Multi-club ownership is not uncommon in football these days, a circumstance that made the news this summer.

Having won the FA Cup for the first time in their history, Crystal Palace were relishing the prospect of competing in the Europa League this term, that was until UEFA stepped in, demoting the Eagles to the Conference League instead.

With US businessman John Textor owning a stake in the club, as well as being the majority owner of Lyon, it was deemed to be a potential conflict of interests, as Lyon too had qualified for the competition.

Palace are currently appealing the decision, citing double standards in Manchester City and Girona being allowed to participate in the Champions League last year, despite both clubs being owned by the City Football Group (CFG).

UEFA’s argument in response takes us into the weeds of small print that essentially says it’s fine for companies to own two or more clubs competing in the same tournament. It is not permissible however when it concerns individuals.

CFG of course were one of the original examples of multi-club owners with the energy drinks giant Red Bull another. Along with Red Bull Salzburg and New York Red Bulls, they have varying stakes in a number of other clubs, including RB Leipzig and Leeds United.

As impressive a stable it is though – with eight affiliated clubs all told, falling under their umbrella - what they lack is a behemoth, a standard-bearer that resides among the very elite in world football.  
That’s what CFG possess in Manchester City, the club where it al began for them.

Manchester City

On August 4th, 2008, a newly founded private equity company named the Abu Dhabi United Group purchased Manchester City lock, stock and barrel.

The takeover of the top-flight side seemingly took everybody by surprise but it didn’t take long before it dominated the news cycle, especially as the owner of ADUG was Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, a prominent member of the Abu Dhabi royal family.

At his disposal was wealth unimaginable, resources that could utterly transform the club to the point of making them a global superpower.

To demonstrate this, on the same day the takeover was officially confirmed, City signed Robinho from Real Madrid. Just three months prior they had lost 8-0 up at Middlesbrough.

What happened next to the Blues is a tale familiar to us all, the club growing ever-more in stature, going on to sign the ilk of Sergio Aguero, David Silva and Keven De Bruyne.

In the 17 years post-takeover they have won eight league titles, 13 domestic cups and the Champions League. Perennially they are hot favourites in the Premier League betting.

Yet if we focus on the rise of the City Football Group we must go back to September 2012, to a key signing. In this instance it is not the purchasing of a player but rather the appointment of a new CEO, lured across from Barcelona. His name is Ferran Soriano.

It had long been Soriano’s vision to conceive a global footballing entity, something he had attempted with middling success in Catalonia.

At City however he now had the resources – and wholesale backing – to do it properly.

In May 2013, New York City Football Club came into being, officially announced as the MLS’s 20th expansion team. Founded by the newly established City Football Group, the club’s first team strip would of course be sky blue.

Soon after, CFG acquired a controlling stake in the Australian A-League side Melbourne Heart. They were subsequently rebranded as Melbourne City.

On the pitch in Manchester, Roberto Mancini and his successor Manuel Pellegrini were set on building a dynasty. Off it, Soriano was constructing an empire.

Who are City Football Group?

CFG is majority owned by ADUG, their stake accounting for 81% of the company.

In 2019, 10% of the company was sold to US private equity firm Silver Lake for $500m, a deal that valued CFG at $4.8 billion. Silver Lake has since purchased a further 8%.

The remaining 1% is held by two Chinese firms, China Media Capital and CITIC Capital.

In 2025, CFG have total, or partial, ownership of 12 clubs, spread across the globe, while also partnering four clubs, those being – Vannes in France, Istanbul Basaksehir, Geylang International in Singapore, and Club Bolivar in Bolivia.

They have also invested significantly in the women’s game, with Manchester City Women, Girona Femeni, Palermo Women and Melbourne City Women under their domain.

Naturally, with the CFG based in the UK, and given the enormous scale and scope of their original club, Manchester City is the flagship of the far-reaching enterprise. Here are the other 11, in order of purchase or conception.

