Every Championship club's 'annual wage bill' revealed as Leicester City top list with £63 million

The reported annual wage bill of every Championship club has been revealed and it makes for fascinating reading.

The 2023/24 Championship season gets underway on Friday as Sheffield Wednesday host Southampton.

Wednesday secured promotion to England's second tier after winning the League One play-off, with the Saints losing their spot in the Premier League following last season's relegation.

Southampton are among the favourites to secure promotion to the Premier League and their wage bills suggests they have the firepower within their squad to do so.

According to Capology, Russell Martin's side have a whopping wage bill of £52,146,000 as they boast the likes of James Ward-Prowse, Romeo Lavia, Che Adams and Adam Armstrong, among others.

But Leicester reportedly have the highest wage bill in the Championship, with a massive sum of £62,634,000.

The Foxes' squad features big-name players like Jamie Vardy, Kelechi Iheanacho and summer signings Harry Winks and Conor Coady.

Leeds United, who also suffered the drop from the Premier League last season, have the third highest annual wage bill of £42,971,000.

West Brom, Watford and Norwich, who have all enjoyed stints in the Premier League in recent seasons, are ranked fourth, fifth and sixth respectively.

Cardiff City, Bristol City, Middlesbrough, Hull City make up the top ten.

Plymouth, who won the League One title last season, have the lowest annual wage bill in the Championship.

Their wage bill comes in at £2,266,000, with Coventry City, Rotherham, and Queens Park Rangers also boasting a modest annual wage bill.

Image: via Twitter

Needless to say, the annual wage bill of every Championship club sent social media wild.

One Twitter user wrote: "How can you possibly compete with 62 mil a year... Vardy in the championship is gonna be something else."

A Leicester fan tweeted: "Shambles that we got relegated."

A third added: "Coventry is impressive considering last season."

A Wednesday supporter said: "11th highest wage bill in championship despite being in League One."

A fifth added: "Plymouth have the opportunity to do the funniest thing possible this season."

What's your take? Let us know.