Chelsea to pay over €1 BILLION in wages over the next decade

Cameron Smith

• Updated: 2 Sept 2024 12:59 BST
• 3 min read

Chelsea’s first-team squad have nearly 200 years left on their current contracts and the club face the prospect of paying marginally under £1 billion in wages as a result.

Although the Blues have prioritised signing young players on relatively low wages over the past few years, their salary bill remains huge.

In fact, Chelsea will have to pay £954.7 million (€1.133 billion) in wages if every single player in their first-team squad sees out their current contract, as per data from Capology and estimates regarding the salaries of several summer signings.

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That tally also doesn’t include Jadon Sancho’s wage, who will join the club permanently next summer if Chelsea finish above 15th, or Estevao Willian, Kendry Paez, Mike Penders and Aaron Anselmino - all of whom will arrive in 2025.

Chelsea's huge wage bill

Raheem Sterling is Chelsea’s highest weekly earner and although Arsenal will reportedly pay around 50% of his salary during his loan move this season, the Blues will still owe the Englishman £40.3 million in wages if he stays at the club until his deal expires in 2027.

Meanwhile, Enzo Fernandez stands to earn a whopping £74.88m due to the fact his £180,000 per week contract runs until 2032.

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Like Cole Palmer, Nicolas Jackson is also set to sign a two-year contract extension with the club, even though his existing deal isn’t set to expire until 2031, and he could be rewarded with a salary increase as a result.

Club captain Reece James will earn £52m over the next four years, while Wesley Fofana will earn the same tally over the five years remaining on his Chelsea contract.

In addition, a total of 21 players are expected to earn at least £20m if they stay at Stamford Bridge until their current deal expires.

Cesare Casadei, Andrey Santos and Renato Veiga are among the lowest earners at Chelsea, and while Pedro Neto and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall’s salaries are currently unknown, they are likely to have received a fairly significant wage increase upon their arrival at Chelsea.

Joao Felix, on the other hand, took a wage cut to fit into the club’s salary structure, but he is still expected to be earning a substantial weekly pay.