How much Middlesbrough spend on wages weekly | OneFootball

Middlesbrough are in the mix for automatic promotion to the Premier League in 2026

Middlesbrough are poised to fight for promotion to the Premier League in 2026 thanks to a strong first half of the campaign.

Rob Edwards took charge in the summer, and was replaced by Kim Hellberg in November after he jumped ship to manage Wolves.

But the team’s form has continued to impress despite the change in head coach, and the Teesside outfit now have their sights set on a return to the Premier League for the first time since 2017.

The Swede has never worked in English football before, but will be hoping to find immediate success at the Riverside, having previously worked with Hammarby.

Here we use estimated figures from Capology to see how much Middlesbrough are paying their first team squad going into 2026…

Middlesbrough’s weekly wage bill

Middlesbrough are in the mix for automatic promotion, and they will be hoping that the £388,269 per week they spend on their first team squad will be enough to get them over the line.

Luke Ayling is their highest paid permanent player, with the former Leeds United defender on a deal worth £30,000 per week.

The annual cost of this wage bill amounts to £20.1 million, which is actually a decrease from last year when it equalled £24.9 million.

The sales of the likes of Rav van den Berg, Finn Azaz and the permanent departure of Josh Coburn contributed to this drop from the previous campaign.

Other high earners in Hellberg’s squad are Alfie Jones and Morgan Whittaker, with the pair both receiving £25,000 per week.

Meanwhile, Delano Burgzorg, Sontje Hansen and Callum Brittain are all earning £20,000 per week from the Teesside outfit.

There are also four players in the squad, including Ayling, who have a contract that expires in 2026, which could lead to big savings on their wage bill next year.

The others include Dael Fry, Sam Silvera and Darragh Lenihan, who earn £5,577, £10,192 and £5,000 per week, respectively.

The top wage will in the Championship

Middlesbrough’s weekly wage bill of £388,269 per week is not the highest in the Championship despite their push for automatic promotion this season.

In fact, it is less than half that of Leicester City’s £844,500-a-week wage bill, with Martí Cifuentes’ squad coming down from the Premier League this year.

Southampton and Ipswich Town also suffered relegation from the top flight in 2025, and they rank second and third with wage bills worth £758,500 and £569,000 per week respectively.

Of the sides who competed in the Championship last season, Sheffield United are highest at £522,000 per week, followed by Norwich City at £438,500-a-week.

In that respect, Middlesbrough are performing quite well to be paying £388,269 per week and to be in contention for automatic promotion at the halfway mark of the campaign.

There are no guarantees that they will finish inside the top two, or even the top six, but the club are on a positive trajectory going into the new year and that’s how Hellberg will want to keep it.