After relegations from the Premier League and promotions from the Championship, EFL Analysis has dissected the top 10 highest-paid players currently in the second tier.
Next season’s Championship is poised to be one of the most competitive second tier campaigns to date, and that is before the summer transfer window has even hit its high gear.
Of the 24 teams confirmed for the 2025/26 Championship season, several of those are desperate to secure promotion to the Premier League, and will utilise all of their financial might to do so.
The upcoming Championship season could be the best yet, given the additions of Birmingham City and Wrexham, who are set to shake up the established second tier order, and that the race for promotion is currently wide open.
With Leeds United, Burnley and Sunderland swapping places with Ipswich Town, Leicester and Southampton, the highest-paid players has changed drastically from the 2024/25 campaign going into next season.
Here, EFL Analysis has taken a deep dive into who the top 10 highest earners will be in the second tier next season.
Photo by James Holyoak/MB Media/Getty Images
Photo by James Holyoak/MB Media/Getty Images
Top 10 highest-paid Championship players ahead of 2025/26 season
According to capology.com, in last season’s Championship, Leeds United star Patrick Bamford was the highest-paid Championship player, who was playing for their current club permanently.
Middlesbrough loanee Kelechi Iheanacho was reportedly the highest-paid player last season at £75,000-per-week during his spell from Sevilla, but Bamford was the highest-paid permanent second tier player with a fee they report to be £70,000-per-week.
However, with Leeds’ promotion under Daniel Farke coinciding with Premier League relegation for Ipswich, Leicester, and Southampton, the top 10 highest-paid players list has changed drastically.
It must be stressed that salary figures must be taken with a pinch of salt, however, the estimations from capology often provide a very accurate indication.
Top 10 highest-paid Championship players ahead of the 2025/26 season
Rank Player name Club Wages per week
10 Jannik Vestergaard Southampton £60,000
9 Joe Aribo Southampton £70,000
8 Jan Bednarek Southampton £70,000
7 Patson Daka Leicester £75,000
6 Conor Coady Leicester £75,000
5 Wilfried Ndidi Leicester £75,000
4 Ricardo Pereira Leicester £80,000
3 Boubakary Soumare Leicester £80,000
2 Harry Winks Leicester £90,000
1 Aaron Ramsdale Southampton £120,000
Top 10 highest-paid Championship players ahead of the 2025/26 season, as per capology.com
As of June 9, before the transfer window pauses due to the Club World Cup, Southampton goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale sits as the highest-paid player in the Championship with his estimated £120k-per-week wage packet following the Saints’ relegation.
Ranking from fourth-highest to second-highest are the Leicester quartet of Harry Winks, Boubakary Soumare, Ricardo Pereira and Wilfried Ndidi.
However, the list of highest-earners ahead of the 2025/26 second tier could all change by the September 1 deadline.
Photo by Robin Jones/Getty Images
Photo by Robin Jones/Getty Images
Southampton issue could change highest earners list for 25/26 Championship
After the Saints’ relegation to the second tier, former Lens boss Will Still was appointed by Southampton to spearhead the South Coast outfit’s attempt at an instant return to the top flight.
However, via information from EFL Analysis’ football finance expert, Adam Williams, we understand that Southampton face a £100m problem this season due to the wages they spent in the 2024/25 season.
As such, the Saints could be poised for a squad overhaul this summer, and shift some of their biggest earners, including Ramsdale, off the wage bill to balance the books.
Ramsdale is likely to be sold by Southampton this summer, with top flight West Ham showing interest in the England international, as the Saints look to shuffle the pack in Still’s first summer window at St Mary’s.
He could be trumped as the league’s highest earner by a potential incoming to the league, or more likely, will make way for another name if he does leave Southampton as expected this summer.