New York City

Playing their football at the iconic Yankee Stadium, the ‘Pigeons’ have experienced mixed fortunes since joining the MLS franchise in 2015.

In 2021, they won the MLS Cup while for four years fans delighted in the sight of live betting favourite David Villa leading their front-line, a striker always capable of upending the odds when in sight of goal.

But there has also been plenty of disappointments too from a club that perhaps could have kicked on more considering the funding available.

Melbourne City

Previously, Melbourne Heart, the Australian side have also benefitted from having Villa leading their line, on loan in 2014.

Success has come to AAMI Park post-takeover, with two A-League titles won as well as three near misses.

Yokohama F. Marinos

Extending their reaches to Asia, CFG partnered up with Nissan in 2014 to take over the Tricolor, who compete in Japan’s J1 League.

Two league titles have been won since, in addition to numerous mid-table finishes.

Montevideo City Torque

Residing in the Uruguayan top-flight after achieving promotion last year, Torque have been part of the CFG roster since 2017.

In 2021, an academy was completed near to the stadium, intended to develop emerging and exciting South American talent.

Girona

In the summer of 2017, CFG purchased a 44.3% stake in the Catalonian side, an identical share to what is held by Girona Football Group. The latter is run by Pere Guardiola, brother of Pep.

Relegation to Segunda Division occurred soon after the takeover but the White and Reds have bounced back brilliantly, over-achieving in 2023/24 by finishing third in La Liga.

One of their stand-out stars of that season, the winger Savinho, transferred to Manchester City that summer for a mutually agreeable fee of £30.8m.

Shenzhen Peng City

Making inroads into the highly profitable Chinese market, CFG secured partial ownership (47%) of Peng City in 2019.

The club was only founded in 2017, originally named Sichuan Jiuniu and limited by their amateur status. It now competes in the Chinese Super League.

Lommel

As the club approaches its centenary year, Lommel compete in the Belgian second tier, their ambitions now loftier from CFG’s controlling interest.

It is all a far cry from seismic struggles endured across the 2000s, when they lost their professional status.

Troyes

CFG secured a majority stake in the French outfit in September 2020 and ever since it’s been a rollercoaster ride for a club reborn in 1979 after going bust.

A promotion to Ligue 1 was quickly followed by relegation to Ligue 2. They even dropped to the third tier until they were saved by a reshuffle of participants.

Presently, Troyes appear to have stabilised. We will see.

Palermo

The famous old club all-but ceased to exist in 2019, excluded from all professional leagues in Italy after being unable to meet even basic financial obligations such as insuring their ground.

A phoenix club was duly born, one that swiftly rose through the divisions. It was a resurrection that was assisted by a CFG takeover in 2022. I Rosanero compete this term in Serie B.

Mumbai City

The Islanders’ enjoyed a global presence long before CFG acquired a 65% stake in 2020, appointing Peter Reid to their dug-out six years prior and bringing over marquee talent such as Nicolas Anelka and Freddie Ljungberg to India.

Bahia

The Brazilian top-flight side enjoyed huge success in the Eighties before encountering sustained troubles that sent them spiralling down the football pyramid.

Revived in recent years they were taken over by CFG in late 2022, with 98.6% of club members voting for it. Unlike several of their peers however, Bahia insisted on retaining their club colours and badge.

*Credit for the main photo belongs to Alamy*

There are two distinctly different ways of becoming a member of the Premier League 100 Club, the elite group of attacking talent that have scored a century of goals in the English top-flight.

You could go down the Alan Shearer or Harry Kane route, blasting in goals left, right and centre, season after season. Before your career has even reached its halfway point, you’re among some very select company. 

Alternatively, there is the steadier approach undertaken by Peter Crouch, Dion Dublin and Darren Bent. These highly-respected strikers were no less consistent, just not so prolific, plundering ten or 15 per year until the magic mark was reached.

