Burnley's highest-paid players vs Blackburn Rovers' top earners in 2026 | OneFootball

Comparing the top earners at Blackburn and Burnley as they look set to renew their rivalry next season

Burnley’s relegation to the Championship means that they will reignite their bitter rivalry with Blackburn Rovers in 2026/27.

The Clarets finished 19th in the Premier League, which led to Scott Parker departing as manager after being unable to keep the club in the division.

Nicky Hayen has been appointed as his successor, and the Lancashire outfit will be targeting promotion at the first attempt in the coming campaign.

But their most important fixtures go beyond their promotion aims, as they will be targeting two wins against Rovers, who finished 20th in the table last season.

Burnley will host the first Lancashire derby of the campaign in November, before the reverse fixture at Ewood Park in February.

Here we use estimated figures from Capology to compare the wages earned by both clubs’ top earners in 2026/27…

Burnley’s highest paid players

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Burnley have come down to the Championship with a total wage bill worth around £976,000 per week.

The Clarets rank third for their total wage spending of the 24 teams in the division for the upcoming campaign, behind fellow relegated sides West Ham and Wolves.

The gap between Burnley in third and Southampton in fourth is over £200,000 per week for their total squads.

And the highest paid player in Hayen’s side is Kyle Walker, who joined the club last summer after his exit from Manchester City.

The defender receives £75,000 per week from the Lancashire outfit, with Josh Cullen in second on £55,000-a-week, although the midfielder is currently absent through injury.

Maxime Esteve and Marcus Edwards both earn £50,000 per week, but the defender is closing in on a move to RB Leipzig, meaning the Clarets will net a big saving on their wage bill with his exit.

The centre-back is making the move to the German side in a deal worth €32 (£27.1) million following Burnley’s relegation.

Blackburn Rovers’ best paid players

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Tony Mowbray is back in the dugout at Blackburn after returning as their head coach over the summer.

The 62-year-old departed in 2022 after narrowly missing out on a play-off place, with his contract expiring at the time.

But he will be targeting an improvement on their 20th place finish in the table in 2025/26, with Michael O’Neill guiding the team to safety.

Rovers’ total wage bill amounts to £277,500 per week, which is significantly lower than their Lancashire rivals.

Todd Cantwell is their highest paid player, with the forward receiving £30,000 per week, which is less than half of Walker’s salary.

Other highly paid players include Sean McLoughlin, Oladapo Afolayan, Augusts Kargbo, Yuki Ohashi and Harry Pickering, with the quintet all earning £15,000-a-week.

Blackburn will have to make up for this financial disadvantage somehow if they are to compete with Burnley next season.

Otherwise, they are at risk of remaining behind their rivals, with their last victory over the Clarets coming on 28 March 2010 in a Premier League clash.