Leeds United were hit with a hugely underwhelming 2022/23 campaign which saw them, ultimately, relegated back down the Championship.
The drop-down from England’s top tier will naturally see Leeds’ revenue decrease dramatically which will have an impact on their ability to spend in terms of paying their players the big bucks.
And it has not proven to be a seamless transition for the Yorkshire club in the second tier with the Whites taking four attempts to get their first three points on the board. But it remains early days in the reign of Daniel Farke at Elland Road with a long season ahead of them.
Relegation down to the Championship has naturally seen some of Leeds’ prominent players depart the club. A number of players have left on loan but the Whites have also lost some of their stars on a permanent basis.
With the 2023/24 campaign now well under way, Football FanCast has taken a look at how the Yorkshire club divide their wage bill and who are the top 10 earners at Elland Road currently. All earnings are based on reports via Capology.
How much do Leeds spend in wages per year?
Leeds enter the 2023/24 campaign as one of the Championship’s biggest clubs having spent the last three campaigns in the Premier League. And they will naturally be eyeing an instant return back to the top flight.
As a result of their increased revenue coming from life in the Premier League, Leeds have dropped into the Championship with the third-highest wage bill in the league. Perhaps as expected, the two clubs who currently pay their players more are the other two teams to come down with them, Leicester City and Southampton.
The Whites currently pay £41.8m per year to their current crop of players which, in comparison, is just over £20m more than what Leicester are paying in wages this season. However, to put it into context, it is also almost £40m more than what Plymouth Argyle – the league’s lowest-spenders – are paying their players.
It is also worth noting that since their relegation from the Premier League, Leeds have reduced their wage bill around a third with their spend in the 2022/23 campaign on wages alone coming in at £61m.
1
Patrick Bamford – £70k per week
Leeds are currently tied with two players who currently earn the top amount at Elland Road. Indeed, long-standing servant, Patrick Bamford, is the club’s joint highest-earner on a whopping £70k-per-week .
It has been a tricky few years for the Englishman following an impressive 2020/21 campaign in the Premier League following their promotion to the top flight. But earning £70k-per-week in the Championship leaves little room for excuses if their striker is still struggling to find the back of the net.
Although Bamford is Leeds’ joint-highest paid player, it is interesting to see where he ranks across the league as a whole. And it is perhaps surprising to see the results. Bamford still comes in £70k per week shy of the league’s top earner – Jamie Vardy – with six other players earning more than the Leeds striker.
2
Georginio Rutter – £75k per week
Tied at the top of the tree alongside Bamford is Georginio Rutter. The Frenchman signed for Leeds in a big-money deal back in January after joining from Hoffenheim for a fee believed to be worth in the region of £35m.
However, life in England has not been easy for the forward with his brief spell in the Premier League failing to produce a single goal. Indeed, across his 18 appearances in all competitions for the Yorkshire club, Rutter’s only goal came in their first victory of the season over Ipswich Town.
Along with his huge price tag, Leeds will surely be looking for an awful lot more from Rutter considering the wages they are currently paying him. Life in the Premier League clearly proved difficult for the forward, but a season in the Championship may be just what he needed to find his feet in England.
3
Junior Firpo – £60k per week
Currently missing the earl stages of the season through injury, Junior Firpo takes home a considerable weekly wage following their relegation down to the Championship. The Dominican Republican has racked up 51 appearances for the Whites since joining from Barcelona in 2021, however, he has struggled to provide much of an attacking influence.
Indeed, despite arriving from the Spanish giants on a significant weekly wage, Firpo has only been able to provide Leeds with two goals and four assists across his Leeds career.
Although his time at Elland Road has been pretty underwhelming so far, his experience from playing across Europe’s top leagues may be seen as a significant loss for Farke’s side as they aim to make an instant return to the top flight.
4
Daniel James – £50k per week
The Welshman joined the Whites for a whopping £25m from Manchester United, but he has failed to live up to the considerable amount of money spent on bringing him to Yorkshire.
After spending some time away from Elland Road on loan with Fulham, the Wales international has returned and has remained at the club for the current campaign. But earning £50k-per-week in the second tier will certainly put pressure on the 25-year-old to perform at a high level.
James still has three years remaining on his current deal with Leeds and now they have been reduced to the second tier, perhaps now is the time when James gets his career back on track having shown his best form with Swansea City in this division before joining United.
5
Pascal Struijk – £50k per week
Also coming in at £50k-per-week is Pascal Struijk. The Dutchman has remained at the club despite their relegation and has been used heavily by Farke in the early stages of the campaign.
Unlike James, Leeds may view the defender as a worthwhile investment considering he has been used heavily over recent seasons in the Premier League by the previous managers.
And it seems as if his spot in the starting XI is nailed down even under Farke with the new Leeds boss having started the opening five games in the Championship.
6
Stuart Dallas – £45k per week
The Northern Irishman has certainly racked up an impressive number of games since playing in Yorkshire. Having signed from Brentford back in 2015, Dallas has played more than 260 times for the Whites.
However, a significant injury has meant the midfielder has been held back from making any further appearances with his last game in a Leeds shirt coming all the way back at the back end of the 2021/22 campaign.
Given he remains sidelined through the injury, £45k-per-week is an awful lot of money for the Whites to be paying out for a player who has not featured in 15 months, however, there will be little doubting how good of a servant Dallas has been for Leeds.
7
Helder Costa – £32.5k per week
Unlike Dallas, Helder Costa’s time in Yorkshire may not be viewed so fondly with just eight goals returned from his 71 appearances in a Leeds shirt.
And it seems as if his future at Elland Road could be coming to and end over the coming weeks with a potential move to the Middle East being reported.
Considering he is yet to feature under Farke, removing over £30k-per-week from their wage bill could be a big boost for the Whites.
8
Illan Meslier – £30k per week
The back end of the 2022/23 campaign proved a difficult one for Illan Meslier who found his spot in the starting XI reduced by Sam Allardyce. However, the new campaign has seen the youngster return between the sticks.
The summer transfer window saw a lot of speculation as to whether Meslier who remain at the club with some big clubs – like Chelsea – reportedly interested in potentially buying him from the relegated Leeds.
Despite the Whites adding an experienced figure in Karl Darlow, Meslier has remained at Elland Road and has earned himself the spot in Farke’s starting XI.
9
Luke Ayling – £25k per week
Another one of Leeds’ long-standing servants, Luke Ayling has provided the Whites with great value for money over the years after signing from Bristol City for less than £1m back in 2016.
Since making the move to Yorkshire, Ayling has gone on to make over 250 appearances for Leeds and continues to feature in their starting XI today.
Indeed, the 32-year-old has made a bright start to the new campaign having netted a goal and provided an assist in the opening four games of the league season.
10
Liam Cooper – £25k per week
Just making the top 10 earners at Elland Road is the club captain, Liam Cooper. And it is a similar case as it was with Ayling with the Scotsman proving a real valuable player for the club over the years.
Cooper has racked up north of 260 appearances for the Whites but injuries are beginning to prove a real issue for the centre-back.
The captain is now playing into the final year of his deal in Yorkshire and there has to be an expectation that this could well be his final campaign with the Whites as a result of these ongoing injury issues.
