Best Paid Players in the Premier League

Among the strongest five football leagues, the Premier League stands proudly at the top. Players worldwide always look for a chance to join one of England’s best clubs. Things have changed over the recent years, and some of the highest paid football players from five years ago can’t imagine the wages today. Prepare for some shocking insight into the best paid players in the Premier League today.

#10 Kai Havertz – Arsenal FC

Kai Havertz moved from Bayer Leverkusen to Chelsea in 2020 after establishing himself as one of the best players in Germany. After 150 games at Leverkusen, his stats included 46 goals and 31 assists. His market value increased over time, and he caught the eye of Chelsea.

His move to Chelsea cost the Blues £62 million, which could potentially see it rise to £71 million with add-ons. This move was one of the most expensive transfers for Chelsea at the time.

After a poor season with the Blues and playing in an unsuitable position, Havertz didn’t get much popularity. Nonetheless, in retrospect, his stats were decent, but he was considered a poor player.

Nonetheless, in 2023, Kai Havertz left Chelsea to join Arsenal. Havertz signed a five-year deal until 2028, worth £65m. His weekly salary comes down to £280,000, and on an annual basis, Kai earns a total of £14,560,000. With this, he earns the #10 spot on the list of top paid players in the English Premier League.

#9 Enzo Fernandez – Chelsea FC

Chelsea’s transfer record in the past few years has seen some very questionable, and primarily expensive moves. Among numerous players who joined, most of whom also quickly left, Enzo Fernandez stands today as one of the most paid players in the Premier League.

After establishing a name for himself in South America, Enzo joined Benfica for a substantial fee. However, it was his move to Chelsea that shocked the football world and made him one of the best paid players in the Premier League.

Enzo’s transfer to Chelsea cost the club a record price of £106.8m. However, with the contract spread until June 2023, the Blues will only pay £11.25million per year over the course of his deal. In summary, the annual salary of the Chelsea midfielder comes down to £15,470,000.

#8 Marcus Rashford – Manchester United

Ever since Rashford joined United in 2016 from their academy, he has been a reliable and dangerous forward. No doubt, in his long career with the Red Devils and after countless great performances, his market value kept rising.

With his contract expiring in 2023, there were numerous speculations on what Rashford would do. According to some sources, there was no doubt, as he declined countless lucrative offers to stay at Old Trafford. Of course, in order to keep him, the Red Devils had to make up a worthy contract.

His new five-year deal to stay at Old Trafford until 2028, cost United £78m. With a £300,000 per week salary, Rashford is not only the highest paid United player, but also one of the top paid players in the English Premier League. His annual salary comes down to £15.6.

#7 Jack Grealish – Manchester City

No doubt, after numerous successful years in the Premier League, City can afford to have several players on the list of best paid players in the Premier League. The first name on this list is Jack Grealish, playing as the left winger.

After spending most of his current career at Aston Villa, he scored 32 goals and assisted in 43 in 213 games. With great stats, he piqued the interest of English giants, Man City. His move to join the Citizens cost the club £100 million, making him the most expensive British player ever, at the time.

Today, Jack Grealish stands as one of the best paid players in the Premier League, with an annual salary of £15,600,000. He ties the 7th place with the aforementioned Marcus Rashford. Like Rashford, Grealish earns £300,000 per week.

#6 Raheem Sterling – Chelsea FC

Standing in 6th place of the best paid players in the Premier League is Chelsea’s Raheem Sterling. With his youth at the Liverpool youth team, he quickly joined the A-Team of the Reds. In just three short years, he earned quite a reputation, bringing him to City for a £49 million with a £200,000-a-week contract.

Sterling might not be the most popular, but is definitely one of the highest paid players in the Premier League. No doubt, Sterling has become a valuable asset in Chelsea, but we leave the discussion on his salary for another time.

