| Championship wage bill 2025/26 12:44 - May 7 with 5718 views | TheChef |
I hadn't seen anything on this recently so I asked Co Pilot, as usual with AI it's to be taken with a pinch of salt but suggestion would be we've slightly underperformed this season.
EFL Championship – Total Wage Bill (Estimated, 2025/26)
Rank Club Estimated Wage Bill (£m)
1 Southampton 32.7
2 Leicester City 31.8
3 Ipswich Town 26.1
4 Sheffield United 22.5
5 West Bromwich Albion 21.4
6 Birmingham City 19.6
7 Hull City 19.1
8 Norwich City 18.4
9 Middlesbrough 18.1
10 Stoke City 17.1
11 Watford 16.8
12 Wrexham 16.8
13 Queens Park Rangers 14.7
14 Coventry City 14.4
15 Swansea City 13.8
16 Preston North End 13.8
17 Millwall 13.4
18 Bristol City 13.0
19 Oxford United 12.6
20 Derby County 12.2
21 Blackburn Rovers 12.1
22 Charlton Athletic 10.3
23 Portsmouth 9.8
24 Sheffield Wednesday 7.8
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| Championship wage bill 2025/26 on 12:45 - May 7 with 5690 views | TheChef |
I'm also adding 2024/25 data which may be more accurate?
EFL Championship – Total Wage Bill (2024/25, Estimated)
Rank Club Estimated Wage Bill (£m)
1 Leeds United 37.21
2 Burnley 32.03
3 Sheffield United 24.13
4 West Bromwich Albion 21.64
5 Luton Town 21.29
6 Cardiff City 20.41
7 Norwich City 19.11
8 Watford 18.80
9 Middlesbrough 16.35
10 Sunderland 16.13
11 Sheffield Wednesday 15.47
12 Hull City 14.83
13 Stoke City 14.35
14 Bristol City 13.58
15 Preston North End 12.47
16 Swansea City 12.28
17 Derby County 12.26
18 Blackburn Rovers 12.09
19 Millwall 12.05
20 Queens Park Rangers 11.62
21 Coventry City 11.34
22 Oxford United 10.96
23 Plymouth Argyle 8.93
24 Portsmouth 7.20
I'm surprised Coventry's is still so low? | |
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| Championship wage bill 2025/26 on 13:11 - May 7 with 5582 views | bosh67 |
| Championship wage bill 2025/26 on 12:45 - May 7 by TheChef |
I'm also adding 2024/25 data which may be more accurate?
EFL Championship – Total Wage Bill (2024/25, Estimated)
Rank Club Estimated Wage Bill (£m)
1 Leeds United 37.21
2 Burnley 32.03
3 Sheffield United 24.13
4 West Bromwich Albion 21.64
5 Luton Town 21.29
6 Cardiff City 20.41
7 Norwich City 19.11
8 Watford 18.80
9 Middlesbrough 16.35
10 Sunderland 16.13
11 Sheffield Wednesday 15.47
12 Hull City 14.83
13 Stoke City 14.35
14 Bristol City 13.58
15 Preston North End 12.47
16 Swansea City 12.28
17 Derby County 12.26
18 Blackburn Rovers 12.09
19 Millwall 12.05
20 Queens Park Rangers 11.62
21 Coventry City 11.34
22 Oxford United 10.96
23 Plymouth Argyle 8.93
24 Portsmouth 7.20
I'm surprised Coventry's is still so low? |
This is definitely closer. It is under £12m. The remarkable thing is that Coventry went up as champs with almost the lowest wage bill in the division. [Post edited 7 May 13:12]
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| Championship wage bill 2025/26 on 13:16 - May 7 with 5541 views | Northernr |
This is one of the things I never really get.
Why do we need co-pilot?
Why do we need an estimate?
It's in the accounts in black and white. Most recent published payroll was £27.45m, up from £23.78m the previous year.
https://www.fansnetwork.co.uk/
This post has been edited by an administrator |  | | |
| Championship wage bill 2025/26 on 13:21 - May 7 with 5510 views | nick_hammersmith |
I refuse to believe that Coventry have a lower wage bill than us.
I reckon Wrexham is higher than this as well.
Still Leicester did a fantastic job with their performance to budget ratio |  | | |
| Championship wage bill 2025/26 on 13:27 - May 7 with 5443 views | slmrstid |
Not a single club will have published any financial information for 2025/26 yet, so how is CoPilot suggesting that list?
Has it got secret access to all club's payroll systems? (No)
Is it just scraping information off websites like Transfrmrkt (or whatever stupid name it gives itself) which is also just made up and likely taken from the Football Manager database, which is also made up? Yes.
