Football League World
·23 September 2023
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·23 September 2023
Plymouth Argyle's promotion from League One to the Championship last season with 101 points is undoubtedly one of the success stories of the last decade in the English Football League, with a return to the second tier after 14 years becoming a true fairytale story for Steven Schumacher and his players.
In a tough league that boasted the likes of Ipswich Town, Sheffield Wednesday, Barnsley and Bolton Wanderers, the Pilgrims finished top of the tree to secure a second tier place despite the odds being stacked massively against them.
Striker Ryan Hardie was a massive part of that, with his 13 league goals being key to their success as they clinched the title on the final day of the season. But how much does he earn per year in the South West? Football League World takes a look at the numbers involved.
According to Capology, they estimate that Ryan Hardie is on an annual salary of £260,000 - which works out at £ 5,000 per week.
Having signed a new deal in May after being a key part of their promotion to the second tier, Hardie’s contract runs on until 2026 - meaning he has around £780,000 to pick up from the Home Park side before his contract either expires or is up for renewal.
Hardie is one of the top earners at the club.
Schumacher’s side earning promotion last season will have seen some wage increases across the board, though their wages still seem comparatively tiny in comparison with other Championship clubs.
The highest earner is thought to be Luke Cundle, who is on loan from Wolves having made his Premier League debut two seasons ago - and the 21-year-old has already scored in Plymouth colours with a lob against Blackburn before the international break. At £11,500 per week, he’s by far and away the highest-earning Pilgrims player - more than double the next highest earner, which incidentally is Hardie - but it is unclear how much of his wages Argyle are paying.
Other high earners at the club include Jordan Houghton, Dan Scarr, Macaulay Gillesphey, and Michael Cooper, who range between £4,000 and £3,500 respectively.
If Hardie keeps producing the goods for Plymouth Argyle this season, then he'll absolutely be worth his annual salary.
The former Rangers man bagged 16 and 13 goals in his previous two League One campaigns respectively, but with five goals already this campaign and with Niall Ennis having departed for Blackburn Rovers on a free transfer in the summer, there is no doubt that Hardie is the first-choice striker at Home Park.
He’s the joint top-scorer in the division alongside esteemed company in Sunderland’s Jack Clarke and Coventry’s Matt Godden, all whilst boasting the lowest ‘minutes to goals’ ratio of the trio.
Even by looking at those stats, it is clear to see that if he does fire the Devonshire side to safety - which looks like it could be a real prospect at the moment - then it will be a no-brainer to have him as the second-highest earner in the squad.
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