How West Ham's wage bill compares to Burnley and Wolves as Championship looms | OneFootball

Football League World checks out the estimated wage bill at West Ham, and how it stands up to their fellow relegated counterparts

Despite doing everything they could to escape relegation on the final day, West Ham's 14-year stay in the Premier League came to a close over the bank holiday weekend.

The Hammers dispatched Leeds United 3-0 at the London Stadium to move onto 39 points for the season, but Tottenham Hotspur's simultaneous victory over Everton kept Nuno Espirito Santo's side in the bottom three.

Now, West Ham are gearing up for a Championship return, having spent the last 14 years improving the club's standing off the field, moving into the 62,500-capacity London Stadium, and increasing the wage budget to try to compete regularly with the big hitters of the Premier League.

It was only two seasons ago that the Hammers made the quarter-finals of the Europa League, one year after winning the Conference League, so it's expected that their wage bill reflected that.

Football League World has taken a look at Capology's estimates to see how much more West Ham was spending on wages compared to Wolves and Burnley, their fellow relegated counterparts.

West Ham's estimated wage bill in 2025/26 compared to Wolves and Burnley

According to Capology's estimates, West Ham were said to have the 13th-largest wage bill in the Premier League last season, with the Hammers shelling out £1,428,600 per week to cover everyone in their squad.

The estimated highest-paid player at the London Stadium this past year was, unsurprisingly, Jarrod Bowen, who was said to be earning £150,000 per week. Alphonse Areola (£120,000 p/w) and Max Kilman (£100,000) round out the triple-figure trio at the London Stadium.

Marquee January signing, Taty Castellanos, was said to be earning £75,000 per week, and fellow mid-season arrival was estimated to be on £70,000 weekly, outlining their clear attempts to stage an escape in the second half of the campaign.

Given West Ham's long-standing in the Premier League, their weekly wage bill was estimated to be the highest out of the three relegated sides this season, albeit only by a little bit, as Wolves also had European experience during their eight-year stint in the top-flight.

Wolves were said to be spending £1,340,250 per week, which ranked 14th in the Premier League. Meanwhile, Burnley sat at the bottom of the payroll list, per Capology, on £1,068,346.

Rob Edwards' side were said to be paying over £100,000 per week for just one of their players, as Joao Gomes sat on £105,000 p/w, while Burnley's highest earner, Kyle Walker, took home just £75,000 p/w.

West Ham will need to work the hardest to reduce their wage bill ahead of the new Championship campaign

All three sides were estimated to be spending more than anyone in the Championship this past season, which is a given. And, while certain relegation clauses will automatically reduce the wage bill, more work will need to be done to offset losses, especially at West Ham.

TalkSPORT have already reported that, according to football finance expert Kieran Maguire, the Hammers are in for a "very challenging" period financially, due to money they owe elsewhere and the debts they've racked up over the past few years, mixed in with the lower revenue they'll receive in the Championship.

Reducing the wage bill will be near the top of that list, though, to avoid a similar repeat to Leicester City, who broke financial rules in their promotion year out of the Championship back in the 2023/24 campaign, even with losses that year of just £19.4 million. The money they lost in their final Premier League campaigns tipped the scales over the legal limit.

And, while the Hammers are run exactly as the Foxes are, and the new Squad Cost Ratio rules are set to replace the existing Profit and Sustainability ones, which will change things, too, there'll still need to be some care about the finances as the Premier League regulars look to get back to where they feel they belong.