Short answer: Manchester City and Liverpool have the biggest estimated Premier League wage bills for 2026/27, at £191.5M and £191.1M a year, both about £3.68M a week, ahead of Arsenal on £172.1M. These are Capology estimates of gross fixed salaries; published 2024/25 accounts, which include bonuses and other staff, are far higher.
Premier League Wage Bills 2026/27: Key Takeaways
- Two Clubs Level at the Top: Manchester City (£191.5M a year) and Liverpool (£191.1M) have the biggest estimated payrolls for 2026/27, both at about £3.68M a week, ahead of Arsenal (£172.1M).
- Estimates vs. Accounts: No club tops £200M in estimated fixed salaries, but published 2024/25 accounts, which also include bonuses and other staff, are far higher: Liverpool £428m, Man City £408m, Chelsea £359m, Arsenal £346.8m and Manchester United £313.3m.
- The Early Over-Achievers: Brentford have the 17th-biggest payroll (£50.9M) but sit 6th, and Brighton (11th-biggest, £70.4M) are 3rd after eight games.
- The Early Under-Achievers: Manchester United have the fourth-biggest payroll (£155.0M) but are 16th with 7 points from 8 games.
Every football fan knows transfer fees dominate the summer headlines. When a club drops £80 million on a shiny new midfielder, it trends across social media for days. But ask any football finance director, and they will tell you the same cold truth: transfer fees don’t ruin clubs—wage bills do.
Transfer fees are spread (amortized) over a player’s contract. Wage bills are cash leaving the bank account every single week, rain or shine. And from 2026/27, the Premier League’s new Squad Cost Ratio caps what clubs can spend on wages, transfer amortization and agents’ fees at 85% of revenue, so payroll matters more than ever.
To compare all 20 clubs in the 2026/27 Premier League, we ranked them by estimated gross fixed salaries (Capology figures published via FBref in September 2026) and set those against the league table after eight games. Where we have checked them, we also quote each club’s published 2024/25 accounts.
Which Premier League clubs have the biggest wage bills in 2026/27?
The table ranks every 2026/27 Premier League club by estimated gross fixed salaries (Capology via FBref, 7 September 2026; bonuses excluded). The weekly figure is Capology’s; the annual figure is weekly × 52. Points and positions are from the table on 27 October 2026, after eight games. The last column compares league position with payroll rank: +8 means a club sits eight places higher than its wage bill ranks.
| Rank | Club | Est. Annual Wage Bill (Capology, Sept 2026) | Est. Weekly Payroll | Points After 8 Games | League Position (27 Oct 2026) | Places Above (+) or Below (−) Wage Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Manchester City | £191.5M | £3.68M / wk | 21 | 1st | 0 |
| 2 | Liverpool | £191.1M | £3.68M / wk | 15 | 4th | −2 |
| 3 | Arsenal | £172.1M | £3.31M / wk | 21 | 2nd | +1 |
| 4 | Manchester United | £155.0M | £2.98M / wk | 7 | 16th | −12 |
| 5 | Tottenham Hotspur | £146.3M | £2.81M / wk | 9 | 14th | −9 |
| 6 | Chelsea | £126.1M | £2.43M / wk | 13 | 5th | +1 |
| 7 | Aston Villa | £100.4M | £1.93M / wk | 11 | 9th | −2 |
| 8 | Newcastle United | £88.3M | £1.70M / wk | 11 | 8th | 0 |
| 9 | Nottingham Forest | £75.8M | £1.46M / wk | 6 | 18th | −9 |
| 10 | Crystal Palace | £70.8M | £1.36M / wk | 7 | 17th | −7 |
| 11 | Brighton & Hove Albion | £70.4M | £1.35M / wk | 16 | 3rd | +8 |
| 12 | AFC Bournemouth | £64.2M | £1.24M / wk | 9 | 13th | −1 |
| 13 | Sunderland | £60.7M | £1.17M / wk | 5 | 20th | −7 |
| 14 | Fulham | £60.3M | £1.16M / wk | 8 | 15th | −1 |
| 15 | Everton | £59.0M | £1.13M / wk | 10 | 11th | +4 |
| 16 | Leeds United | £56.3M | £1.08M / wk | 11 | 7th | +9 |
| 17 | Brentford | £50.9M | £0.98M / wk | 11 | 6th | +11 |
| 18 | Ipswich Town | £28.5M | £0.55M / wk | 10 | 12th | +6 |
| 19 | Hull City | £18.4M | £0.35M / wk | 10 | 10th | +9 |
| 20 | Coventry City | £15.8M | £0.30M / wk | 6 | 19th | +1 |
Premier League 2026/27: estimated annual wage bills. Source: Capology via FBref, September 2026. Fixed salaries only, before bonuses.
Payroll vs. the Table: Who Is Punching Above Their Wage Bill?
The size of a payroll only tells half the story. A £190 million wage bill looks reasonable if it delivers 90 points and the Premier League trophy. Over a full season, wages divided by points (cost per point) is a fair test of value for money, but after eight of 38 rounds any 2026/27 figure would be a guess, so we compare payroll rank with league position instead.
Below are the clubs furthest below and above their payroll rank so far. Eight games is a small sample, so treat these as early signals, not verdicts.
