Having money to spend certainly makes life easier in Football Manager, and no league in world football has cash to splash quite like the Premier League in FM 2026.
English clubs have shattered transfer window records in recent years, and if you want the safety net of a big initial budget, the Premier League is the place to be.
Ahead of the release of Football Manager 2026, fans have been busy getting stuck into the Beta version.
If you’re still struggling which club to take charge of, discovering what money there is to spend might help.
In the Premier League, Brighton have the biggest initial budget. Boosted by the £60million sale of Joao Pedro to Chelsea in the summer, Brighton begin FM26 with a healthy £100million to spend.
Tottenham (£57.8million) and Brentford (£55.1million) also have significant budgets, with the challenge to upset the Premier League’s fattened cats.
Arsenal’s record of failing to sell players for big fees is reflected in their relatively meagre budget of £23.7million, while Chelsea and Manchester United have even less to spend initially.
At the opposite end of the spectrum, eight Premier League teams have less than £10million to play with at the start of your save after a summer of heavy spending. Sales will be required to top up your kitty.
Here are the starting transfer and wage budgets for each of the top-flight’s 20 clubs as the release of Football Manager 2026 inches ever closer.
Arsenal
Transfer Budget: £23.7million
Wage Budget: £4.5million (p/w)
Aston Villa
Transfer Budget: £1.5million
Wage Budget: £3.15million (p/w)
Bournemouth
Transfer Budget: £2.3million
Wage Budget: £1.63million (p/w)
Brentford
Transfer Budget: £55.1million
Wage Budget: £1.58million (p/w)
Brighton
Transfer Budget: £100million
Wage Budget: £1.58million (p/w)
Burnley
Transfer Budget: £1million
Wage Budget: £1.37million (p/w)
Chelsea
Transfer Budget: £16.4million
Wage Budget: £4.46million (p/w)
Crystal Palace
Transfer Budget: £39.8million
Wage Budget: £1.39million (p/w)
Everton
Transfer Budget: £13.3million
Wage Budget: £1.95million (p/w)
Fulham
Transfer Budget: £2.4million
Wage Budget: £2.04million (p/w)
Leeds United
Transfer Budget: £4.7million
Wage Budget: £1.51million (p/w)
Liverpool
Transfer Budget: £41.2million
Wage Budget: £5.06million (p/w)
Manchester City
Transfer Budget: £47.3million
Wage Budget: £5.19million (p/w)
QUIZ: Can you name every Premier League club’s record signing?
Manchester United
Transfer Budget: £12.9million
Wage Budget: £3.86million (p/w)
Newcastle United
Transfer Budget: £45.5million
Wage Budget: £2.87million (p/w)
Nottingham Forest
Transfer Budget: £5million
Wage Budget: £2.49million (p/w)
Sunderland
Transfer Budget: £7.8million
Wage Budget: £1.73million (p/w)
Tottenham
Transfer Budget: £57.8million
Wage Budget: £3.61million (p/w)
QUIZ: Can you name every Premier League club’s record sale?
West Ham United
Transfer Budget: £4.6million
Wage Budget: £2.13million (p/w)
Wolves
Transfer Budget: £30.6million
Wage Budget: £1.6million (p/w)
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