Now we know the notion of any Premier League player being ‘underpaid’ is ludicrous, but it’s all about context and there is always context – like Casemiro being paid almost 20 times more than Kobbie Mainoo.
We have chosen one per Premier League club based on the figures from Capology, who have ‘verified’ many of these wages…
ARSENAL: Gabriel (£100,000 a week)
He’s an Arsenal defensive stalwart but he still earns less than Kieran Tierney, significantly less than Oleksandr Zinchenko and not much more than a third of the £280,000 handed to Kai Havertz every week to be significantly worse than Alexander Isak.
ASTON VILLA: Morgan Rogers (£75,000 a week)
The daft sod only signed a new deal in November but has found himself still earning considerably less than Leon Bailey (£150,000). Rogers has six Premier League goals this season to the Jamaican’s one.
BOURNEMOUTH: Milos Kerkez (£30,000 a week)
The world and his wife are hawking ‘Kerkez to Liverpool’ rumours but the Hungarian actually earns about half as much as Tyler Adams at the Cherries.
BRENTFORD: Kevin Schade (£10,000 a week)
Now he’s a) in the team and b) scoring goals, he might want to ask why he earns a seventh of the sum reportedly handed to Aaron Hickey every week.
BRIGHTON: Yasin Ayari (£8,000 a week)
He’s only 21 so that is still a fair whack of money, but the Swede has started 11 Premier League games this season while Ferdi Kadioglu has started five for his reported £87,500 a week. Lesson: Buying from Fenerbahce is expensive.
CHELSEA: Malo Gusto and Romeo Lavia (£45,000 a week)
One downside of signing a 17-year contract might be that your wages over a five-year deal are simply spread over however many years it takes you to lose the will to live. Particularly galling when Ben Chilwell is earning £200,000 a week to do the square root of f*** all.
CRYSTAL PALACE: Adam Wharton (£35,000 a week)
That probably seemed like a lot until he heard that Eddie Nketiah earns £90,000 a week.
EVERTON: Dwight McNeil (£25,000 a week)
Clearly, if you sign players from East Lancashire clubs, they are just grateful to escape. It’s obviously a whole heap of money, but Abdoulaye Doucoure somehow earns more than five times his wages. He’s good but…
FULHAM: Antonee Robinson (£50,000 a week)
Not one of the lowest earners at Fulham but in the middle ranks along with Harrison Reed and Kenny Tete when really, he should be in the £100,000-a-week bracket with Raul Jimenez and Bernd Leno.
IPSWICH TOWN: Omari Hutchinson (£6,000 a week)
We really hope he is on some sort of survival bonus because he is doing as much as anybody to try and keep the Tractor Boys in the Premier League. We really, really hope Ipswich are paying only a fraction of the £150,000 a week being paid to Kalvin Phillips…
LEICESTER CITY: Mads Hermansen (£10,000 a week)
After single-handedly (we spot a problem) trying to keep the Foxes in the Premier League in the first stretch of the season, he is now injured. And still earning so, so much less than loanee Odsonne Edouard (£90,000 a week).
LIVERPOOL: Curtis Jones (£15,000 a week)
While Trent Alexander-Arnold seeks a hike on his £180,000-a-week wages, he should perhaps spare a thought for his fellow England international on about 8% of his salary.
MANCHESTER CITY: Rico Lewis (£25,000 a week)
It’s always the homegrown players who are scrapping around on a mere £1.3m a year, while Matheus Nunes swans about on £6.76m, or about £130,000 a week. It’s not Kevin de Bruyne money, but he’s not got Kevin de Bruyne skills.
MANCHESTER UNITED: Kobbie Mainoo (£20,000 a week)
He is said to be unhappy with Man Utd’s initial offer of new terms, which will take him nowhere close to the £350,000 a week being trousered by Casemiro.
NEWCASTLE UNITED: Lewis Hall (£7,000 a week)
We are taking this with a massive pinch of salt as this would put him below John Ruddy. If you want big wages, you really need to join on a free transfer like Lloyd Kelly and his reported £150,000 a week.
NOTTINGHAM FOREST: Anthony Elanga (£25,000 a week)
At least he can thumb his nose at Mainoo, still earning less at Manchester United than Elanga at Forest. Meanwhile, are Forest paying all of James Ward-Prowse’s £115,000-a-week wages for his five Premier League starts?
SOUTHAMPTON: Tyler Dibling (£5,000 a week)
It’s hardly apprentice wages but it’s sod all in football terms for one of the Saints’ few bright sparks in a ridiculously bad season. Especially when Aaron Ramsdale is on a reported £120,000 a week for a fool’s errand.
TOTTENHAM: Micky van de Ven (£50,000 a week)
Sizeable wages compared to some on this list, but when compared to the £165,000 a week reportedly paid to Timo Werner, it’s a relative pittance for Spurs’ best defender.
WEST HAM: N/A
None of these f***ers are underpaid.
WOLVES: Rayan Ait-Nouri (£10,000 a week)
Another of those underpaid left-backs being targeted by bigger clubs, Ait-Nouri knows that there is bigger money away from Wolves. Unless you’re Pablo Sarabia or Goncalo Guedes (£90,000 a week each)
