In the modern game, we’ve become obsessed with transfer fees, wages and wage bills.
It has become more and more popular for fans to have concerns, or perhaps even boast, about the size of their club’s overall wage bill, whether it’s big or small.
And the old cliche ‘size matters’ is believed to be especially true in the beautiful game. The general consensus is that the more a club pays in wages, the better they should be doing on the pitch. That’s because if you want the best players, you’re going to have to be prepared to pay them the best salaries.
Of course, there will always be overachievers and underachievers, but does every club’s yearly Premier League wage bill reflect their success on the pitch?
Let’s find out…
20. Sheffield United – £13.31m
It’s no surprise to see one of the newly promoted sides with the lowest wage bill, with the Blades spending very little on their players’ annual salaries.
Given the start to the season they’ve had, you have to say they’ve been overachieving so far.
19. Norwich City – £13.58m
Another newly-promoted club, Norwich are paying only a bit more on wages than Sheffield United but while Teemu Pukki has been their star so far, they’ve not managed to translate that into real success so far.
With just one win from their opening four games, it remains to be seen wether they can compete with such a low wage bill.
18. Aston Villa – £23.8m
Given the level of Aston Villa’s spending in the transfer window, where they spent over £100m on new recruits, it’s perhaps a surprise to see them so low down in the wage bill rankings.
It’s still quite early to pass much judgment on whether they can compete this season but the early signs have been quite encouraging.
17. Wolves – £32.62m
For a side that finished 7th in the Premier League last season and will be competing in this season’s Europa League group stages, it’s pretty astonishing to see Wolves paying the fourth-lowest annual wage bill in the Premier League.
Given how much they’ve impressed since their return to the top-flight a year ago, you have to say they’ve been overachieving somewhat.
16. Brighton – £36.21m
Brighton finished just above the relegation zone last season but spent quite a bit in the summer on reinforcements in an attempt to avoid another relegation battle.
Given they’re among the lowest spenders in terms of wages in the Premier League, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see them operating in the bottom half of the table again this term.
15. Newcastle United – £37.96m
Newcastle fans would no doubt wish Mike Ashley was spending a lot more on his players, but the Magpies owner did respond to fan protests by splashing the cash in the summer.
The additions of the likes of Joelinton and Allan Saint-Maximin will have no doubt boosted the wage bill somewhat, but Newcastle remain amongst the lowest spenders on wages in the division.
14. Bournemouth – £40.40m
Bournemouth are famously known as one of the biggest overachievers in Premier League history when you consider the budget they’ve had to work with since they arrived in the top-flight in 2015.
Their wage bill will have grown quite a lot since their first season in the Premier League but the fact they’re still among the lowest spenders while not being considered a club who could be relegated is a credit to them and the job Eddie Howe is doing.
13. Burnley – £41.70m
Burnley are another side who operate on a very low budget every season, yet still manage to compete to a good level in the Premier League.
The addition of Danny Drinkwater in the summer, who is rumoured to be on around £100k-a-week, will have boosted their annual wage bill considerably, and they should perform at around the level their wage bill dictates this term.
12. Watford – £45.91m
Watford’s mid-table wage bill is currently not reflective of their performances on the pitch, with the Hornets rock bottom of the Premier League after four games and with just a single point on the board.
They’ve just sacked boss Javi Gracia and will need to improve heavily if they’re to start justifying the £45.91m they’re paying a year on wages.
11. West Ham – £57.46m
West Ham managed to slash their wage bill in the summer quite considerably, with the likes of Javier Hernandez, Andy Carroll and Samir Nasri all leaving the club.
So far this season they’ve showed signs of being a club well equipped to overachieve in comparison to their wage bill but in previous seasons, it’s difficult not to consider them as underachievers.