premier League club’s wage bills stack up…
| Team | 2021/22 Players | 2022/23 Players | 2021/22 Transfer Fees | 2022/23 Transfer Fees | 2021/22 Wage Bill | 2022/23 Wage Bill | Wage Bill increase/ decrease | Highest Earning Player | Weekly Wage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nottingham Forest | 32 | 33 | £6,290,000.00 | £164,670,000.00 | £12,560,000.00 | £24,390,000.00 | 94.19% | Jesse Lingard | £200,000.00 |
| Aston Villa | 22 | 26 | £149,160,000.00 | £76,450,000.00 | £52,001,396.00 | £65,267,396.00 | 25.51% | Lucas Digne | £163,462.00 |
| Liverpool | 27 | 28 | £93,450,000.00 | £94,370,000.00 | £137,274,000.00 | £153,480,000.00 | 11.81% | Mo Salah | £350,000.00 |
| Brentford | 23 | 27 | £40,920,000.00 | £55,550,000.00 | £15,394,600.00 | £15,776,000.00 | 2.48% | Pontus Jansson | £25,000.00 |
| Newcastle United | 32 | 30 | £144,650,000.00 | £149,600,000.00 | £59,676,200.00 | £59,524,200.00 | -0.25% | Kieran Trippier | £144,231.00 |
| Manchester United | 28 | 29 | £158,400,000.00 | £261,830,000.00 | £214,485,000.00 | £212,781,000.00 | -0.79% | Cristiano Ronaldo | £515,385.00 |
| Tottenham Hotspur | 22 | 25 | £59,400,000.00 | £167,090,000.00 | £87,429,200.00 | £85,279,200.00 | -2.46% | Harry Kane | £200,000.00 |
| Manchester City | 22 | 24 | £129,250,000.00 | £153,170,000.00 | £149,344,000.00 | £144,184,000.00 | -3.46% | Kevin De Bruyne | £400,000.00 |
| Leicester City | 29 | 26 | £74,360,000.00 | £18,700,000.00 | £68,595,000.00 | £65,313,000.00 | -4.78% | Jamie Vardy | £140,000.00 |
| Arsenal | 21 | 25 | £182,160,000.00 | £145,270,000.00 | £93,961,273.00 | £85,580,000.00 | -8.92% | Gabriel Jesus | £265,000.00 |
| West Ham United | 30 | 28 | £73,100,000.00 | £200,210,000.00 | £63,270,000.00 | £55,746,000.00 | -11.89% | Alphonse Areola/ Kurt Zouma | £120,000.00 |
| Crystal Palace | 24 | 31 | £92,880,000.00 | £31,140,000.00 | £69,045,000.00 | £59,705,000.00 | -13.53% | Wilfred Zaha | £130,000.00 |
| AFC Bournemouth | 33 | 27 | £11,380,000.00 | £29,590,000.00 | £28,583,000.00 | £24,686,000.00 | -13.63% | Jefferson Lerma | £55,000.00 |
| Chelsea | 30 | 27 | £126,500,000.00 | £313,280,000.00 | £175,952,000.00 | £150,568,000.00 | -14.43% | Raheem Sterling | £325,000.00 |
| Brighton & Hove Albion | 23 | 22 | £19,800,000.00 | £43,780,000.00 | £37,607,333.00 | £29,981,333.00 | -20.28% | Adam Lallana | £90,385.00 |
| Wolverhampton | 27 | 31 | £30,580,000.00 | £131,890,000.00 | £45,155,600.00 | £34,096,000.00 | -24.49% | Joao Moutinho | £100,000.00 |
| Leeds | 26 | 27 | £64,790,000.00 | £98,970,000.00 | £23,776,800.00 | £17,272,800.00 | -27.35% | Rodrigo | £57,692.00 |
| Southampton | 27 | 25 | £48,510,000.00 | £72,380,000.00 | £51,970,000.00 | £33,364,000.00 | -35.80% | Theo Walcott | £75,000.00 |
| Fulham | 29 | 28 | £19,800,000.00 | £65,120,000.00 | £48,408,824.00 | £30,916,824.00 | -36.13% | Aleksandar Mitrovic | £60,000.00 |
| Everton | 31 | 28 | £43,450,000.00 | £68,420,000.00 | £85,349,000.00 | £45,883,000.00 | -46.24% | Yerry Mina | £120,000.00 |
Premier League New Boys Forest Doubled Their Wage Bill
Nottingham Forest made it back to the Premier League for the first time since the 1998/99 season and the owners wasted no time signing new players, adding 21 new names to their squad during the window and spending £164,670,000 in the process. Their modest EFL Championship wage bill of £12.5 million has nearly doubled to £24.3 million as they embark on their first season in the Premier League in 24 years.
The highest earner amongst the Forest squad was perhaps their biggest profile signing, Jesse Lingard who joined on a free transfer from Manchester United and agreed a contract worth £200,000 per week. At the time Lingard was widely criticised as he had many other established clubs interested in him, but the money the Midlands club offered was a lot more than the likes of West Ham and Newcastle were prepared to pay for his services.
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Aston Villa were the only other club to see a significant increase in their wage bill, albeit a significantly lower rise than Forest's, but it still went up by just over 25% from the 2021/22 season. That is thanks to the addition of Philippe Coutinho on a permanent basis, along with Diego Carlos from Sevilla and Leander Dendoncker from Wolves. According to Sportrac though, the highest earner is Lucas Digne, who arrived last January from Everton and takes home £163,462 per week.
Liverpool’s summer business has seen their wage bill rise by just under 12% thanks to the additions of Darwin Nunez amongst others and the fact player of the year 2021/22 Mo Salah signed a very lucrative new contract which makes him the highest-paid player in the clubs' history. The Egyptian superstar takes home a reported £350,000 per week after putting pen to paper on fresh terms. To give that figure context, the next highest earner is Virgil Van Dijk, who earns £220,000 per week, significantly less than Salah.
Brentford was the only other club to see their wage bill increase from last season, but only by a very marginal 2.5%. The Bee's owners run a tight ship and ensure the club is never in any financial danger, which is reflected in the highest earner being defender Pontus Jansson, with a weekly wage of just £25,000 per week. They also have the lowest wage bill in the Premier League by some distance, outlaying just £15,776,000 this season.
Everton Reduced Thier Wage Bill by £40 million
The Toffees endured a torrid campaign during the 2021/22 season, only avoiding relegation by the skin of their teeth. The poor performances over the last few years have had a major impact on how much Farhad Moshiri is willing to invest after spending big since taking over six years ago. This summer has seen a lot of players leave on free transfers and loans, as well as Richarlison departing for around £50 million to Spurs.
Everton have reinvested that money into some younger players who earn less with the likes of Onana, McNeil and Garner coming through the door. These cutbacks are understandable, with relegation a real possibility last season, it's easy to see why the hierarchy would want to take precautions and they look to rebuild the side and mount a challenge for the top half again.
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Fulham were a surprise entry towards the bottom of the list, reducing their payroll by 36% following their promotion back to the top flight. The Cottagers did manage to shift their two top earners though, who had become surplus to requirements, in the form of Jean Michael Seri and Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa which had a big impact on the wage bill.
Southampton rounded off the bottom three with a wage bill reduction of over 35% from last season. That was thanks to a lot of senior players leaving on free transfers, with Nathan Redmond, Fraser Forster and Shane Long all departing after years on the south coast.
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