Top 20 best paid EFL Championship players in 2026/27 | OneFootball

Football League World looks at who Capology is estimating to be the highest-paid players in the Championship in 2026/27

Every year, the average weekly wage of Championship players increases, but this season may see the highest wage bills ever seen in the second tier.

The 2025/26 campaign saw two established Premier League sides succumb to relegation. Both West Ham United and Wolves had a European pedigree before last season, too, so they were able to pay their players similarly to how competitive top-flight sides do.

Ultimately, a lot of this list will be dominated by Wolves and West Ham, as they navigate their first off-season as Championship clubs for some time.

Wages will need to be reduced, and certain players will be earmarked for top-flight moves, but for the time being, here is who Capology estimates to be the 20 highest-paid players in the second tier heading into the 2026/27 campaign.

20 ? ? Maxwel Cornet - £65,000 p/w

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Kicking off the list is West Ham's forgotten winger, Maxwel Cornet.

The 29-year-old is heading into his fifth campaign under contract at the London Stadium, but hasn't played for the Hammers in over two years, and has only made 35 appearances across the last three seasons, including loan spells at Southampton and Genoa.

Cornet is still estimated to be earning £65,000 per week at West Ham, but time will tell whether he'll be one of the players that Nuno Espirito Santo looks to offload permanently between now and September 1.

19 ? ? Adam Armstrong - £65,000 p/w

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One of Wolves' recent additions, and one of the most potent goalscorers in recent Championship history, Adam Armstrong, is next up on the list.

The Old Gold brought the 29-year-old to Molineux in January from Southampton, which some critics felt was another step towards preparing for life in the Championship in 2026/27. In doing so, they gave him an estimated £65,000 per week contract.

Armstrong has netted 91 times in the second tier throughout his career, and will be looking to become the eighth player to join the 100 club next season.

18 ? ? Jackson Tchatchoua - £65,000 p/w

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Cameroon international Jackson Tchatchoua didn't have the best debut campaign at Wolves last season, after arriving from Verona for £10.8 million last summer.

The 24-year-old was Serie A's fastest player during the 2024/25 season, but didn't adapt quickly enough to the Premier League, and didn't do much to cover himself in glory despite their relegation to warrant the estimated £65,000 per week he was earning.

The Telegraph have reported this summer that Tchatchoua could be one of the many departures we'll see from Molineux before the window closes, but for now, he sits 18th on this list.

17 ? ? Andre - £65,000 p/w

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One player who will be sticking around at Wolves ahead of the upcoming Championship campaign is Andre, who signed a new contract with the Old Gold this summer. Capology estimates that, too, to be £65,000 per week.

With him being one of the few shining lights in a poor team last season in the Premier League, there'll be some hope and expectation that the 24-year-old defensive midfielder can be amongst the better second-tier engine room operators in 2026/27.

16 ? ? Hwang Hee-Chan - £70,000 p/w

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Hwang Hee-Chan has endured a tumultuous five years at Wolves following his arrival from RB Leipzig in 2021.

The 12-goal campaign he recorded in the 2023/24 term seems a long time ago now, and the 30-year-old will be one of the many players considering their options at Molineux as the Old Gold prepares for a Championship season.

There are still a couple of years remaining on his contract, so Wolves are in no hurry to sell immediately, but with an estimated £70,000 per week deal and the likes of Armstrong and Raul Jimenez on the books, perhaps the frontman may be nearing the exit door this summer.

15 ? ? Marshall Munetsi - £70,000 p/w

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A departure for Marshall Munetsi seems a little more straightforward, though, as the 30-year-old, who is also estimated to be on £70,000 per week at Wolves, struggled massively in the one year he's spent at Molineux.

The midfielder was an exciting addition in January 2025 after scoring 20 times in three-and-a-half years in Ligue 1 with Stade Reims, but this past January, he was loaned out back to France, spending the latter half of the campaign at Paris FC.

He'd net four times in 15 outings for the Parisians, showcasing that his talents are best seen in France. Surely, he doesn't stick around in the Championship, especially with such a high salary.

14 ? ? Kyle Walker - £75,000 p/w

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The first Burnley representation on this list is veteran defender Kyle Walker, and given his resume, it's not a surprise that the Clarets were happy to make him their highest earner when they signed him on a two-year deal last summer.

The 36-year-old has won the Premier League six times, the FA Cup twice and the Champions League, too, all while at Manchester City.

And, despite his age, he'll definitely be among the better full-backs in the Championship, if Burnley can keep their hands on him this summer.

13 ? ? Jean-Ricner Bellegarde - £75,000 p/w

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Back to Wolves again, and Jean-Ricner Bellegarde hasn't been able to find the form that earned him a £12.8 million move from Strasbourg in the three years he's spent at Molineux thus far.

He made just 15 starts last season, registering one goal and one assist before going on to start every game for Haiti in the World Cup this summer.

Bellegarde's top-flight pedigree could make him a great midfielder at Championship level, but it is unknown whether the 28-year-old would prefer to continue that pedigree, instead of playing in the second tier for a year.

12 ? ? Taty Castellanos - £75,000 p/w

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Taty Castellanos seemed to buck the trend somewhat of multi-million pound West Ham strikers being incredible disappointments, after he scored six times in 18 league outings after arriving from Lazio in January, and his involvement coincided with the team's form improving.

The two-time Argentinian international is someone that West Ham owner Daniel Kretinsky wants to keep at the London Stadium this summer, but he'll definitely face a struggle, as you'd imagine some top-flight sides wouldn't mind bringing the frontman in.

Right now, Castellanos is estimated to be earning £75,000 per week, and that may have to be maintained if he's set to stick around for a second-tier campaign.

11 ? ? Tolu Arokodare - £75,000 p/w

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Tolu Arokodare didn't exactly cover himself in too much glory in his first season at Wolves following a Golden Boot-winning campaign in the 2024/25 Belgian Pro League with Genk.

He netted three times in 33 Premier League games en route to relegation, which hasn't led new manager Cesar Peixoto to favour him, and recent reports have stated that he had to cancel training on Monday 20 July because the frontman wouldn't leave the pitch.

Arokodare is estimated to be on £75,000 per week, but it surely won't be long before those hefty wages are off the books at Molineux.