How much Will Hughes earns at Crystal Palace as John Eustace makes cheeky Derby County claim | OneFootball

FLW reveals how much Will Hughes earns at Selhurst Park amid hope the midfielder makes a return to Pride Park.

While Derby County have their sights set on a play-off place come the end of the season, a cheeky claim from boss John Eustace has got Rams supporters talking.

Their 2-1 home victory over League One-bound Sheffield Wednesday at Pride Park last weekend cemented the Rams’ involvement in the race for the top six, as strikes from Ben Brereton Diaz and Matt Clarke made it back-to-back victories in the second tier.

And the Derby team managed to secure a win in front of massive Derby fan, and Crystal Palace midfielder Will Hughes, who had his weekend freed up given the Eagles weren’t in FA Cup action.

He will undoubtedly be delighted to see the Rams doing so well this Championship term and will be hopeful that they can go all the way to secure their place back in the top-flight.

The 30-year-old came through the youth ranks at Derby and signed a professional contract at Pride Park in 2011, making 187 first-team appearances across six seasons and sharing the pitch with Eustace when making a name for himself in black and white.

A four-year stint at Vicarage Road with Watford then led him to Crystal Palace, where he has tasted FA Cup glory and playing regularly throughout their UEFA Conference League campaign.

Hughes will enter the final year of his deal at Selhurst Park in the summer, so some connected with Derby may want to see the club try to explore a deal to bring him back to the East Midlands.

And speaking to Rams TV, Derby boss John Eustace admitted that he met up with Hughes for a catch-up on the day of the game, making a jibe that he had tried to convince him to join Derby ahead of next season.

Eustace said: “I had a good half an hour trying to sign him for next season. No, it was great to see Hughesy and listen, I know he’s a huge Derby fan and I obviously had the pleasure and privilege to play with him when he was coming through.

“He’s a top performer, and I’m delighted he came, brought his family to watch the game, and we could get a victory for him.”

While it was a tongue-and-cheek response, there will be part of Eustace who will be hopeful that a deal can materalise in the future, and it could well become a reality if Derby can seal their place back in the Premier League for the first time since 2008.

With this in mind, FLW delves into how much Will Hughes earns at Crystal Palace amid a possible return to Derby.

We must stress that all salaries mentioned are ESTIMATES made by Capology.

How much Will Hughes earns at Crystal Palace

Will Hughes has been an established Premier League player since making his move to Crystal Palace, featuring regularly in the top-flight for a fifth consecutive season.

A reliable and hard-working player in the engine room, Hughes has been important when Palace’s options have been stretched due to such relentless schedules, as well as adding much-needed experience to some of the younger players in the group.

His longevity at Palace sees him come in as a high earner at Selhurst Park, with Capology estimating that the midfielder earns £60,000 a week.

That makes him the joint ninth-highest earner at the club, with Jean-Philippe Mateta, Yeremi Pino and Daniel Munoz all sharing the same wage.

Jefferson Lerma, Cheick Doucoure, Ismaila Sarr, Eddie Nketiah, Dean Henderson, Daichi Kamada, Brennan Johnson and Jorgen Strand Larsen are the only players to earn more than Hughes in the Palace squad.

With a weekly salary of £60,000, Hughes earns a base annual total of £3.12m, while £780,000 in added bonuses takes his full yearly amount to £3.9m.

Derby County could only strike Will Hughes deal in the Premier League

It’s no surprise to see Will Hughes earn a very decent wage, particularly when he has been so consistent in remaining at the top level and being available whenever he needs to be called upon.

When looking at Derby’s current wages, as per Capology, their two highest-paid players are believed to be Sammie Szmodics and Ben Brereton Diaz, both on £25,000 a week, so you feel for the club to afford a £60,000 a week salary like Hughes', that would only come from a financial surge that promotion to the Premier League would bring.

Hughes will also be keen to play in the top-flight for as long as possible, and given that he is still having an impact there today, a move to Derby would only come about if they’re part of the 20 top-flight teams next season.

Of course, if Hughes was set on returning to Derby soon and be a part of Eustace’s plans, he could take a pay cut, but his own personal goals may not see him return until the very latter stages of his career, should Derby a remain a Championship outfit by then.

So if Derby can go on to seal promotion back to the big time this term, you feel Hughes would be high on the shortlist to bring back and help bolster their midfield options.