The top 10 EFL Championship clubs with the biggest wage bills (Ranked) | OneFootball

FLW has looked at the 10 sides in the second tier who are paying out the most on wages

Football finance has become a hot topic of discussion in recent times, and clubs in the Championship have, at times, certainly been the root causes of such discourse.

It has been strongly debated that, throughout all levels of the English footballing pyramid, there is a financial disparity, especially when assessing the riches that are on offer to the clubs in the Premier League - particularly to the clubs who have established themselves within the top-flight for some time.

Many have argued that this has been a key reason as to why all the last six clubs to win promotion from the second tier have been immediately relegated, albeit the three beforehand - Fulham, AFC Bournemouth and Nottingham Forest - have all consolidated their positions since achieving their respective returns to the elite in 2022.

This season, though, there is the possibility that none of the three sides who are benefiting from parachute payments are to be promoted, with the race for top-flight football, especially through the post-season lottery of the play-offs, as congested as it has ever been at this stage of the season.

Throughout the campaign, though, we have seen plenty of high-profile names complete transfers to some of the country's most-ambitious sides, who, for one reason or another, currently find themselves residing in the Championship.

As such, the financial landscape of the division, as a collective, has changed drastically, with wage bills and the individual earnings collected by players skyrocketing.

With that in mind, Football League World have looked at which 10 of the division's 24 clubs are spending the most on wages, according to ESTIMATED figures from Capology.

10 ? ? Stoke City

Kickstarting this list in 10th place are Stoke City, who have endured a mixed first full campaign under the management of Mark Robins.

Despite being one of many sides in the division with recent Premier League pedigree and strong investment, the Potters haven't come close to ending their exile which has lasted since 2018.

That is also despite the fact the North Staffordshire side currently boast a weekly wage bill of £368,500, which is approximately £5,000 higher than Watford, who missed out on a place in this list as a result.

It is said that City's highest earner at present is experienced centre-back, Ben Gibson, who collects a weekly £35,000 per week wage.

9 ? ? West Bromwich Albion

Not many would have foreseen such a disastrous campaign for West Bromwich Albion, with the Baggies currently at severe risk of being relegated down to League One for the first time since 1993.

It has been well-documented that the club have had to battle with financial limitations in recent times, even following Shilen Patel's takeover of the club two years ago, resulting in the eight-figure sales of Torbjorn Heggem and Tom Fellows in August 2025.

However, the playing squad at The Hawthorns has, unsurprisingly, received criticism for not justifying the wages which some are said to be earning.

As a result, Albion have the ninth-highest wage bill in the league at a figure of £374,000.

8 ? ? Hull City

Meanwhile, Hull City have certainly been the surprise package of the Championship season for the right reasons.

However, that isn't to say that the campaign hasn't been without its challenges for Sergej Jakirovic, whose first season in charge at the MKM Stadium was initially overshadowed by the punishment of a two-window transfer fee restriction due to previously late payments.

Despite those sanctions, the Tigers have recruited smartly in both transfer windows and have earned a potential shot at promotion as a result, although they are still said to have the eighth-highest wage bill in the Championship at a sum of £395,450.

7 ? ? Middlesbrough

Middlesbrough find themselves with the seventh-highest wage bill in the Championship, meaning there is a slight argument to be had that the North East side are overperforming in terms of their current position in the promotion race.

Steve Gibson has continued to back his hometown club over the years, and he will be hoping his loyalty, and that of the supporters on Teesside, is rewarded in the coming weeks.

According to Capology's ESTIMATED figures, the businessman is paying out £400,769 per week on wages to Kim Hellberg's squad, with Newcastle United loanee, Matt Targett, taking up £60,000 of that figure, which is double what the second-highest earner, Luke Ayling, is believed to be earning.

6 ? ? Birmingham City

In sixth are Birmingham City, with the West Midlands side's American investment under the ownership of Knighthead Capital Management being extremely well-documented.

Ever since Tom Wagner's takeover at St. Andrew's @ Knighthead Park, Blues have been on a mission to regain their Premier League status for the first time since 2011, and that has seen them break their own transfer spend on England youth international, Jay Stansfield.

Birmingham were lower down on this ranking before an extremely active winter transfer window, but have since moved into the top six for wage bills as a result of January recruit, Carlos Vicente, reportedly earning £50,000 per week in B9, which takes up the largest portion of the club's overall £441,000 payroll.

Vicente's aforementioned wage also overtook the previously highest salary of Japanese forward, Kyogo Furuhashi, who is said to be on £40,000 per week despite his disappointing first season at the club.

5 ? ? Norwich City

In fifth spot are Norwich City, with the East Anglian side said to be spending an overall figure of £478,808 on weekly wages at Carrow Road.

Despite the club's recent stature as two-time Championship winners within the past decade, it has been a season of mixed fortunes and inconsistency for the Canaries this time around.

Despite their aforementioned wage spend, the Yellows were in danger of suffering a first relegation to League One since 2010 under the management of Liam Manning in the season's early weeks, before the appointment of ex-Rangers and AS Monaco boss, Philippe Clement.

The Belgian has been able to oversee a relative upturn in results and performance levels, and will hope his team can push towards the play-offs next season in his first full campaign, which would justify the club's placement on this financial ranking.

The first side to feature on this list who were in last season's Premier League are the division's other East Anglian outfit, Ipswich Town.

The Tractor Boys' stacked squad and the reputation of manager, Kieran McKenna, meant they entered the campaign as many people's pick for the title, although that particular ship might just have sailed at this moment in time.

Regardless, Town, who broke the division's all-time transfer fee for the £17.5m acquisition of Sindre Walle Egeli in the summer, are said to have the Championship's fourth-highest wage bill - £569,500.

3 ? ? Southampton

In third are fellow newly-relegated side, Southampton.

The Saints saw plenty of high-profile names and big earners exit the club on permanent or loan deals in the summer following a dismal 12-point season in the Premier League, but that hasn't majorly impacted their financial status in comparison to several current Championship rivals.

The club has endured an inconsistent season under Will Still and current boss, Tonda Eckert, and some would argue that it hasn't justified a collective wage payout of £606,500 at St. Mary's.

After his £12m switch from Middlesbrough in August, it is said that Finn Azaz is the club's highest earner on £50,000 per week.

2 ? ? Sheffield United

In second place are last season's play-off finalists, Sheffield United.

Once again, the Blades are amongst a clutch of sides currently fighting it out for a play-off place in the final weeks of the season, having started it in dire straits with six successive losses in all competitions under Ruben Selles.

Since then, Chris Wilder has been reappointed for a third time and added some much-needed stability at Bramall Lane under the ownership of COH Sports.

Capology ESTIMATES that United's current wage bill stands at a weekly figure of £606,750. However, it could also be slightly less, as this figure still includes Ben Godfrey's previous loan wage, with the defender's temporary switch from Atalanta being cancelled in December.

It has been well-documented that Leicester City's financial position is far from secure at present, although the Foxes are still said to have the Championship's highest wage bill of £822,500.

Leicester had been walking a tightrope when it came to finances for some time, until, in February 2026, the East Midlands side were hit with an initial six-point deduction by the EFL for breaching the governing body's financial regulations.

Despite the fact many have argued that the sanction was too lenient, the club have appealed the deduction, although they are also in significant danger of suffering back-to-back relegations.

The club also have the highest individual earner in the division in the form of Harry Winks, who is believed to collect £90,000 per week at the King Power Stadium.