Wage Gap Shines Light on Club Budgets

Newcastle and Liverpool illustrate a growing wage gap as Hugo Ekitike earns more than Alexander Isak amid a busy transfer window.

Wage Gap Between Isak and Ekitike Highlights Pay Disparity at Top Clubs

Liverpool signed Hugo Ekitike for £79m and pay him about £250,000 a week, around £13m annually. Newcastle United rejected a bid of up to £120m for Alexander Isak, who earns about £120,000 a week on a six year contract signed in 2022. Isak is reportedly refusing to play while contract talks continue, while Newcastle insist he is not for sale. Ekitike’s wage dwarfs Isak’s, a gap that may help explain why Isak feels he deserves a rise even though the club has kept to its wage structure. Newcastle were prepared to push wages to around £200,000 a week but stopped short of the club’s top earner. Isak is training away from the first team and is not set for the season opener, though Howe has left the door open for a possible return.

Other big earners in the Premier League illustrate the wider market. Mohamed Salah remains the club’s top earner at around £400,000 per week, and Viktor Gyokeres is reported to be paid about £200,000 weekly at Arsenal after a move from Sporting Lisbon. Benjamin Sesko reportedly turned down a more lucrative offer from Newcastle to join Manchester United where he signed a five year deal worth £160,000 per week.

The wage gap shows how market forces shape squad composition. When a top signing earns more than a club’s existing star, it can crystallize a sense of unequal value and influence future contract talks. This kind of disparity feeds a broader trend of wage inflation in the Premier League, where short term gains for clubs may collide with long term team harmony. At the same time, the numbers reveal how transfer strategies are driven by negotiating leverage as much as by on field performance. The balance between rewarding form and maintaining a cohesive squad will define how Newcastle and similar clubs respond in the coming weeks.

Highlights

Pay scales in football are changing fast and may reshape what fans expect from players and clubs alike.