However long it took each player to get to a ton, all of the 34 members of the 100 Club can legitimately claim to be specialists at their craft, with a career tally to prove it.

They could alter the sports betting with a half-chance. They struck fear into goalkeepers when in sight of goal. They were hit-men of the highest renown.

Players with 100 Premier League Goals

The Premier League has been roamed by some of the most lethal poachers in modern football and it’s no surprise to see some extremely familiar names included on the list below. 

Just as interesting though, are the names who ultimately fell short of joining this exclusive clique. 

Ruud Van Nistelrooy slotted home 95 Premier League goals. Kevin Phillips and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer ended up on 92 and 91 respectively.

Denis Bergkamp, for all his sumptuous football, closed on 87.

Then there are the strikers who feel nailed-on to join the club before retiring...

But enough with the speculation, it’s time to celebrate the 34 centurions in all their glory.

• Alan Shearer – 260
• Harry Kane – 213 
• Wayne Rooney - 208
• Andrew Cole - 187
• Mohamed Salah - 187
• Sergio Aguero – 184
• Frank Lampard - 177
• Thierry Henry – 175
• Robbie Fowler – 163
• Jermain Defoe – 162
• Michael Owen – 150
• Les Ferdinand – 149
• Teddy Sheringham – 146
• Jamie Vardy - 145
• Robin van Persie – 144
• Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink - 127
• Son Heung-Min - 127
• Robbie Keane - 126
• Nicolas Anelka – 125
• Dwight Yorke - 123
• Raheem Sterling – 123
• Romelu Lukaku – 121
• Steven Gerrard – 120
• Ian Wright – 113
• Dion Dublin – 111
• Sadio Mane - 111
• Emile Heskey - 110
• Ryan Giggs - 109
• Peter Crouch - 108
• Paul Scholes - 107
• Darren Bent - 106
• Didier Drogba - 104
• Cristiano Ronaldo - 103
• Matt Le Tissier - 100

Fastest Player To 100 Premier League Goals

As of April 2024, Alan Shearer holds the record for reaching 100 Premier League goals in the fewest number of matches.

The Newcastle legend needed just 121 games in England’s elite league to hit the century mark while Harry Kane notched his 100th goal on his 141st Premier League outing.

Son Heung-min is the latest player to join the Premier League 100 Club, the former Spurs attacker needing 260 top-flight appearances to reach the illustrious mark.

Here we look at how many league games it took for each player in this exclusive club to reach 100 goals.

• Alan Shearer - 121 games
• Harry Kane - 141 games
• Sergio Aguero - 147 games
• Thierry Henry - 160 games
• Mohamed Salah - 162 games
• Ian Wright - 173 games
• Robbie Fowler - 175 games
• Les Ferdinand - 178 games
• Andy Cole - 185 games
• Michael Owen - 185 games
• Robin Van Persie - 197 games
• Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink - 200 games
• Jamie Vardy - 206 games
• Romelu Lukaku - 216 games
• Didier Drogba - 220 games
• Darren Bent - 226 games
• Wayne Rooney - 247 games
• Teddy Sheringham - 254 games
• Dwight Yorke - 254 games
• Robbie Keane - 255 games
• Nicolas Anelka - 258 games
• Son Heung-min – 260 games 
• Matthew Le Tissier - 266 games
• Dion Dublin - 271 games
• Jermaine Defoe - 303 games
• Frank Lampard - 406 games
• Emile Heskey - 414 games
• Peter Crouch - 419 games
• Paul Scholes - 436 games
• Steven Gerrard - 449 games
• Ryan Giggs - 534 games

Centurions By Premier League Club:

Given their scant number of league titles it’s quite surprising that Liverpool have been blessed with four forwards who have all notched one hundred in red.

Alan Shearer meanwhile is the only player to reach a century with two different clubs.  

