The highest paid EFL Championship XI ft Jamie Vardy and Aaron Ramsey | OneFootball

Highlights

Plenty of big teams came down from the Premier League at the end of last season.

Leicester City have won the Premier League and the FA Cup since they were last in the Championship, Southampton had been in the top flight since the 2012/13 campaign and Leeds United have brought some very talented players down with them.

With this in mind, as well as the fact the promoted clubs including Ipswich Town and Sheffield Wednesday have the license to splash out on decent wages considering the attendances they attract, some players in the second tier will be on big wages this season.

Using data from Capology, we bring you the highest-earning starting 11 in the league, based on wage estimations from the website.

For example, Alex McCarthy is the highest-earning keeper in the division but isn't in the top 11 for highest-paid players in the second tier.

GK: Alex McCarthy - £50,000 per week

McCarthy has been stuck behind Gavin Bazunu for much of the campaign - and Joe Lumley is also an option at Russell Martin's disposal.

With this in mind, it would be difficult to see the ex-Reading man secure too many appearances this term unless Bazunu gets injured.

LB: Ricardo Pereira - £80,000 per week

Pereira usually plays on the right-hand side - but has played on the left before and that's why he's on this side in the starting lineup, making room for Mason Holgate on the right.

Considering he was originally brought in as a Premier League player, it's no surprise that Pereira is in the list on a pretty high amount.

It remains to be seen whether a relegation clause has reduced his wage since last term.

CB: Jannik Vestergaard - £70,000 per week

Vestergaard also plies his trade for Leicester and has been an important part of Enzo Maresca's plans.

It was previously unclear whether he would be a key player under the Foxes' current boss, but Maresca is seemingly a big fan of him.

CB: Conor Coady - £75,000 per week

Coady played for England not too long ago and it came as a bit of a surprise when he was prepared to drop down to the second tier to play for Leicester.

We have to note that Capology has only provided their data as estimated wages and not the exact figure - and it would be difficult to see the Foxes giving the defender £75,000 per week in their current division.

However, they did raise a decent amount from the sales of Harvey Barnes and James Maddison.

RB: Mason Holgate - £70,000 per week

Considering Holgate is on loan at Southampton from top-flight side Everton, it's no major surprise that he's estimated to be on that much.

However, it would be difficult to see the Saints paying all of his wages considering his salary is probably pretty high, with that estimate reinforcing that.

But with the south-coast side cashing in on a few key players in the summer, including Romeo Lavia and James Ward-Prowse, they can probably afford to pay a decent chunk of his wages.

CDM: Wilfred Ndidi - £75,000 per week

Ndidi is likely to be an important player for Leicester between now and the end of the season if he stays for the remainder of the 2023/24 campaign.

He has been linked with a move away from the King Power Stadium in recent months but with the midfielder showing his quality at times this term, including against Southampton when he scored, he's surely a player that manager Maresca will want to keep hold of.

The Nigerian starts at the deepest midfield player in a diamond.

CM: Harry Winks - £90,000 per week

Winks is a player who should still be playing in the top flight but with the midfielder not managing to be successful at Tottenham in recent times, he dropped down to the second tier with Leicester in the summer.

Like with Coady, it would be difficult to see him earning £90,000 per week because that's a huge amount and the Foxes have other big wages to pay - but he's probably on a decent salary.

CM: Aaron Ramsey - £80,000 per week

Wales international Ramsey is probably one of the highest-paid players at Cardiff City considering he was such a crucial asset before his injury - but it seems impossible for him to be on £80,000 per week.

Cardiff were under a transfer embargo in the summer and the EFL probably would have stopped them from paying that amount!

However, as previously stated, this is just an estimate and this is why he earns his place on this list.

CAM: Dennis Praet - £75,000 per week

Making just three appearances in all competitions this term, it wouldn't be a surprise to see Praet leave the club during the January transfer window.

Considering he has less than 12 months left on his contract, it would be difficult to see the Foxes generating a huge fee for him but at this point, the club would benefit from just getting him off the wage bill.

They may have sold players in the summer - but their wage bill is still likely to be high.

ST: Kelechi Iheanacho - £80,000 per week

Iheanacho hasn't started every game this summer but you still feel he's likely to be a key player under Maresca for Leicester this season.

Not only is he able to make an impact from the bench - but he can be a real asset from the start too and will score plenty this season if he gets enough game time.

How many minutes he'll get on the pitch this term remains to be seen though. He isn't guaranteed starts and he may need to force his way ahead of Jamie Vardy in the pecking order.

ST: Jamie Vardy - £140,000 per week

On £140,000 per week, Leicester striker Vardy is the highest estimated earner in the division and that isn't a surprise considering the quality he has.

It remains to be seen whether his wage has been reduced since the Foxes' relegation - but he's doing enough to justify a big salary at the moment.

Scoring four goals in 11 competitive appearances this term, he has shown that he can still do it at 36 and it wouldn't be a surprise to see him finish as one of the highest scorers in the second tier at the end of the 2023/24 season.