Top 7 highest paid Southampton FC players in 2026/27 | OneFootball

FLW has looked at those who are at the top of Dragan Solak's St Mary's payroll

Southampton have begun their preparations for the 2026/27 Championship season, which gets underway in one month against Watford at Vicarage Road.

However, it is fair to say that it hasn't been an ordinary off-season for the South Coast club, who were relegated from the Premier League at the end of the 2024/25 campaign.

Saints' first term back in the Championship began in disastrous fashion under Will Still, before Tonda Eckert was able to oversee a remarkable upsurge in results, which, ultimately, counted for very little as the club were expelled from last season's play-off final and given a four-point deduction for the new season after the Spygate scandal.

There has been plenty of chatter as to whether Eckert should be given the chance to oversee his first full term, but the German was captured in pre-season training last week, which perhaps hints at where his future lies.

Although the club didn't earn a first-time promotion last season, their finances are still significantly greater than many divisional rivals, and FLW have looked at the seven-highest earners at St Mary's, as per ESTIMATED figures from Capology.

7 ? ? Ben Brereton-Diaz

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Kickstarting this list is Chilean international forward, Ben Brereton-Diaz, who has been permanently contracted to Southampton for three seasons now after a £7m move from Villarreal in 2024.

At 27 years of age, Brereton-Diaz now has extensive experience of Championship football under his belt, even though none of those outings have come for Saints.

Indeed, he spent last season on loan with divisional rivals, Derby County, scoring eight times in 41 appearances, but is said to be earning £35,000 per week in Hampshire.

6 ? ? Mads Roerslev

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In sixth is Danish right-back, Mads Roerslev, who signed a four-year contract from Brentford last August, before enduring a campaign of mixed fortunes on an individual level.

The 27-year-old started in five of his nine Championship appearances last term, all but two of which came before Still's dismissal in early November.

However, he then suffered the misfortune of a serious achilles injury, which saw him miss the remainder of the campaign, despite still collecting a weekly pay packet of £40,000.

5 ? ? Jack Stephens

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Club captain, Jack Stephens, is also said to be collecting a weekly wage of £40,000, with his last contract extension being signed 12 months ago, keeping him at St Mary's until the summer of 2028.

Over his career, the 32-year-old has made over 230 appearances in all competitions for Southampton, scoring nine times, and has been able to form a strong defensive partnership, in particular, with one-time England international, Taylor Harwood-Bellis, within the past three years.

4 ? ? Yukinari Sugawara

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Yukinari Sugawara is also believed to be on a weekly wage of £40,000, although it remains to be seen how much longer the Japanese defender will be on Dragan Solak's payroll.

Indeed, the full-back was signed for £6m from Dutch side, AZ Alkmaar, two summers ago, featuring 35 times for Southampton across all competitions thus far.

However, after spending last season on loan with Werder Bremen, the Bundesliga side opted not to activate the option-to-buy clause which was inserted in the deal, but it is still anticipated that the 26-year-old, who was a part of Japan's World Cup squad, will leave the club.

3 ? ? Cameron Archer

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Cameron Archer is the final Saints player reportedly earning £40,000 per week, but the striker has also been the subject of recent exit talk.

The 24-year-old was acquired from Aston Villa for £15m after promotion to the Premier League was secured under Russell Martin, but it is fair to say that such a price-tag hasn't been justified yet.

Last season, Archer was used sporadically despite an overall number of 30 league appearances, scoring just four times and posting three assists.

Despite the fact Eckert looks like he will have to reshuffle his attacking department, Archer was also recently linked with a move to West Bromwich Albion.

2 ? ? Finn Azaz

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The second-highest earner in Eckert's squad is Irish playmaker, Finn Azaz, who signed from eventual Spygate rivals, Middlesbrough, for £12m in August 2025.

Although the campaign ended in well-documented controversy for Saints, the former Aston Villa man was essential to their initial rise up the Championship table and run to the FA Cup semi-final, where he scored a stunning opener against Manchester City.

The 25-year-old played 49 times in all competitions last season, with 10 and seven of his combined Championship goals and assist count coming for the South Coast side, where he is believed to earn a £50,000 per week salary.

1 ? ? Aaron Ramsdale

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However, Aaron Ramsdale is the highest earner in the squad by some distance on £120,000 per week, and it is no real surprise that the goalkeeper has been heavily linked with a departure this summer.

Saints have already re-signed Daniel Peretz on a permanent basis from Bayern Munich, but Ramsdale, for now, has returned from his loan spell at Newcastle United, who didn't exercise an option-to-buy the 28-year-old, who made just 23 appearances under Eddie Howe in all competitions.