• Liverpool – 4 players
• Manchester United – 4 players
• Tottenham – 3 players
• Arsenal – 2 players 
• Chelsea – 2 players
• Manchester City – 1 player
• Blackburn – 1 player
• Leicester – 1 player
• Southampton – 1 player
• Newcastle – 1 player 

Premier League 100 Club by Country:

England’s complete domination in this field does raise an eyebrow or two, but perhaps it shouldn’t.

Until the late-Nineties, Premier League sides were mainly made up of domestic fare and when exporting talent became commonplace players arrived from far and wide. 

It means that only France (Nicolas Anelka and Thierry Henry) and the Netherlands (Robin van Persie and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink) are represented by more than one player.

In recently reaching his ton, Son Heung-min became the first Asian player to join this select group. 

• England – 19
• France – 2
• The Netherlands – 2
• Argentina – 1
• Republic of Ireland – 1 
• Ivory Coast – 1
• Egypt – 1
• Wales – 1
• Belgium – 1
• South Korea - 1
• Trinidad & Tobago – 1

*Credit for the main photo belongs to Alamy*

LOWER divisions of the EFL provide a pleasing blend of excitement and unpredictable results which lead to intense action in the live betting markets.

So how much do clubs in League One and League Two earn in total gate receipts for matches played?

Obviously figures can fluctuate throughout the year depending on local derbies, attractiveness of opposition, Bank Holiday fixtures over the Christmas/Easter periods, away support levels and particular clubs performing well in the promotion chase.

Stadium capacity restrictions also come into play. For example, Bromley have been busy rebuilding part of their ground.

But for an immediate overview, I can list the attendances for each club in the respective divisions during their opening match of the current 2025/26 football betting campaign. From there, it is possible to calculate an approximation of receipts gained through the turnstiles.

Starting in League One, the average admission price across all ticket categories is reported as being £25. Some clubs charge more than this, some charge less. Reductions exist for season ticket holders plus concessionary rates for senior citizens and children.

Here are the clubs ranked in terms of crowd statistics with gate revenue outlined too…

1. Bolton Wanderers 21,570 versus Plymouth Argyle: gate receipts £539k
2. Cardiff City  19,615 versus Peterborough United: gate receipts £491k
3. Bradford City  19,604 versus Wycombe W: gate receipts £490k
4. Huddersfield Town 17,062 versus Leyton Orient: gate receipts £427k
5. Plymouth Argyle 16,483 versus Barnsley: gate receipts £412k
6. Reading  12,538 versus Huddersfield Town: gate receipts £314k
7. Barnsley  12,456 versus Burton Albion: gate receipts £311k
8. Luton Town  11,735 versus AFC Wimbledon: gate receipts £293k
9. Peterborough United 10,827 versus Luton Town: gate receipts £271k
10. Stockport County 10,172 versus Bolton Wanderers: gate receipts £255k
11. Blackpool  10,090 versus Stevenage: gate receipts £252k
12. Rotherham United 9,883 versus Port Vale: gate receipts £247k
13. Port Vale  9,791 versus Cardiff City: gate receipts £245k
14. Wigan Athletic 9,471 versus Northampton Town: gate receipts £237k
15. Lincoln City  9,054 versus Reading: gate receipts £226k
16. Mansfield Town 8,798 versus Doncaster Rovers: gate receipts £220k
17. Doncaster Rovers 8,688 versus Exeter City: gate receipts £217k
18. Leyton Orient  8,111 versus Wigan Athletic: gate receipts £203k
19. AFC Wimbledon 8,067 versus Lincoln City: gate receipts £202k
20. Northampton Town 7,295 versus Bradford City: gate receipts £182k
21. Exeter City  6,852 versus Blackpool: gate receipts £171k
22. Wycombe Wanderers 5,590 versus Stockport County: gate receipts £140k
23. Burton Albion  5,170 versus Mansfield Town: gate receipts £129k
24. Stevenage  3,470 versus Rotherham United: gate receipts £87k

Meanwhile in League Two, the average admission price using similar parameters is £22. Once again, this is how the clubs are placed regarding 2025/26 initial attendances and matchday revenue… 

