Wolves and Middlesbrough’s wage bills compared amid Rob Edwards links | OneFootball

Rob Edwards has been linked with the managerial vacancy at Wolves.

Rob Edwards has emerged as Wolves’ 'number one' target to take over the first-team squad following Vitor Pereira’s dismissal at the weekend.

The Premier League side have made a difficult start to the season, with Wanderers sitting bottom of the table after their first 10 games.

The Midlands outfit have earned just two points, and are already eight points adrift of safety in these early stages of the campaign.

It has been reported by The Times that former Wolves player Edwards is now their number one target following a breakdown in talks with former boss, Gary O’Neil.

Here we use estimated figures from Capology to compare the size of Middlesbrough and Wolves’ wage bills…

The Middlesbrough wage bill Rob Edwards is working with

Middlesbrough have made a strong start to the new Championship season, and are in the mix for automatic promotion under Edwards.

The 42-year-old was appointed in the summer following the decision to part ways with Michael Carrick after a 10th place finish in the table last season.

Boro now have a weekly first team wage bill worth £388,269, giving them the eighth-highest salary spend in the division.

The Teesside outfit’s top earner is currently Luke Ayling, with the experienced defender receiving £30,000 per week, as despite Matt Targett reportedly earning double that, he is only on loan from Newcastle United and isn't Boro's player.

Alfie Jones and Morgan Whittaker are the next highest earners, with the pair both receiving £25,000 per week.

Middlesbrough are punching above their weight under Edwards, even with the eighth-highest wage bill in the Championship.

That’s because their overall weekly spend of £388,269 is far below the likes of Leicester City, who are paying their first team £840,500 per week.

Southampton and Ipswich Town are second and third highest for the entire second division, with the two recently relegated sides paying £733,500 and £559,200 per week, respectively, for their squads.

Wolves’ highest earners

Wolves have been a mainstay in the Premier League since their 2018 promotion under Nuno Espirito Santo.

The club have finished as high as seventh in the top flight on two occasions in that time, but are now at serious risk of relegation under their recent form.

The top flight side currently pay their first team squad a little under £1.4 million per week.

Their highest earner is Joao Gomes, who arrived in January 2023 in a big money move from Flamengo, with the Brazilian receiving £105,000-a-week.

Their total wage bill is ranked 13th among the 20 first division sides, sitting just above Sunderland and right below Everton.

Brentford are bottom of the list at £1 million per week, meaning they pay more to their first team than any Championship side.

Other high earners in the Wolves squad include Jorgan Strand Larsen, who completed a permanent move to Molineux in the summer after an initial loan stint.

The forward is on a weekly wage worth £95,000, while Emmanuel Agbadou is third with a salary of £85,000 per week.

However, despite the obviously far greater resources at Wolves, it remains to be seen whether Edwards can be convinced to take over the side he spent four years with as a player.