How much Southampton FC will save on Will Smallbone’s wages if he departs | OneFootball

Will Smallbone has been linked with a move away from Southampton this summer

Southampton have set an £8 million asking price for midfielder Will Smallbone this summer as they look to offload the Irishman.

It has been exclusively revealed by FLW that the Saints are hoping to cash in on the 25-year-old before the transfer market shuts on 1 September.

Smallbone came through the academy system at St. Mary’s, but has struggled for consistent game time over the years.

He featured 18 times in the Premier League last season, including only six starts, and has previously been sent out on loan to Stoke City.

Here we use estimated figures from Capology to see how much Southampton could save from the wage bill if he was sold this month.

Will Smallbone’s wages

Smallbone’s most recent contract with Southampton was signed in August 2023, keeping him at the club until the summer of 2026.

The Saints are now at risk of losing him for nothing next year unless they can generate interest in him this month and agree to a sale.

The latest deal Smallbone signed earned him a weekly pay worth £25,000 per week from the Hampshire outfit.

In total, this will be worth £1.3 million per year to the Saints, which could open up space for another player to take his place in the squad if he was sold.

It remains to be seen whether anyone would be willing to pay the £8 million to sign him, let alone also pay his current level of salary on top of that.

But Southampton will be keen on a permanent deal because the player is in the final year of his contract.

While he played a role in the team’s promotion to the Premier League under Russell Martin, contributing six goals and three assists from 43 appearances, it’s unlikely he will have a role to play in Will Still’s squad.

Smallbone did not play in the Saints’ opening game against Wrexham last weekend, which the club won 2-1 thanks to goals from Ryan Manning and Jack Stephens.

Southampton’s highest paid players

Smallbone’s £25,000 per week contract could be quite sizable for many of the clubs in the Championship that could take an interest in signing him.

However, his salary in relation to his Southampton teammates is not too big, with his wages sitting in the middle of the road.

The highest earner is currently Aaron Ramsale, although the goalkeeper is on loan with Newcastle United for this season and will be having a chunk of his hefty wage picked up by the Champions League side. The 27-year-old is earning £120,000 per week, which is almost double the next best-paid player in the Saints’ squad.

Joe Aribo is next on the list, with the Nigerian receiving £70,000-a-week from the Championship side.

Rounding out the top five biggest salaries in Still’s squad are Adam Armstrong (£60,000 per week), Yukinari Sugawara (£40,000) and Alex McCarthy (£40,000).

A number of other players are also earning £40,000 per week, which includes Cameron Archer, Ryan Fraser and the aforementioned Stephens.

Smallbone’s potential departure wouldn’t make too big of a dent in Southampton’s wage bill, but it is big enough that getting it off the books would be a good bit of business to end the summer window.