Football League World
·3 November 2024
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·3 November 2024
The right back swapped South Yorkshire for West this season, but did money influence the move?
With Premier League experience, and almost 200 matches under his belt at just 24-years-old, Leeds United's acquisition of Jayden Bogle this summer was seen as something of a coup.
Arriving from Sheffield United, where he had spent the last four seasons, the move was perhaps a controversial one for Blades fans. They would be offloading one of their most valuable assets to not only geographical rivals, but presumably promotion rivals also.
The transfer, initially an undisclosed fee but now widely believed to be in the region of £5m, fell short of SUFC's reported £7m valuation.
As the two teams share similarly forecasted fortunes in the second-tier this season, just what was Bogle's incentive for swapping South Yorkshire for West? Unsurprisingly, the answer appears to be financially motivated.
The Berkshire-born defender started his professional career at Derby County, where he played for two full seasons, including a start in the 2018-19 play-off final against Aston Villa.
Having thrived in a young and talented Rams squad, honing both his attacking and defensive instincts under the tutelage of international-class midfielders such as Frank Lampard and Philip Cocu, Bogle joined newly promoted Sheffield United in September 2020 for a deal worth around £3.5m.
In his four campaigns at Bramall Lane, Bogle would play just 88 of a possible 168 league matches, largely due to recurring knee problems. Despite this, he scored twelve goals for the Blades, securing 20 clean sheets.
After a fairly lengthy process, Bogle joined the Whites on a four-year deal on July 20th 2024, and was immediately made to be a first-team starter.
According to estimates compiled by Capology, Jayden Bogle is receiving £30,000 per week at Elland Road.
This figure is believed to make him the joint 10th highest paid player at his new club, to be expected as a defensive first-team starter. For comparison, striker Patrick Bamford is expected to be earning the most of his teammates, around £70,000 per week estimated.
At Sheffield United, Bogle was earning a reported £20,000 per week in 2023-24, joint 15th among his peers.
Despite Sheffield United and Leeds' relative equality on paper, the financial muscle of Daniel Farke's side does appear to dwarf their cross-Yorkshire rivals. In 2023-24, despite Leeds playing in the division below, their wage bill was estimated to have eclipsed the Blades' by around £7m.
Now, both in the same league, their disparity in annual wage spend is believed to be in the region of £14m. Sheffield United massively reduced costs this summer, with Bogle's sale being a part of that pursuit, but with both teams very much part of the promotion conversation, the former Derby man could come to regret his lucrative move to Elland Road, from a sporting aspect at least, if it's the Blades who come out on top of the promotion tussle.