1. Milton Keynes Dons 9,384 versus Oldham Athletic: gate receipts £207k
2. Bristol Rovers  9,245 versus Harrogate Town: gate receipts £203k 
3. Notts County  9,074 versus Salford City: gate receipts £200k
4. Swindon Town 8,862 versus Cambridge United: gate receipts £195k
5. Chesterfield  8,223 versus Barrow: gate receipts £181k
6. Walsall  8,040 versus Swindon Town: gate receipts £177k
7. Oldham Athletic 7,799 versus Colchester United: gate receipts £172k
8. Tranmere Rovers 7,620 versus Shrewsbury Town: gate receipts £167k
9. Grimsby Town 6,806 versus Crawley Town: gate receipts £150k
10. Cambridge United 6,673 versus Cheltenham Town: gate receipts £147k
11. Gillingham 6,498 versus Walsall: gate receipts £144k
12. Colchester United 5,981 versus Tranmere Rovers: gate receipts £143k
13. Shrewsbury Town 5,809 versus Bromley: gate receipts £128k
14. Newport County 5,238 versus Notts County: gate receipts £115k
15. Crewe Alexandra 5,093 versus Accrington Stanley: gate receipts £112k
16. Cheltenham Town 4,002 versus Chesterfield: gate receipts £88k
17. Salford City 3,994 versus Crewe Alexandra: gate receipts £87k
18. Barnet 3,709 versus Fleetwood Town: gate receipts £82k
19. Harrogate Town 3,562 versus Grimsby Town: gate receipts £78k
20. Barrow 3,218 versus MK Dons: gate receipts £71k
21. Crawley Town 3,189 versus Newport County: gate receipts £70k
22. Fleetwood Town 2,903 versus Bristol Rovers: gate receipts £64k
23. Accrington Stanley 2,302 versus Gillingham: gate receipts £51k
24. Bromley 2,130 versus Barnet: gate receipts £47k

*Credit for the image belongs to Alamy*

HOW do clubs in League One and League Two make their money to sustain football operations?

That’s a great question because it is a costly exercise to chase promotion. In fact there are some eye watering salary figures across the two divisions which attract plenty of football betting.

Looking at League One, the current top five yearly wage bills are reported to be:

• Luton Town - £20.7 million
• Cardiff City - £13.9 million
• Huddersfield Town - £6.7 million
• Wigan Athletic - £5.6 million
• Stockport County - £5.2 million

Meanwhile, the top five wage expenditure in League Two is:

• MK Dons - £3.5 million
• Bristol Rovers - £3.2 million
• Gillingham - £3.1 million
• Chesterfield - £3 million
• Colchester United - £2.9 million

So how is this money generated? Lower League clubs have several different sources of income. This has to be taken into consideration when betting on games.

CENTRAL FUNDING

Central funding is pooled by the EFL so clubs receive a set amount each season. This is split into a ‘Solidarity Payment’ and a ‘Basic Award’ paid in monthly instalments throughout the year.

Therefore clubs in League One receive a confirmed £1.58 million each per season. In League Two, the overall verified figure is £1.13 million.

The Basic Award incorporates the EFL’s current five year broadcasting deal. In effect, member clubs receive a split per football season for their matches being screened on television. 

More than 1,000 EFL fixtures are screened live on Sky Sports via Sky each season.

GATE RECEIPTS

Average yearly matchday revenue is estimated at £3.5 million per club in League One and £2.1 million in League Two. But is a simple economic fact whereby the best supported teams pull in the most money through their turnstiles.

The highest League One crowd on the opening weekend was 19,615 for Cardiff City versus Peterborough United.

Season ticket prices at the Cardiff City Stadium start from £314 for adults ahead of the 2025/26 campaign. Alternatively, adult matchday tickets commence at £24. So at least £480,000 accrued from a near 20,000 crowd.