Therefore - the numbers are a pile of rubbish. |  | | |
| Championship wage bill 2025/26 on 13:28 - May 7 with 5434 views | Northernr |
| Championship wage bill 2025/26 on 13:21 - May 7 by nick_hammersmith |
I refuse to believe that Coventry have a lower wage bill than us.
I reckon Wrexham is higher than this as well.
Still Leicester did a fantastic job with their performance to budget ratio |
Coventry's wage bill at the last accounts was £23.3m, up from £20.5m the previous year, while actually employing significantly more people than we do. | | | |
| Championship wage bill 2025/26 on 13:29 - May 7 with 5431 views | nick_hammersmith |
| Championship wage bill 2025/26 on 13:28 - May 7 by Northernr |
Coventry's wage bill at the last accounts was £23.3m, up from £20.5m the previous year, while actually employing significantly more people than we do. |
Can you imagine what Franks promotion bonus looked like? | | | |
| Championship wage bill 2025/26 on 13:32 - May 7 with 5413 views | TheChef |
| Championship wage bill 2025/26 on 13:27 - May 7 by slmrstid |
Not a single club will have published any financial information for 2025/26 yet, so how is CoPilot suggesting that list?
Has it got secret access to all club's payroll systems? (No)
Is it just scraping information off websites like Transfrmrkt (or whatever stupid name it gives itself) which is also just made up and likely taken from the Football Manager database, which is also made up? Yes.
Therefore - the numbers are a pile of rubbish. |
Yes fair enough - you can ignore that!
I was just curious to know where we sit in terms of wage bill vs. other Championship teams? In my head it was somewhere around 15th but was trying to find some reliable confirmation.
While appreciating that AI is not wholly reliable  | |
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| Championship wage bill 2025/26 on 13:40 - May 7 with 5383 views | slmrstid |
| Championship wage bill 2025/26 on 13:32 - May 7 by TheChef |
Yes fair enough - you can ignore that!
I was just curious to know where we sit in terms of wage bill vs. other Championship teams? In my head it was somewhere around 15th but was trying to find some reliable confirmation.
While appreciating that AI is not wholly reliable |
The overall "real" order probably isn't radically different to the list, but anyone with a passing knowledge of Championship football could guess roughly where each club would sit in such a list. | | | |
| Championship wage bill 2025/26 on 14:02 - May 7 with 5307 views | derbyhoop |
| Championship wage bill 2025/26 on 13:16 - May 7 by Northernr |
This is one of the things I never really get.
Why do we need co-pilot?
Why do we need an estimate?
It's in the accounts in black and white. Most recent published payroll was £27.45m, up from £23.78m the previous year.
https://www.fansnetwork.co.uk/
This post has been edited by an administrator |
The overall wage bill will include the DS and all the non playing staff, including the huge number of performance people. |  |
| "Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the Earth all one's lifetime." (Mark Twain)
Find me on twitter @derbyhoop and now on Bluesky |
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| Championship wage bill 2025/26 on 15:45 - May 7 with 5116 views | nick_hammersmith |
| Championship wage bill 2025/26 on 14:02 - May 7 by derbyhoop |
The overall wage bill will include the DS and all the non playing staff, including the huge number of performance people. |
I thought Development was outside of P&S so would be accounted for differently?
Hence all the legions of performance people working across all the ages, so they can be classed as development?
Probably wrong though, who knows? | | | |
| Championship wage bill 2025/26 on 16:29 - May 7 with 5029 views | LazyFan |
Derby should have a higher wage bill as they had some really expensive loans in. I wonder if loans are counted. |  |
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| Championship wage bill 2025/26 on 16:44 - May 7 with 4959 views | Northernr |
| Championship wage bill 2025/26 on 14:02 - May 7 by derbyhoop |
The overall wage bill will include the DS and all the non playing staff, including the huge number of performance people. |
We're not paying the footballers £12m and the DS and support staff £15m.
Matt Smith was on a podcast recently, Under the Cosh probably, he said QPR was the biggest/best contract of his career. That's a guy who'd been at Leeds, been at Fulham, QPR paid him £1m a year (£20k a week).
I'd have a small bet that somebody like Hevertton Santos earns more a year than every off field person at the club with the possible exception of the CEO and the head coach.
You can actually see this really clearly in the accounts between 23/24 and 24/25 because the wage bill goes up several million pounds despite the number of people employed remaining the same. That's purely the signings they made (Madsen, Varane, Celar, Santos, Nardi etc) and people like Frey, Cook, Andersen, Colback getting chunky second years in return for low first years.
This post has been edited by an administrator | | | |
| Championship wage bill 2025/26 on 16:45 - May 7 with 4950 views | terryb |
| Championship wage bill 2025/26 on 15:45 - May 7 by nick_hammersmith |
I thought Development was outside of P&S so would be accounted for differently?
Hence all the legions of performance people working across all the ages, so they can be classed as development?
