How Coventry City and Ipswich Town's current wage bill compares to Premier League clubs | OneFootball

FLW looks at how the wage bills at the Championship's promoted clubs compares to their soon to be Premier League rivals

Coventry City and Ipswich Town secured automatic promotion in the Championship this season and will make their returns to the Premier League in 2026/27.

For Ipswich, their time away from the top-flight hasn't been as lengthy as Coventry's, having been relegated from the Premier League last season. Meanwhile, Frank Lampard's side ended a 25-year exile from England's top division after winning the second tier this year.

It's a known fact that teams coming up from the Championship have to spend big to compete with England's elite, and while that primarily relates to transfer fees, both clubs will have to up their wage bills to battle with even the lower-end top-flight sides.

Taking Capology's estimated wage bills into consideration, here's how both Coventry and Ipswich compare with some of their soon-to-be Premier League counterparts.

Coventry City and Ipswich Town's wage bills in the recent Championship season

According to Capology's estimates, Ipswich, in receipt of Premier League parachute payments, had the fourth-highest wage bill in the Championship this season, spending £569,500 per week on players.

Top of the pile were Dara O'Shea and Leif Davis, who were both said to be making £35,000 per week. New signings, Ashley Young (albeit leaving this summer) and Azor Matusiwa, were just behind on £30,000 per week.

Coventry, though, who were not in receipt of parachute payments, had a bottom-half wage bill, according to Capology. Their estimated £328,000 per week bill places them 13th, below the likes of Wrexham, Stoke City and Watford.

It's a four-way tie for the highest earners at the club, as Luke Woolfenden, Ellis Simms, Haji Wright and Matt Grimes are all estimated to be earning £25,000 per week.

It's worth noting that the players at each club will likely be in for a wage hike after securing promotion, which, ultimately, has yet to kick in.

Nevertheless, it'll be expected that both Coventry and Ipswich will have some catching up to do this summer to ensure their wage bills are as similar to those of some of the bottom-end Premier League clubs from this past year.

Every Premier League club this season has had at least a £1 million estimated wage bill

The disparity of wages between the Premier League and the Championship seems to grow each year. Last season, Ipswich's top-flight wage bill was estimated to be £784,000 per week. This year, that would be nearly £300,000 per week less than the lowest bill.

Indeed, this season, Burnley are estimated to be propping up the wage bill list according to Capology, and they're said to be spending a whopping £1,068,346 per week.

Further up, fellow newly-promoted sides, Leeds United and Sunderland, were said to be spending £1,101,500 and £1,217,500 per week, respectively, with Regis Le Bris's side increasing their bill by close to £1 million from last season, where they had the 15th highest wage bill in the Championship.

And then right at the top, Manchester City top the pile with an eye-watering estimated wage bill of £4,532,300 per week. Erling Haaland's £525,000 is more than what Coventry is said to pay their entire squad each week! But the newly promoted sides aren't going to be targeting those numbers.

It's become a cliché now that teams need to follow Sunderland's blueprint when coming into the Premier League, but at least they've proven that a team without parachute payments can create a squad capable of competing in the top flight with the finances behind it. Perhaps that's what Coventry may need to do.

As for Ipswich, they will have used their one year in the top flight last year to get acquainted with the luxury that comes with being among the elite in terms of the financial boost, and they'll be better placed to push their wage bill up towards the seven-figure mark, you'd imagine.

Either way, there'll still be plenty of work to do for either side to ensure they're competitive in the Premier League next year.