Comparing Every Premier League Club’s Wage Bill to Their 2024/25 League Position

The 2024/25 Premier League season is officially in the books and it was a campaign with plenty of highs and lows. Teams like Liverpool, Nottingham Forest and Crystal Palace all had an incredible year, with success that most fanbases can only dream of. Other sides, such as Manchester City, Manchester United and West Ham United all had terrible seasons by their standards.

The drama and theatrics have been electrifying in the English top flight. It’s the best league in the world for a reason and the clubs are paying the sorts of wages to reflect that. With the 2024/25 season wrapped up, and every team knowing their final league position in the table, it’s time to compare each club’s wage bill by their respective position in the league to reflect on how much they paid for their over or under achievements.

Biggest Overachievers

Brentford, Bournemouth, Brighton & Nottingham Forest all played well above their wage bill

All of the biggest overachievers came in the top half of the table. Liverpool had the fifth-highest wage bill in the division, so their first-place finish meant they placed four spots above their wage bill. The likes of Bournemouth, Brighton & Hove Albion and Nottingham Forest all had solid campaigns and they look even more impressive when you look at how much the club have spent on their player salaries this year.

Both Brighton and Forest finished seven places above where they rank in terms of the wage bills in the Premier League, while the Cherries ended up finishing eight places above where their player salaries ranked. The most impressive, though, was Brentford. Despite losing Ivan Toney last summer, and having the second-lowest wage bill in the Premier League this season, Thomas Frank’s side wound up finishing 10th, nine places above. It’s a testament to the incredible work that Frank has done at the club.

Biggest Underachievers

Manchester United had one of the highest wage bills in the league and still struggled

While some teams overachieved in terms of how well they played compared to how much they paid their players, there were a number of other sides who will be wishing they could get some of their money back after their squads struggled despite receiving lofty wages. No team underachieved more than Manchester United. The Red Devils had the second-highest wage bill in the Premier League last season, but they had a disastrous campaign. Starting the year under Erik ten Hag and finishing it with Ruben Amorim, they failed to produce the goods on the pitch and finished 15th in the league.

They aren’t the only top side left with egg on their faces, however. They might have won the Europa League, their first trophy in 17 years, but there’s no denying that Tottenham Hotspur were a disaster in the Premier League. They had the seventh-highest wage bill this season, but finished just one place above the relegation zone. Their success in Europe glossed over their issues domestically, but with the Champions League money now coming into the club, they’ll want to make sure they get what they pay for next time out.

Leicester City and West Ham United have both also played well below the level they’ve been paying their players. Despite being newly promoted from the Championship, the Foxes were paying more money to their players than six other sides in the top flight. They still went down, though, in 18th. The Hammers also finished five spots lower than where they ranked in the wage bills, with Graham Potter struggling to make much of a positive impact following his mid-season arrival.

All statistics courtesy of Planet Football and accurate as of 27/05/2025