The influence of finance on the game of football cannot be ignored any longer. Be it the need to have a substantial financial structure at the club or arriving at the right wage structure to ensure competence, football clubs across the globe are looking to ensure they deal with finances as a matter of priority.
While prying away talent for cheap seems to be a motto that drives most teams, there are certain teams that do not shy away from offering the big bucks to sign the players they deem essential to their success.
In this segment, we have a list of the top 10 highest paid players in the Premier League.
Unsurprisingly the likes of Manchester United, Manchester City, and Chelsea dominate the list we bring to you.
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#10 Raheem Sterling – £180,000 per week
At 10th spot is former Liverpool man Raheem Sterling who made the big money move to the Etihad Stadium in the summer of 2015 for a fee believed to be in the region of £49 million. While the Englishman endured a rather tough first season at Manchester, he is finally proving to be a good buy for Manchester City in the current season.
The Englishman has been a constant feature for the star-studded line-up in the current season and has been their third highest creator thus far, having created 33 chances in 23 appearances.
With 5 goals to show for his efforts apart from a number of mazy runs around defenders, Sterling is proving to be money well spent and the 22-year-old remains critical to his side’s ambition in the national and continental competitions.
#9 Diego Costa – £185,000 per week
Spanish striker Diego Costa is at 9th spot amongst the big earners in the Premier League as he pockets a cool £185,000 per week. After having a rather poor last season, the former Atletico man has come to the party in the current season and has been his side’s go-to man on numerous occasions.
Having scored 15 league goals and assisted another 5, the Spaniard has had a direct hand in close to 40% of his side’s 52 goals in the season, making him one of the vital players under the aegis of Antonio Conte.
The temperamental player, who has a tendency to get under the skin of opposition defenders has curbed certain aspects of his unwanted aggression and is definitely amongst the top three strikers in the League, making him worthy of the kind of wages he is currently being paid by the London club.
#8 David de Gea – £200,000 per week
David de Gea remains a Manchester United player courtesy of their fax machine and that instrument has proven to be their saving grace in a season which was initially plagued by inconsistent performances. Irrespective of the performances of his teammates, it remains without a doubt that de Gea is the leading goalkeeper in the league.
Given his performances and dominant presence in between the sticks for the Red Devils, it does not come as a surprise that Manchester United have made him one of their highest paid players. His wages are also an indication of how the game of football is developing in terms of recognising top draw defenders and goalkeepers as requisite ingredients to having a successful season.
The goalkeeper remains critical to Jose Mourinho’s long-term plans and it might not be long before the club will have to better his current wages to keep him at Old Trafford.
#7 Eden Hazard – £200,000 per week
The Belgian superstar has been phenomenal ever since he arrived on English shores in the summer of 2012, except for the last season, where the majority of the Chelsea team went missing for some reason or another.
Hazard takes home a massive £200,000 per week, making him Chelsea’s highest wage earner in the current season and given his abilities on and off the ball, many fans and pundits would have us believe he is rather underpaid.
The diminutive playmaker has been on fire in the current season and has been critical to Conte’s men shrugging off an indifferent start and establishing themselves at the top of the Premier League table. He is back scoring goals, creating chances aplenty in every game and seems to be a nightmare to defenders game after game.
#6 Bastian Schweinsteiger – £200,000 per week
He might not be playing as often as he would like to, but Bastian Schweinsteiger remains one of the highest paid players at Old Trafford. Having joined on a free transfer from Bayern Munich at the start of the 2015-16 season, Schweinsteiger was involved in a number of games under Louis van Gaal.
However, the appointment of Jose Mourinho curtailed his game time and the German superstar was linked to several clubs only for him to stay and work on getting into the plans of his manager. While that does not necessarily ensure game time, he has made a comeback of sorts to the first team and many Manchester United faithful would love to see more of him in the games to come.
We, for one, remain apprehensive about him being in the long term plans of the Portuguese managers and believe he will be on his way out of the club soon.
#5 Sergio Aguero – £220,000 per week
The Argentine striker Sergio Aguero takes the 5th spot in the list of top 10 earners in the League. Aguero has been a consistent performer and could be deemed as one of the reasons that Manchester City have emerged from the shadows of their cross-town rivals and established themselves as a force in English football.
However, his current season has been a rather puzzling one. He has been used sporadically by his manager and that has fuelled rumours that he could force a move away from the Etihad in the near future. The Argentine, though, consistently finds the back of the net during his time on the pitch and has notched up 11 goals.
For Pep Guardiola’s side to shake off their inconsistency and achieve a meaningful league position, the Argentine remains a key figure.
#4 Yaya Toure – £220,000 per week
Another player who has not found as much game time as he would like to makes the list of top earners in the Premier League – the Ivory Coast superstar Yaya Toure comes into the list at 4th spot with a weekly wage of £220,000.
Toure was frozen out of the team at the start of the season by Pep Guardiola and endured several months without first team football. However, the player has worked on his fitness and forced his way back into the Manchester City that seems to lack the spine in midfield and has made an immediate positive impact.
The 32-year-old has been a rather dominant presence in the middle of the park while continuing to find the back of the net time and again to help his side’s chances in the league. The long-term trouble for the club seems imminent with age catching up with him and its time Guardiola brought someone in to replace the former Barcelona man.
#3 Zlatan Ibrahimovic – £220,000 per week
What a steal Zlatan Ibrahimovic has been for Manchester United! The 35-year-old, who conquered France with PSG before joining Manchester United in the summer of 2016 was touted by many to be finished and ill-suited to the Premier League only to prove his detractors wrong.
‘Ibra’ has continued with his phenomenal form in front of goal, having notched up 23 goals and 5 assists. His odd misfiring aside, he is one of the main reasons the Manchester club remain in contention for a Champions League spot for the upcoming season.
Having cost his current side nothing in terms of transfer fee, his weekly wage of £220,000 seems like a bargain compared to the other players on this list. Given his performances, we would not be surprised if the club decides to extend his contract by another year while they seek to develop the younger players available to them.
#2 Wayne Rooney – £250,000 per week
Wayne Rooney was awarded a blockbuster deal by his current employers when he threatened to quit the club. While the former Evertonian might not be as threatening a presence in attack, he seems to have adapted to his new role as his side’s attacking midfielder.
The Manchester United captain has scored four goals and assisted another eight (an indication of him settling in well into his leading playmaker role) and seems to be headed towards ending his career at Old Trafford. However, not everyone has been impressed with his performances with many deeming his high weekly wages he makes the first team ahead of several other, more deserved players.
His current contract with the club expires at the end of the 2018-19 season by when he will be 34 years of age, and unless he can age as well as Zlatan has, we expect him to be on the move.
#1 Paul Pogba – £290,000 per week
It would come as no surprise to many that Wayne Rooney’s latest colleague, Paul Pogba, is the highest paid player in the League. Manchester United paid a hefty fee in the region of £89 million to acquire his services, and Mino Raiola, the player’s agent, would have left no stone unturned to ensure his client got the best of the best. Manchester United obliged by making him the highest paid player in the league by offering him a package that allows him to take home a whopping £290,000 every week.
Pogba has blown hot and cold at times, often leading several Manchester United fans as well as opposition fans into questioning the amount of money the club paid for him.
However, it must be noted that over the course of the last few weeks, the player seems to have regained his mojo and we believe he is on track to becoming one of the finest central midfielders to have graced the Premier League.