Probably wrong though, who knows? |
Everyone is included in the club accounts, but some might be discounted for FFP purposes. |  | | |
| Championship wage bill 2025/26 on 17:03 - May 7 with 4874 views | Hunterhoop |
| Championship wage bill 2025/26 on 13:16 - May 7 by Northernr |
This is one of the things I never really get.
Why do we need co-pilot?
Why do we need an estimate?
It's in the accounts in black and white. Most recent published payroll was £27.45m, up from £23.78m the previous year.
https://www.fansnetwork.co.uk/
This post has been edited by an administrator |
I don’t understand this too.
It’s the overall number that matters, not the pure playing staff wage bill. You could always reduce your non-playing budget and stick that into the playing side (or vice versa). There are different approaches. It’s all a strategic decision to make about how best to achieve results and finish high up the league table.
All that matters is the total wage bill against the league position relative to everyone else. And everyone publishes their total wage bill in their annual accounts.
And, as you say, the vast majority of any wage bill is the players. |  | | |
| Championship wage bill 2025/26 on 17:04 - May 7 with 4874 views | nick_hammersmith |
| Championship wage bill 2025/26 on 16:44 - May 7 by Northernr |
We're not paying the footballers £12m and the DS and support staff £15m.
Matt Smith was on a podcast recently, Under the Cosh probably, he said QPR was the biggest/best contract of his career. That's a guy who'd been at Leeds, been at Fulham, QPR paid him £1m a year (£20k a week).
I'd have a small bet that somebody like Hevertton Santos earns more a year than every off field person at the club with the possible exception of the CEO and the head coach.
You can actually see this really clearly in the accounts between 23/24 and 24/25 because the wage bill goes up several million pounds despite the number of people employed remaining the same. That's purely the signings they made (Madsen, Varane, Celar, Santos, Nardi etc) and people like Frey, Cook, Andersen, Colback getting chunky second years in return for low first years.
This post has been edited by an administrator |
This is exactly what I was saying when people were saying Steve Cook should stay on as a coach here!
Its well know Steve Cook was on a crazy contract, which had stepped up year on year, as it was the only way Ainsworth could bring him in in the first place.
So, lets say for argument sake that Steve Cook was on £25k p/w thats £1.3 million a year.
I'd imagine a coach at QPR gets £50/60k a year, top whack.
Its like a factor of x20 different, no sane person is swapping a playing contract (if they can get one) for a coaching one, so that offer was just lip service for the fans imho.
So you can extrapolate that, and maybe those Heads of roles are in the six figures, like £120k p/a that's still what ten times less than your highest earning first team player?
Only time it might be different is if you have a big name manager, like we did with 'Arry who might be on a few million quid a year, then some mental bonus for avoiding relegation, plus whatever you can make from using your mates agents and selling stories to newspapers...
--Its a tough life | | | |
| Championship wage bill 2025/26 on 17:48 - May 7 with 4797 views | numptydumpty |
The legitimacy of AI
The wages per week that players are on are suggested to be as follows.
For the 2025/26 season, Queens Park Rangers' (QPR) total annual wage bill is estimated to be approximately **£13.1 million**.
The squad’s payroll features a mix of veteran defenders on significant contracts and, several younger players on lower, developmental wages.
Below is a breakdown of the estimated player earnings for the season.
### **Top Earners (Weekly)**
Veteran defender Steve Cook remains the club's highest earner, providing leadership and experience to the backline.
| Player | Position | Estimated Weekly Wage |
|---|---|---|
| **Steve Cook** | Centre-Back | **£30,000** |
| **Rhys Norrington-Davies** | Left-Back | **£25,000** |
| **Koki Saito** | Left Winger | **£20,000** |
| **Isaac Hayden** | Defensive Midfield | **£15,000** |
| **Ronnie Edwards** | Centre-Back | **£15,000** |
| **Kwame Poku** | Right Winger | **£15,000** |
### **Mid-Tier & Rotation Players**
These players form the core of the squad, with many earning between £7,000 and £13,000 per week.
* **Harvey Vale:** £12,500
* **Nicolas Madsen:** £12,500
* **Jake Clarke-Salter:** ~£10,000+
* **Karamoko Dembélé:** £9,000
* **Ben Hamer:** £7,500
* **Paul Smyth:** £7,500
* **Ilias Chair:** ~£7,000
### **Developmental & Youth Wages**
QPR has several young prospects and backup players who sit at the lower end of the payroll spectrum.
* **Rumarn Burrell:** £5,000
* **Jonathan Varane:** £4,000
* **Justin Obikwu:** £4,000
* **Ziyad Larkeche:** £3,000
* **Daniel Bennie / Kieran Morgan:** £1,500
* **Joe Walsh / Kealey Adamson:** £1,200
* **Rayan Kolli:** £500
### **Summary of Financial Outlook**
* **Total Annual Expenditure:** ~£13,146,800.
