Tottenham Hotspur have ripped up their long-standing wage structure following the arrivals of Sandro Tonali and Mateus Fernandes, but how do Spurs’ top earners now compare with the rest of the Premier League?
For years, Tottenham built a reputation under former chairman Daniel Levy for operating with one of the strictest wage structures among the Premier League’s biggest clubs. And while financially sensible, it often left them at a disadvantage when competing with their rivals for elite talent.
Since Levy’s departure, however, CEO Vinai Venkatesham admitted the club intended to change how it operates in the transfer market.
After narrowly avoiding relegation in each of the last two seasons, Spurs have backed those words with action, breaking their transfer record twice within 24 hours: first signing Mateus Fernandes for £85m, then following up with a £100m move for Sandro Tonali. In doing so, they also seem to have moved away from their long-standing self-imposed wage cap.
De Zerbi’s influence undoubtedly helped convince both players to move to N17, but the financial packages offered also played a significant role in seeing off rival clubs. Let’s have a look at where Tottenham’s biggest earners now rank compared to the Premier League’s highest-paid players.
Where Tottenham’s highest earners rank among the Premier League’s biggest salaries
We recently reported that Sandro Tonali and Mateus Fernandes are expected to earn around £300,000 per week and £250,000 per week respectively, following their moves to Tottenham.
Those figures make the pair not only Tottenham’s two highest-paid players, but also the highest earners in the club’s history.
Before their arrivals, Cristian Romero and Xavi Simons jointly topped Spurs’ wage bill on £195,000 per week. While that was comfortably the highest salary in the current squad, it still ranked only around 30th among the Premier League’s highest earners.
The new arrivals, however, change those charts dramatically. Based on the reported figures, Tonali would move into joint third among the league’s highest-paid players alongside Bruno Fernandes.
Mateus Fernandes would sit 7th in a large group of players earning around £250,000 per week, including Gianluigi Donnarumma, Cody Gakpo, William Saliba, Marc Guehi and Ruben Dias.
| Player | Club | Gross Fixed P/W (GBP) | Gross Fixed P/Y (GBP) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Erling Haaland | Manchester City | £525,000 | £27,300,000 |
| Virgil van Dijk | Liverpool | £350,000 | £18,200,000 |
| Sandro Tonali | Tottenham Hotspur | £300,000 | £15,600,000 |
| Bruno Fernandes | Manchester United | £300,000 | £15,600,000 |
| Omar Marmoush | Manchester City | £295,000 | £15,340,000 |
| Alexander Isak | Newcastle United | £280,000 | £14,560,000 |
| Kai Havertz | Arsenal | £280,000 | £14,560,000 |
| Gabriel Jesus | Arsenal | £265,000 | £13,780,000 |
| Mateus Fernandes | Tottenham Hotspur | £250,000 | £13,000,000 |
| Gianluigi Donnarumma | Manchester City | £250,000 | £13,000,000 |
| Cody Gakpo | Liverpool | £250,000 | £13,000,000 |
| William Saliba | Arsenal | £250,000 | £13,000,000 |
| Marc Guehi | Liverpool | £250,000 | £13,000,000 |
| Ruben Dias | Manchester City | £250,000 | £13,000,000 |
| Declan Rice | Arsenal | £240,000 | £12,480,000 |
Marcus Rashford could push Tottenham even higher
Several outlets have named Spurs among the clubs interested in Rashford after Barcelona decided against activating their option to sign the England international. His salary is set to rise to around £325,000 per week from next month, and reports suggest Tottenham would surprisingly be prepared to match those wage demands if they pursue a deal.
Should that happen, Rashford would become the third-highest individual earner in the Premier League, behind only Erling Haaland and Virgil van Dijk, while pushing Tonali and Bruno Fernandes one place further down the list.
That said, a move still appears some way off. Multiple reports suggest Rashford would prefer to avoid joining another Premier League club, while Fabrizio Romano has described Tottenham’s interest as a possibility but stressed that, at this stage, it is “nothing advanced or realistic.”