How Derby County's wage bill compares to the rest of the Championship | OneFootball

The Rams' return to the Championship has been a bit of a mixed bag, and FLW has taken a look at how much they pay their squad to their rivals.

Derby County returned to the Championship at the second time of asking at the end of last season after two years in League One following a relegation from the second tier linked to major financial troubles.

Paul Warne inspired his team to promotion in 2023/24, finishing second in the third tier behind Portsmouth, and his side have started the new campaign in a fairly hit-and-miss manner.

Nevertheless, supporters have backed their team in droves in the opening months, averaging just shy of 30,000 fans at Pride Park over the course of their first games at Pride Park this season.

It was a huge summer for Warne and Derby's owner, David Clowes, as they set about improving the squad ready for the challenge that the Championship was going to bring, adding more firepower up front, more technical players in midfield, and a brand-new goalkeeper.

All these additions have come at a price, especially to the wage bill, and Football League World has taken a look at how the Rams' weekly payouts to their players compare to the rest of the division.

Derby County's wage bill is on the lower side in the Championship

As is probably expected after coming up from a lower division, Derby's wage bill is relatively small compared to some of their rivals, and according to Capology's estimations, the East Midlands club have the 16th-highest payroll in the Championship.

It must be stressed that this is an estimation, and the likes of loan defender Nat Phillips' high weekly wage at Liverpool does skew the result, as it is not known how much of it is being paid by Warne's side.

Nevertheless, it does show that the Rams could find it difficult to compete in the second tier, especially against the likes of Leeds United, who are believed to have the highest weekly wage bill of £708,000.

This is nearly three times higher than Derby's, which is estimated to be £235,846. But as previously stated, Phillips' £65,000-a-week payout does have a huge impact on the Rams' figure, if Capology's calculations are close to being correct.

Preston North End and Blackburn Rovers sit either side of the Rams in the wage table, with all three clubs relatively close in payouts to their players.

Derby have the highest wage bill out of the three promoted clubs

Although they sit relatively low in this particular table, compared to their fellow promoted sides, Portsmouth and Oxford United, Derby are paying their squad more in wages.

The U's £211,115 weekly outgoings puts them 21st, just above QPR, while Pompey are estimated to have the lowest wage bill in the Championship at just £138,500 - nearly £50,000 lower than their closest rival, Plymouth Argyle.

For context, in terms of Capology's approximations, if the Rams' wage bill increased by £50,000 they would climb four places in the table, above Hull City, into 11th.

It is clear that the three clubs that have recently come up from League One are behind financially compared to those towards the top of the Championship at the moment. Survival in the league is the main target for the trio at this point, including Derby, and anything extra is a bonus.

Clowes may increase his side's wage bill in the January window as he looks to allow Warne the chance to strengthen his squad and give the East Midlands club a strong chance of staying in the second tier.