* **Strategy:** The club has leaned toward "smart" recruitment, bringing in younger talent like Ronnie Edwards and Karamoko Dembélé while managing the heavy lifting of the wage bill through a few key senior players.
* **Comparison:** Compared to heavy hitters in the Championship who often spend over £20-30 million, QPR’s wage bill is relatively modest, placing them in the bottom half of the league's spending rankings.
> **Note:** These figures are based on industry estimates and reported data from sources like Capology and Football League World. Official club figures are rarely made public.
Seriously doubt legitimacy of the figures
>
Rayan Kolli on £500 a week.
Thats close to minimum wage these days. No wonder he is a bit hacked off.
And Chair on such a low bar compared to many others. Really is a stretch to believe this data tbh...
Figures copied by wannabe journalists that get their data from The Football Manager, playstation and Xbox game surely.....
Hey it even suggests some DoF's use the data.compiled by the computer.game.to help them in recruiting players from far flung places.all around the globe and closer to home, also.
Now - I know thats a load of old nonsense.
No self respecting club would do such a thing.
Surely not !!
[Post edited 7 May 17:57]
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| Championship wage bill 2025/26 on 08:42 - May 8 with 4476 views | slmrstid |
| Championship wage bill 2025/26 on 17:48 - May 7 by numptydumpty |
The legitimacy of AI
The wages per week that players are on are suggested to be as follows.
For the 2025/26 season, Queens Park Rangers' (QPR) total annual wage bill is estimated to be approximately **£13.1 million**.
The squad’s payroll features a mix of veteran defenders on significant contracts and, several younger players on lower, developmental wages.
Below is a breakdown of the estimated player earnings for the season.
### **Top Earners (Weekly)**
Veteran defender Steve Cook remains the club's highest earner, providing leadership and experience to the backline.
| Player | Position | Estimated Weekly Wage |
|---|---|---|
| **Steve Cook** | Centre-Back | **£30,000** |
| **Rhys Norrington-Davies** | Left-Back | **£25,000** |
| **Koki Saito** | Left Winger | **£20,000** |
| **Isaac Hayden** | Defensive Midfield | **£15,000** |
| **Ronnie Edwards** | Centre-Back | **£15,000** |
| **Kwame Poku** | Right Winger | **£15,000** |
### **Mid-Tier & Rotation Players**
These players form the core of the squad, with many earning between £7,000 and £13,000 per week.
* **Harvey Vale:** £12,500
* **Nicolas Madsen:** £12,500
* **Jake Clarke-Salter:** ~£10,000+
* **Karamoko Dembélé:** £9,000
* **Ben Hamer:** £7,500
* **Paul Smyth:** £7,500
* **Ilias Chair:** ~£7,000
### **Developmental & Youth Wages**
QPR has several young prospects and backup players who sit at the lower end of the payroll spectrum.
* **Rumarn Burrell:** £5,000
* **Jonathan Varane:** £4,000
* **Justin Obikwu:** £4,000
* **Ziyad Larkeche:** £3,000
* **Daniel Bennie / Kieran Morgan:** £1,500
* **Joe Walsh / Kealey Adamson:** £1,200
* **Rayan Kolli:** £500
### **Summary of Financial Outlook**
* **Total Annual Expenditure:** ~£13,146,800.
* **Strategy:** The club has leaned toward "smart" recruitment, bringing in younger talent like Ronnie Edwards and Karamoko Dembélé while managing the heavy lifting of the wage bill through a few key senior players.
* **Comparison:** Compared to heavy hitters in the Championship who often spend over £20-30 million, QPR’s wage bill is relatively modest, placing them in the bottom half of the league's spending rankings.
> **Note:** These figures are based on industry estimates and reported data from sources like Capology and Football League World. Official club figures are rarely made public.
Seriously doubt legitimacy of the figures
>
Rayan Kolli on £500 a week.
Thats close to minimum wage these days. No wonder he is a bit hacked off.
And Chair on such a low bar compared to many others. Really is a stretch to believe this data tbh...
Figures copied by wannabe journalists that get their data from The Football Manager, playstation and Xbox game surely.....
Hey it even suggests some DoF's use the data.compiled by the computer.game.to help them in recruiting players from far flung places.all around the globe and closer to home, also.
Now - I know thats a load of old nonsense.
No self respecting club would do such a thing.
Surely not !!
[Post edited 7 May 17:57]
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I have read before that Sports Interactive do have a side to their business where they provide access to their full (and more detailed than in the game) database for clubs worldwide to use in their modelling/scouting etc, so it wouldn't surprise me if clubs are paying subscriptions for it, and it would potentially be quite lucrative to SI as well... | | | |
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