How Bolton Wanderers’ wage bill compares to Stockport County ahead of L1 play-off final | OneFootball

FLW takes a look at the respective wage bills of Bolton Wanderers and Stockport County as they prepare to face off ahead of the League One play-off

This weekend sees perhaps the most exciting weekend in the EFL calendar as the play-off finals take place at Wembley Stadium across all three divisions.

With Southampton set to face Hull City and Salford City taking on Notts County in the Championship and League Two respectively, Bolton Wanderers face Stockport County in League One.

It is Bolton’s third play-off campaign in four seasons, with the Trotters having succumbed to a play-off final defeat to Oxford United two years ago.

For Stockport, they are in the play-offs for a successive season after gaining promotion from League Two a couple of weeks before Wanderers’ loss to Oxford in north London.

A fallen giant for the standards of the third-tier, Bolton have been striving for quite some time to get back into the second division, at least, while Stockport have been one of the most impressive and upwardly mobile teams in the country, with a strong and well-backed recruitment strategy.

As they prepare to face off for a spot in the Championship next season, we take a look at how their respective wage bills compare, according to estimates from Capology.

How Bolton’s wage bill compares to Stockport

According to Capology, Bolton Wanderers’ wage bill was the fourth highest in League One this season with a combined sum of £170,712 per week shelled out on players.

Those estimated figures are from the first-half of the season, too, and will not include the fairly busy January transfer window that the club enjoyed whereby some big names were brought in for the attack.

Alongside goalkeeping duo Jack Bonham and David Harrington, as well as young defender Lewis Temple, Bolton also brought in Ruben Rodrigues, Rob Apter, Corey Blackett-Taylor and Johnny Kenny – meaning it wouldn’t be unfair to suggest that estimate from Capology is even higher now as they head into their final game.

Stockport, on the other hand, are suggested to have the ninth-highest wage bill in the third-tier for the 2025/26 campaign.

Having only gained promotion in 2024, Dave Challinor has been backed very well, with some smart recruitment to go alongside that.

It is estimated that Stockport’s weekly outlay on player salaries has come to £122,500 per week – which is more than £50,000 less than what Bolton are reportedly spending on a weekly basis.

What Bolton and Stockport were competing with in League One

Unsurprisingly, given that they were in the Premier League just two seasons ago (when Bolton were losing to Oxford and Stockport were winning League Two), Luton Town had the highest wage bill in League One this year.

The Hatters finished the season strongly, with a 3-2 win away at Bolton, but a last-gasp Stevenage winner against Wigan Athletic meant that Jack Wilshere’s side missed out on the top six and the play-off places.

Another couple of unsurprising names round out the top three before we get to Bolton, with Cardiff City, eventually promoted, and Huddersfield Town, once again having majorly underperformed, the only other clubs spending more on wages than the Trotters.

Plymouth Argyle, Blackpool, Rotherham United and Wycombe Wanderers, two of which narrowly and frustratingly missed out on the play-offs, one who eventually propelled themselves out of danger and another who were indeed relegated, were the other teams to spend more than County.

As for the eventual rampant and simply phenomenal title winners in the third-tier, Lincoln City, they are believed to have spent just £98,500 per week on wages – with Michael Skubala’s Imps having the 17th highest wage bill in a division they went on to embarrass.