MATCH STREAMING

All fixtures in the EFL League One and League Two matches are available for clubs to stream overseas even if selected for international broadcast. UK fans can listen to live audio commentary of their team.

For example, Mansfield Town advertise the service as follow:

“International supporters can buy now for the price of £180 – guaranteeing you all 46 of our League One matches via iFollow Stags.

“Meanwhile, supporters based in the UK can purchase an audio season pass for £45, ensuring you can tune in to the club’s online commentary for every fixture. Monthly audio passes, costing just £4.50, are also available to buy now.”

PLAY-OFF PARTICIPATION

Teams reaching the Play-Offs receive additional gate receipts from their home Semi-Final along with a potential appearance in the Final at Wembley Stadium.

Last season’s attendances for the respective Play-Off Finals were:

• 76,193 for Charlton Athletic 1 Leyton Orient 0 in League One
• 50,947 for AFC Wimbledon 1 Walsall 0 in League Two

It has been suggested that the participating teams received £1 million each as a share of the League One Play-Off ticket sales at Wembley Stadium. You can add extra merchandise sales on to this tally. 

In addition, the subsequent Play-Off winners then see an increase in revenue the following season due to being promoted to the division above.

SPONSORSHIP/ADVERTISING

Every club enjoys a main shirt sponsorship partner. Some even have a back of shirt sponsor. Companies involved embrace the energy, automotive, betting and food & drink industries.

Lower division teams can anticipate commercial revenue streams of £2 million to £2.5 million a year.

MERCHANDISE SALES

When I was a kid, everyone wore a scarf in their favourite team’s colours when going to matches. But nowadays the best dressed supporters desire replica shirts.

Prices can vary. Stevenage list adult home shirts at £50. Meanwhile, it is £45 at Barrow. I’m sure a sizeable profit margin exists on these items. Other forms of merchandise are available too.

CUP RUNS

I recall lowly Chesterfield reaching the FA Cup Semi-Finals in 1997 – ultimately bowing out to Middlesbrough in a replay. And in 2013, Bradford City made it all the way through to the Football League Cup Final.

But money-spinning cup runs like this should be looked upon as one-off rather than being guaranteed in the yearly budget. 

MAJOR TRANSFERS

Player sales are another factor of income similar to cup runs in so much as they cannot be taken for granted. It obviously depends on having a saleable asset in the first place.

One of the biggest summer transfers saw Luton Town sell Norwegian midfielder Thelo Aasgaard for £3.5 million on 5th July. This created useful funds for Luton following two successive relegations from the Premier League to League One.

And it reduced their wage bill with a high earner departing as the Hatters cut cloth accordingly in the third tier. 

Luton Town boss manager Matt Bloomfield said: “It is a bitter-sweet situation for us. Obviously we are disappointed to see Thelo leave. But unfortunately, there was an air of inevitability after our relegation.”

*Credit for the photo in this article belongs to Alamy*

The Premier League is the biggest-money league in Europe. The wages being thrown out by a select few Spanish, French, German, Italian, and Saudi Arabian clubs may eclipse many English teams, but overall, it’s the highest-paying division of football. 

Without the restraints of a salary cap system, as is seen in the North American major leagues, teams can theoretically pay individual players as much as they can afford.

However, the majority of them keep the salaries that they’re paying under wraps. 

Premier League salary information isn’t generally made public. So, the best that we can go off to rank the highest paid players in the Premier League for the 2025/26 season are strong estimates by trusted resources like Capology and Spotrac. 

With that in mind, and a pinch of salt to hand, these are the top five highest-paid players in the Premier League right now.

Erling Haaland, Manchester City (£525,000 p/w)

By his own standards, Erling Haaland endured a torrid 2024/25 campaign that was hampered by injury while the trophy-gobbling team around him finally lost momentum. Even so, he scored 34 goals in 48 games. 

