Taking a closer look at the size of the Leeds United wage bill
Leeds United are preparing for their return to the Championship after three years away from the second division.
The Whites suffered relegation to the second tier after a 19th place finish in the Premier League last year.
It was a disappointing campaign that ended with Sam Allardyce placed in charge of the final few games in a last ditch effort to remain in the Premier League.
Daniel Farke has since been appointed as manager with the goal of bringing the team straight back into the top flight.
How big is the Leeds United wage bill?
The Yorkshire club has had a busy summer of transfer activity as the German looks to build a side capable of fighting for a top two finish.
A number of first team squad members have departed, with others likely to follow suit, but the club has also worked on bringing in fresh faces to the team.
Here we look at the estimated wage bill that Leeds United have going into the upcoming Championship campaign, via Capology (all figures featured below are estimations)…
The current weekly squad salary at Elland Road is currently worth £826,365.
That is down from last season, when the Leeds weekly salary was £1,174,500.
The drop from the Premier League into the Championship causing a decrease is no surprise, with player departures playing a significant role.
The club’s previous highest earner Rodrigo has left Leeds for Qatar, walking away from a weekly wage of £100,000.
The average annual wage at Leeds last season was £2,035,800, which has now dropped to £1,591,519.
Who is the current highest earner at Leeds United?
Rodrigo’s departure has left Jack Harrison as the highest earner at Leeds, with a weekly wage of £90,000.
Harrison has been with Leeds since 2018, initially joining on loan from Middlesbrough before completing a permanent move to Elland Road in 2021.
The 26-year-old featured 36 times in the league last year, contributing five goals and seven assists.
Patrick Bamford is the next highest earner, with a contract that runs until 2026 on a weekly wage of £70,000.
The striker was the fourth highest earner at Leeds last year, but the departure of Weston McKennie has moved him up the pecking order.
McKennie spent the second half of last season on loan with the Whites from Juventus, but looks unlikely to return for another campaign with the club.
Who are some of the other high wage earners at Leeds United?
Newer additions to the squad have moved closest to the top of the Leeds wage bill.
Luis Sinisterra signed for the club last summer and arrived on a weekly wage worth £65,000.
Georginio Rutter arrived in the most recent January transfer window on a weekly wage of £70,000.
Junior Firpo has been with Leeds since 2021, signing a contract worth £60,000 a week that runs until 2025.
No figure has yet emerged for what Ethan Ampadu is now earning at Leeds following his move from Chelsea, but it is unlikely that he will be the only summer signing so the size of this wage bill could well change in the coming weeks.
