Chelsea are only behind the two Manchester clubs when it comes to the Premier League wage bill and here at Soccerlens we look at the ten highest paid players at Stamford Bridge.
Although there are no means of confirmation that these figures are spot on, the data collected by Football Manager tend to be extremely accurate and based on direct information from clubs and reputed media outlets.
There has been plenty of discussions in the past that a wage bill has an important say in the success of a club. The general theory behind this is, better players demand higher wages and therefore a high wage bill equates to a better squad and in turn better results.
Although that theory doesn’t quite hold true for every single season, it is spot on more often than not in the Premier League.
Without further delay, let’s look at the top 10 highest earners at Stamford Bridge.
Eden Hazard
The Belgian is unsurprisingly the highest earner at Chelsea and is earning 9.3 million pounds per year. Hazard recently extended his deal and his new contract will keep him at the club till 2020.
John Terry
Club captain and legend John Terry has entered the final phase of his career and is the second highest earner at Chelsea. The England defender is earning 9.1 million pounds per year and has a contract till 2016.
Cesc Fabregas
Cesc Fabregas is the third highest earner at Chelsea and is earning 8.55 million pounds per year before tax. The former Arsenal captain has signed a long term deal which will keep him at the club till 2019.
Radamel Falcao
Given his recent form, it is quite extraordinary how the big clubs are willing to shell out big wages for him. The Colombian earns a whopping 7.8 million pounds per year at Chelsea.
Diego Costa
Chelsea’s best striker and is unsurprisingly high on the earners list. Diego Costa earns the same as that of Radamel Falcao and has a contract till 2019.
Oscar
Brazilian midfielder Oscar may not be the first name of the team sheet but the young central midfielder is on par with the likes of Costa in terms of wages.
Oscar earns 7.8 million pounds per year and has signed a new deal which will keep him at the club till 2019.
Thibaut Courtois
The Belgian keeper earns 5.2 million pounds per year and is contracted to the club till 2019. The former Atletico Madrid player has been a key member of the Chelsea squad that lifted the Premier League last season.
John Obi Mikel
Mikel is a surprising addition to this list. The Nigerian defensive midfielder might not be happy about his playing time, but he cannot complain about his wages.
The tenacious midfielder earns 4.7 million pounds per year and has a contract till 2017.
Willian
The Brazilian attacking midfielder has been phenomenal this season and is expected to be rewarded with a new contract soon.
As for now, Willian earns 4.7 million pounds and has a contract till 2018.
Juan Cuadrado
Cuadrado has been a misfit in more way than one. After shelling out big money to land the Colombian, Chelsea left him leave on loan after just a few months and are now expected to offload him permanently on a cut price deal.
Cuadrado is earning 4.4 million pounds per season and has a contract till 2019.
Alongside Falcao and Mikel, Cuadrado is another shock inclusion on this list. The likes of Cahill, Ivanovic, Azpilicueta are all better players and deserve to earn more.
Have you got your own copy of Football Manager 2016 yet? We are giving one away for free. Simply follow these instructions here.
Add Sportslens to your Google News Feed!