Since signing from Borussia Dortmund, the towering Norwegian has played 146 games for Manchester City, one of the richest football clubs in the world, and has duly returned 124 goals and 21 assists. 

Just one goal or assist shy of a goal contribution per game, he’s worth every penny of what is currently the salary for the highest-paid player in the Premier League at an estimated £525,000 per week. 

He didn’t sign on those massive wages, though. Having landed at the Etihad Stadium in the summer of 2022, the club soon acted to extend his deal. In 2025, he signed a nine-and-a-half contract with more suitably massive wages and bonuses.

Next season, with the squad renewed and Pep Guardiola gunning for the title again, Haaland will open each City match of Premier League betting as a clear favourite to score first, last, and anytime.

Mohamed Salah, Liverpool (£400,000 p/w)

Signing former Chelsea winger Mohamed Salah from AS Roma in the summer of 2017 can be marked up as one of the most influential moments in modern club history for Liverpool. 

The Egyptian speedster has torn apart Premier League and UEFA Champions League defences ever since, scoring 245 goals and setting up 113 more in his 401 games to date, winning the Golden Boot four times in doing so. 

At 33-years-old, many expected Liverpool to move on from Salah, but he made a convincing argument to be signed to a massive new deal with his 34 goals and 23 assists in 52 games last season. 

So, now he’s signed on until the end of the 2026/27 season, estimated to be earning around £400,000 per week.

Given that he’s guided Liverpool to their first two Premier League trophies and is a big part of why they’re the betting favourites to repeat, it seems fair that he’d be one of the league’s highest-paid players for 2025/26.

Virgil van Dijk, Liverpool (£350,000 p/w)

The epitome of the modern centre back, Virgil van Dijk boasts strength, speed, and solid passing to stand tall as one of, if not the, best defenders in the world right now. 

Liverpool’s captain has been instrumental in the build towards their modern run of success in Europe and the Premier League, commanding the backline since the middle of the 2017/18 campaign.

The Dutchman is now 34-years-old on a deal that expires at the end of the 2026/27 season, so he’ll be keen to further his legacy as one of the greatest centre-backs the Premier League has ever seen with another title in 2025/26.

Should he help to achieve this, the estimated £350,000 per week salary that makes him one of the highest-paid players in the Premier League this season may even seem cheap.

Casemiro, Manchester United (£350,000 p/w)

Desperate for a reliable defensive midfielder who could plug the gaps, Manchester United needed to find a way to draw in a 30-year-old Casemiro from the European titans Real Madrid. 

The solution: pay almost double his worth to Los Blancos and offer the Brazilian wages that would make him one of the highest-paid players in Premier League history, let alone for the 2022/23 campaign. 

Arguably, United did get what they expected. Casemiro has been excellent at times, doing exactly what the club has needed from him – it’s just a shame that the team building around him has been so scattershot. 

At the end of the 2025/26 season, Casemiro’s contract for an estimated £350,000 per week will expire. Unless he takes a pay cut to retain his place as a veteran on a team that’s deep in a rebuild, he’ll likely go elsewhere.

Raheem Sterling, Chelsea (£325,000 p/w)

After breaking through the Liverpool ranks to burst onto the Premier League scene and into the England line-up, Raheem Sterling quickly became one of the most coveted young players around. 

In 2015/16, Manchester City won the race to sign the speedster, giving the Reds around £60 million and handing the Kingston-born winger a hefty pay packet. 

He’d enjoy a good seven seasons at City before Chelsea happily added him to their ranks under the new ownership in 2022. Naturally, he was given a massive salary by the new Blues bosses. 

According to estimates, Sterling is still collecting around £325,000 per week from Chelsea – some of which Arsenal would have paid when taking him on loan for 2024/25. 

His deal with Chelsea runs until the end of the 2026/27 season. So, unless he accepts a transfer and likely a pay cut, the 30-year-old will remain one of the highest-paid players in the Premier League for a couple more seasons.

*Credit for the photo in this article belongs to Alamy*