#5 Raphael Varane – Manchester United

The French national, Raphael Varane started his career at the Lens Academy. After joining the A-Team, his talents were discovered early by Real Madrid. His move to Spain saw him develop as a defender, and led to him becoming one of the most paid players in the Premier League.

His move from Spain to England to join the Red Devils cost United £34 million. Varane joined Manchester in 2021, and only continues to grow his skills and market value. Today, Raphael Varane has an annual salary of almost £18 million, earning £340,000 on a weekly basis.

#4 Carlos Casemiro – Manchester United

After Varane, Carlos Casemiro currently stands as the highest paid player at Manchester United. In his long career, the 31-year-old Casemiro went to and from a lot of clubs. His market value escalated and decreased, but his quality and contribution to the team were always immense.

Casemiro left Real Madrid to join Manchester United in 2022 on a four-year contract worth £60m plus £10m in add-ons. Many consider him as one of the best defensive midfielders. Casemiro definitely justifies being on the list of highest paid players in the Premier League.

#3 Mohamed Salah – Liverpool

Mohamed Salah has been around the world, playing at clubs like Roma, Chelsea, Fiorentina, etc. He finally settled down along with Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool, and established himself as one of the best players in the world, but also one of the top paid players in the English Premier League.

Salah joined Liverpool in 2017 on a five-year contract worth £34.3m. After five years at Anfield, 156 goals in 254 games, Salah made an extension with Liverpool. The new three-year contract put him on the list of most paid players in the Premier League.

With the new contract, Salah will earn £18,200,000 annually, which comes down to £350,000 weekly.

#2 Erling Haaland – Manchester City

While it might come as a surprise to many, but Erling Haaland is not the best paid player in the Premier League. Nonetheless, the Norway national stands in second place, losing this battle to his teammate.

There is little we can say about Halaand and his incredible performance with Manchester City. Haaland started his career in Norway, and made his first serious move to Salzburg in 2020. His qualities quickly got the attention of football giants, ensuring his move to Borussia Dortmund.

His contract was until 2024, but City snatched him away for £52m plus additional costs in 2022. Joining City turned out to be the right move for the Norway national he keeps breaking records even today.

With such an incredible contribution to the team, even securing the historic treble in 2022/23, Haaland is, without a doubt, the biggest name on the list of highest paid players in the Premier League.

Today, Haaland’s market value stands at roughly £153 million. City’s striker is the most expensive player in the world today across all stats. However, he is not the top name on this list.

With a five-year contract worth £19,5 million a year, Haaland stands in second place. Overall, he makes £375,000 a week. Nonetheless, if he continues with his incredible performances, he could easily top these charts by a mile once his contract expires in 2026/27.

#1 Kevin De Bruyne – Manchester City

Finally, at the end of our best paid players in the Premier League list, we have another Man City player. No doubt, De Bruyne is easily one the best midfield players today, and possibly even through the history of football.

Kevin De Bruyne started in Belgium, playing for youth clubs such as Gent, and Genk. Once he jumped to the A-Team of Henk, it was a constant rise to reaching the top of best paid players in the Premier League.

In 2014, he moved to Wolfsburg. His £18m contract was justified with his performance at Werder Bremen the season before. With his incredible talent in passing, intelligence and tactical flexibility, he could easily adapt anywhere.

After continuing to dominate the Bundesliga, there was simply no way to stay in Germany. With attention from all other strongest leagues, especially the Premier League, it was only a matter of time.

Finally, City took the opportunity, and paid a record £54.5m fee for the Belgian midfielder. This made him the second-highest transfer ever paid by a British club at the time.

After eight years at the Etihad, De Bruyne is no longer the same player. However, his title of the best midfielder in the world remains. The only thing that changed is his salary, which rightfully puts him at the top of the highest paid players in the Premier League list.

Kevin De Bruyne signed another five-year contract in 2020/21, with a yearly salary of £20,800,000. With £400,000 weekly, he is the highest paid player in England. With his contract expiring in 2024/25, we will see if he will still hold this record, considering his age.