How Southampton's highest paid players compare to Man City ahead of FA Cup | OneFootball

The Championship promotion-chasers lock horns with last season's finalists at Wembley on Saturday

The upcoming weekend sees the FA Cup reach the semi-final stage, with all of Southampton, Manchester City, Chelsea and Leeds United in with a shot of reaching the final, which takes place on Saturday, May 16th.

With three of those in the Premier League, Saints are now the EFL's sole representatives in the final four of world football's most historic and coveted cup competition, having also reached this particular stage for the first time in five years, when they were narrowly defeated by eventual winners, Leicester City.

It has been a remarkable second half of the season for the South Coast side under Tonda Eckert, who was handed his maiden full-time managerial role by ownership group, Sport Republic, back in December after Will Still's dismissal and his initial period as interim head coach.

A major upturn in their Championship fortunes has also coincided with their historic FA Cup run, which, ironically, comes in the 50th anniversary year after which Saints' class of 1975/76 won the trophy as a second tier side, defeating Manchester United in the final at the old Wembley.

This time around, the Hampshire outfit have already defeated two top-flight opponents in Fulham and Arsenal at the fifth round and quarter-final stage, with those unexpected victories coming after earlier progress against Doncaster Rovers of League One and divisional rivals, Leicester.

They are now preparing to take on Pep Guardiola's side, who have already won at Wembley this season in the EFL Cup final, whilst they also hope to put right their loss in last season's FA Cup final against Crystal Palace.

Whilst many would argue that, on paper, Saints' squad is still full of Premier League quality in many areas of the pitch, putting that up against City's squad in comparison showcases the North West squad are operating at a different level altogether.

This can also be showcased through the finances on offer at both St Mary's and the Etihad Stadium, and Football League World have compared the two sides' highest earners ahead of their semi-final showdown on Saturday.

Southampton FC's highest earners for the 2025/26 Championship season

After a poor start to the campaign, Saints are now showcasing exactly why they were tipped for an immediate return to the Premier League at the beginning of the season, with their last defeat in all competitions coming against Hull City on January 17th.

Although perhaps not quite on the same level as promotion hopefuls and fellow newly-relegated side, Ipswich Town, in terms of squad depth, Eckert still has plenty of high-end Championship quality at his disposal, showcased by the wages that can be offered at St Mary's in comparison to many league rivals.

According to Capology, a site which ESTIMATES player earnings and club wage bills, Saints' weekly wage bill comes in at a cost of £606,500 per week.

At the top of said payroll at £50,000 per week is Republic of Ireland international, Finn Azaz, who was signed from Middlesbrough for a reported £12m last summer. He has scored 11 times and provided a further nine assists across 44 matches in all competitions thus far, and is certainly one to watch in North London this weekend.

Behind the 25-year-old are four players tied on £40,000 per week in the form of Alex McCarthy, Mads Roerslev, Jack Stephens and Cameron Archer, whilst the highly coveted Leo Scienza only earns half of said figure.

Manchester City's wage bill for the 2025/26 season ahead of Southampton showdown

Unsurprisingly, the two clubs' wage bills are beyond comparison, with Man City's ownership group able to pay out an ESTIMATED weekly bill of £4,532,300 on player earnings.

It will also come as very little surprise to learn that Norwegian goalscorer extraordinaire, Erling Haaland, is their highest-paid player with a figure of £525,000 per week, with Saints' entire wage bill less than £100,000 more in costs.

The 25-year-old has been a revelation for the Blues, scoring over 30 goals this season already, with three of those coming in the FA Cup, as he netted a hat-trick in the 4-0 rout over Liverpool in the quarter-final.

The second-highest earner at the Etihad is classy midfield operator, Bernardo Silva, who takes home a pay packet of £300,000 per week, although he will only be doing so until June 30th, after it was announced the Portuguese will exit the club at the end of the season alongside England international, John Stones, when their respective contracts expire.

As if it wasn't already known, this demonstrates that the odds will firmly be stacked in favour of Guardiola's side, but they certainly will not underestimate Southampton after their stellar performance against the Gunners on April 4th.