1. Manchester United: Fourth-Biggest Payroll, 16th Place
Manchester United’s estimated fixed salaries come to £155.0 million a year (£2.98M per week), the fourth-highest in the league. Yet after eight games they have just 7 points and sit 16th, twelve places below their payroll rank.
United have already cut costs: their published accounts for the year to 30 June 2025 show employee costs of £313.3 million, down 14.1% on the previous year. Tottenham (fifth-biggest payroll, 14th) and Nottingham Forest (ninth-biggest, 18th) are the other clubs furthest below their wage rank.
2. The Over-Achievers: Brentford, Leeds, Hull and Brighton
At the other end, Brentford (17th-biggest payroll at £50.9M) are 6th, eleven places above their wage rank. Leeds United (£56.3M, 7th) and promoted Hull City (£18.4M, 10th) are both nine places higher.
Brighton are the standout: the 11th-biggest payroll (£70.4M) but 3rd in the table with 16 points. Their model of buying young players and selling them on for a transfer profit keeps the wage bill well below the big clubs’ while the team competes near the top.
3. Man City, Liverpool & Arsenal: The Top Three Payrolls
The three biggest payrolls belong to the expected title contenders. Manchester City (£191.5M) and Arsenal (£172.1M) are level at the top on 21 points, while Liverpool, whose estimated payroll (£191.1M) is almost identical to City’s, are 4th on 15 points.
Their published accounts show how much more a club really spends once bonuses and non-playing staff are included: Liverpool reported a wage bill of £428 million for the year to 31 May 2025, Manchester City £408 million and Arsenal £346.8 million for 2024/25. Definitions differ slightly between clubs, so compare these with care.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Which Premier League club has the highest wage bill in 2026/27?
Manchester City have the highest estimated wage bill at about £191.5 million a year (£3.68 million per week), just ahead of Liverpool (£191.1 million). These are Capology’s estimates of gross fixed salaries, published via FBref in September 2026, excluding bonuses. Published accounts for 2024/25 show higher totals, such as City’s £408 million.
Which Premier League clubs are getting the most from small wage bills?
After eight games of 2026/27, Brentford are furthest above their payroll rank: 17th-biggest wage bill (£50.9 million) but 6th in the table. Leeds and Hull City are nine places higher than their payroll rank, and Brighton (£70.4 million) are 3rd.
How is ‘Cost Per Point’ calculated, and why isn’t it in this ranking?
Cost per point is a season’s wage bill divided by the points won over the full 38 games. It only works with a completed season’s points and that same season’s wages. With eight games of 2026/27 played, any figure would rest on projected points, so we don’t publish one.
How do the Premier League’s new spending rules affect player wages?
From 2026/27, the Premier League’s Squad Cost Ratio (SCR) replaces the old Profitability and Sustainability Rules (PSR), after a club vote in November 2025. Spending on wages, amortized transfer fees and agents’ fees is capped at 85% of revenue. Clubs between that level and a red threshold up to 30% higher are fined; above the red threshold they lose six points plus one more for every £6.5 million over. Clubs in UEFA competitions must also meet UEFA’s 70% rule.
Does a higher wage bill guarantee a top-four Premier League finish?
No. Bigger payrolls give clubs a better chance, but they guarantee nothing. After eight games of 2026/27, Manchester United have the fourth-biggest estimated payroll and are 16th, while Brighton (11th-biggest) are 3rd.
Methodology
Wage bills (2026/27): Capology’s estimates of each club’s gross fixed salaries, published via FBref and reported by Planet Football on 7 September 2026. They exclude bonuses and are estimates, not official figures. Capology gives weekly figures; the annual figure is our calculation (weekly × 52). Table data: points and positions after eight games, as of 27 October 2026. The ‘places above/below wage rank’ column is our calculation. Published accounts: 2024/25 figures (Liverpool to 31 May 2025, Manchester United to 30 June 2025) as reported from the clubs’ filed accounts; they include bonuses and non-playing staff, so they are higher than the estimates and are not comparable with them. We don’t publish cost per point for 2026/27, because the season is only eight games old.
Sources
The figures in this article come from these sources:
- Planet Football: Premier League wage bills 2026-27 (Capology data via FBref, 7 Sept 2026) — estimated weekly payroll for all 20 clubs.
- ESPN: Premier League standings 2026-27 — points and positions after eight games (27 October 2026).
- NBC Sports: Premier League teams for 2026-27 — the 20 clubs, including promoted Coventry City, Ipswich Town and Hull City.
- PSRwatch: Liverpool 2024/25 accounts explained — wage bill of £428m for the year to 31 May 2025.
- Matchday Finance: Premier League financial results 2024/25 — Manchester City salaries and wages of £408m.
- PSRwatch: Chelsea 2024/25 accounts explained — wage bill of £359m.
- SportsPro: every Premier League club’s 2024/25 financial performance — Arsenal wage bill of £346.8m.
- The Esk: Manchester United plc annual report, year to 30 June 2025 — employee costs of £313.3m, down 14.1%.
- Sky Sports: Premier League clubs approve Squad Cost Ratio rules to replace PSR — the 85% threshold and sanctions from 2026/27.
