Newcastle United’s average first team salary has spiked in the last year, according to new research.
Sporting Intelligence’s 2019 Global Sports Salaries survey (GSSS) uses published accounts and insider knowledge to assess the average first team weekly wage of sports clubs from across the globe.
And according to their research, Newcastle United’s average first team wage has jumped from £31,733 in the 2018/19 season to £40,120 this season after a summer in which they signed Joelinton, Allan Saint-Maximin, Jetro Willems and Emil Krafth – as well as a move for free agent Andy Carroll.
That bumps them up to 138th biggest payers in the world of sports – up from 166th in the 2018/19 season.
But in Premier League terms they remain mid-table in terms of average first team wage. They are 13th highest payers in the top flight, behind Crystal Palace, West Ham, Southampton and Wolves.
With a total first team wage bill of £2.1million, they are way behind Manchester City’s cumulative wage bill of £7million. Given the fact that wages often correlate fairly directly with first team performance, it suggests that both Rafa Benitez and current boss Steve Bruce are marginally over performing with the financial muscle at Newcastle’s disposal.
The GSS is an annual look at wages in sport and is different from most measures because it only looks at first team wages. While official club accounts give the entire wage bill, the GSS concentrates on first team players as a way of differentiating between clubs.
They do not take into account bonuses or performance-related payments, instead calculating an average basic wage.
It lists Newcastle entire wage bill as £2,086,240 for this season. It was £1,650,133 for last season, according to the GSS. The biggest wage bill in sport belongs to Barcelona, who pay out £9,827,644.
