West Ham's 7 highest paid players as EFL Championship beckons | OneFootball

FLW takes a look at who the top seven highest-earners at West Ham are ahead of their Championship return

West Ham's 14-year stay in the Premier League came to an end this past season, and over that time, the Hammers have been able to build a squad filled with high-earning stars.

Their ventures into the UEFA Europa League over the past 14 seasons and their Conference League win just three years ago have allowed West Ham to attract some top talent.

Understandably, these stars are on big wages, but their recent demotion to the Championship has reportedly resulted in those wages being halved. That is, if they decide to stick around and help the Hammers return to the Premier League.

Even with that reduction, there are still plenty of players under contract at West Ham who, if they stay at the London Stadium, will be among the top earners in the Championship. According to Capology's estimates, here are the top seven highest-paid players at the club with those deductions.

7 ? ? Taty Castellanos - £37,500 p/w

Kicking off the list is one of West Ham's more recent recruits, as Taty Castellanos was brought to the club in the early stages of the January transfer window to try and pull the Hammers out of the relegation zone.

West Ham spent £26.1 million to take him to East London from Serie A side Lazio, and handed him a contract worth an estimated £75,000 per week, which has now been halved to £37,500 following their relegation.

The results at the London Stadium did improve with the Argentine leading the line, with seven of West Ham's 10 Premier League wins this past season coming with him in the side.

Unfortunately, his influence and the six league goals he scored weren't enough to stop Nuno Espirito Santo's side from dropping into the Championship, and it'll be a surprise if the 27-year-old remains at the club past this summer.

6 ? ? Jean-Clair Todibo - £40,000 p/w

Jean-Clair Todibo was a staple of the Nice squad in Ligue 1 for three seasons and was a prime example of a seasoned top-flight player when he made the switch to West Ham initially on loan, and then permanently last summer.

The 26-year-old former Barcelona centre-back was handed an estimated £80,000 per week contract, which sits at £40,000 after the reductions. Still a top-15 wage in the second tier, compared to last season's estimates, but it'll be shocking if he sticks around.

Indeed, Todibo and Nuno were involved in an argument following the penultimate game of the campaign, where the centre-back was taken off inside 25 minutes after going 2-0 down against Newcastle United.

The Frenchman reportedly told his boss that he would never play for him again, and he was subsequently left out of the final day win against Leeds United. If Nuno remains in the dugout, Todibo will likely be out the door.

5 ? ? Tomas Soucek - £45,000 p/w

Tomas Soucek has been a fan favourite at West Ham ever since he made the switch from native outfit Slavia Prague in January 2020 on an initial loan, which was made permanent later that July for £19.1 million.

The 31-year-old's current contract, which he extended in January 2024, was worth an estimated £90,000 per week. Now, that's down to £45,000.

With 284 appearances for the Hammers, the Czech midfielder is likely to be one of the few players at the club who may consider sticking around for the upcoming Championship campaign, given the connection he's made with the club.

If he does, you can imagine that the physical midfielder will feel right at home with some of the battles he'll be set to have in the second tier.

4 ? ? Aaron Wan-Bissaka - £45,000 p/w

With the Premier League experience that Aaron Wan-Bissaka has, and the fact that he was on the books at Manchester United for five years before his 2024 switch to West Ham, it's not a surprise to see the 28-year-old as the fourth-highest-paid player at the London Stadium.

Indeed, according to Capology, the £90,000 per week contract that the Hammers gave Wan-Bissaka matched the one he had at Old Trafford. Now, that sits at £45,000 per week, but it surely won't be long until he's back in the top flight.

The right-back has played his entire career in the Premier League, racking up 233 appearances for Crystal Palace, Manchester United and West Ham.

There'll be at least one side keen to bring him back to the top flight, and he'll likely be given a wage hike off the back of it compared to what he is set to be on in the Championship with the Hammers.

3 ? ? Max Kilman - £50,000 p/w

Soccer Football - Premier League - West Ham United v Manchester City - London Stadium, London, Britain - August 31, 2024 Manchester City's Erling Haaland in action with West Ham United's Max Kilman REUTERS/Hannah Mckay EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NO USE WITH UNAUTHORIZED AUDIO, VIDEO, DATA, FIXTURE LISTS, CLUB/LEAGUE LOGOS OR 'LIVE' SERVICES. ONLINE IN-MATCH USE LIMITED TO 120 IMAGES, NO VIDEO EMULATION. NO USE IN BETTING, GAMES OR SINGLE CLUB/LEAGUE/PLAYER PUBLICATIONS. P

Max Kilman lost a lot of supporters during his sophomore year at West Ham. After starting every game in the 2024/25 campaign, a lot of the shortcomings in the opening half of this season were linked to him.

The 27-year-old last started a league game on January 3rd, when the Hammers gave Wolves their first league win of the season on their 20th attempt, and he didn't even make it off the bench in the Premier League from February onwards.

Therefore, it's surely a no-brainer that West Ham looks to get Kilman off the books, as his estimated £100,000 per week contract, which has now been halved to £50,000 per week, isn't set to run out until 2031, as the Hammers gave him a seven-year deal when he first signed.

2 ? ? Alphonse Areola - £60,000 p/w

With over 100 appearances for PSG after coming through their academy, plus a season on loan at Real Madrid, it's no surprise that Alphonse Areola commanded such a large wage when he moved to West Ham on a permanent deal in 2022.

However, it wouldn't be until the 2023/24 campaign that the Frenchman would emerge as the Hammers' number one, spending the previous year, plus his loan spell at the London Stadium the term before, as the cup keeper.

Granted, he was in goal for the run to the Europa League semi-finals and the Conference League victory, but at an estimated £120,000 per week, it seemed a bit steep. That was emphasised when he became the first choice in the Premier League, too.

Areola departs the Premier League with just 19 clean sheets in 119 games and none in 20 league outings in 2025/26, of which he spent the final three months serving as backup to Mads Hermansen.

With a wage of £60,000 per week, even with the reduction, you'd imagine that West Ham would prefer to keep the Dane in goal and look to offload the 33-year-old this summer.

1 ? ? Jarrod Bowen - £75,000 p/w

The man who everyone knows would be clocking in at number one, Jarrod Bowen, is estimated to now be earning £75,000 per week, after his initial £150,000 weekly paycheck was cut following West Ham's relegation.

The 29-year-old will arguably go down in history as a modern-day legend at the London Stadium, with the former Hull City man netting 83 and assisting 65 in 280 Hammers appearances since he moved from East Yorkshire in 2020, the most famous goal coming in the Conference League final three years ago.

Many feel that Bowen has earned his right to continue his Premier League stay, but there'll be some optimistic West Ham fans who hope their captain may stay, due to the relationships he built on and off the field.