PREMIER LEAGUE · DEFENDERS · 2026/27
Highest paid Premier League defenders
Virgil van Dijk is the best-paid defender in the Premier League, on £350,000 a week at Liverpool, or £18,200,000 a year. Marc Guéhi is next on £300,000 at Manchester City. We hold wages for 506 Premier League defenders in 2026/27.
BEST PAID £350k
AVERAGE WAGE £69,840
SHARE OF WAGE BILL31%
TOP 10 A WEEK £2.3m
WAGES HELD506
The 50 best-paid Premier League defenders
Weekly wage, 2026/27. A player who plays in two areas of the pitch is on both lists, at the full wage.
| # | PLAYER | WEEKLY | YEARLY | CLUB | AGE | POSITION | NATION |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Virgil van Dijk | £350,000£350k | £18,200,000£18.2m | Liverpool | 34 | Centre-back | Netherlands |
| 2 | Marc Guéhi | £300,000£300k | £15,600,000£15.6m | Manchester City | 25 | Centre-back | England |
| 3 | Reece James | £250,000£250k | £13,000,000£13.0m | Chelsea | 25 | Centre-back, defensive midfielder | England |
| 4 | William Saliba | £220,000£220k | £11,440,000£11.4m | Arsenal | 24 | Centre-back | France |
| 5 | Matthijs de Ligt | £220,000£220k | £11,440,000£11.4m | Manchester United | 25 | Centre-back | Netherlands |
| 6 | Ronald Araujo | £207,000£207k | £10,764,000£10.8m | Liverpool | 26 | Centre-back | Uruguay |
| 7 | Wesley Fofana | £200,000£200k | £10,400,000£10.4m | Chelsea | 24 | Centre-back | France |
| 8 | Jeremie Frimpong | £200,000£200k | £10,400,000£10.4m | Liverpool | 24 | Right-back, right winger | Netherlands |
| 9 | Rúben Dias | £200,000£200k | £10,400,000£10.4m | Manchester City | 28 | Centre-back | Portugal |
| 10 | Joško Gvardiol | £200,000£200k | £10,400,000£10.4m | Manchester City | 23 | Centre-back | Croatia |
| 11 | Harry Maguire | £200,000£200k | £10,400,000£10.4m | Manchester United | 32 | Centre-back | England |
| 12 | Luke Shaw | £200,000£200k | £10,400,000£10.4m | Manchester United | 30 | Centre-back | England |
| 13 | Gabriel | £190,000£190k | £9,880,000£9.9m | Arsenal | 27 | Centre-back | Brazil |
| 14 | Andrew Robertson | £175,000£175k | £9,100,000£9.1m | Tottenham Hotspur | 31 | Left-back | Scotland |
| 15 | Marco Palestra | £150,000£150k | £7,800,000£7.8m | Chelsea | 20 | Right-back, right midfielder | Italy |
| 16 | Marcos Senesi | £150,000£150k | £7,800,000£7.8m | Tottenham Hotspur | 28 | Centre-back | Argentina |
| 17 | Joachim Andersen | £140,000£140k | £7,280,000£7.3m | Fulham | 29 | Centre-back | Denmark |
| 18 | Miloš Kerkez | £140,000£140k | £7,280,000£7.3m | Liverpool | 21 | Left-back, left midfielder | Hungary |
| 19 | Jarrad Branthwaite | £135,000£135k | £7,020,000£7.0m | Everton | 23 | Defender | England |
| 20 | Pau Torres | £130,000£130k | £6,760,000£6.8m | Aston Villa | 28 | Centre-back | Spain |
| 21 | Matheus Nunes | £130,000£130k | £6,760,000£6.8m | Manchester City | 26 | Right-back, attacking midfielder | Portugal |
| 22 | Sven Botman | £125,000£125k | £6,500,000£6.5m | Newcastle United | 25 | Centre-back | Netherlands |
| 23 | Aaron Wan-Bissaka | £120,000£120k | £6,240,000£6.2m | Aston Villa | 27 | Right-back | Congo - Kinshasa |
| 24 | Joe Gomez | £120,000£120k | £6,240,000£6.2m | Liverpool | 28 | Defender | England |
| 25 | Conor Bradley | £120,000£120k | £6,240,000£6.2m | Liverpool | 22 | Right-back | Northern Ireland |
| 26 | Noussair Mazraoui | £120,000£120k | £6,240,000£6.2m | Manchester United | 27 | Defender | Morocco |
| 27 | Lisandro Martínez | £120,000£120k | £6,240,000£6.2m | Manchester United | 27 | Centre-back | Argentina |
| 28 | Leny Yoro | £113,000£113k | £5,876,000£5.9m | Manchester United | 19 | Centre-back | France |
| 29 | Pedro Porro | £112,000£112k | £5,824,000£5.8m | Tottenham Hotspur | 25 | Right-back, right midfielder | Spain |
| 30 | Benjamin White | £110,000£110k | £5,720,000£5.7m | Arsenal | 27 | Centre-back | England |
| 31 | Jurriën Timber | £110,000£110k | £5,720,000£5.7m | Arsenal | 24 | Defender | Netherlands |
| 32 | Kostas Tsimikas | £110,000£110k | £5,720,000£5.7m | Liverpool | 29 | Left-back, left midfielder | Greece |
| 33 | Ezri Konsa | £105,000£105k | £5,460,000£5.5m | Arsenal | 27 | Centre-back | England |
| 34 | Tyrone Mings | £105,000£105k | £5,460,000£5.5m | Aston Villa | 32 | Centre-back | England |
| 35 | Jorrel Hato | £100,000£100k | £5,200,000£5.2m | Chelsea | 19 | Centre-back | Netherlands |
| 36 | James Tarkowski | £100,000£100k | £5,200,000£5.2m | Everton | 32 | Centre-back | England |
| 37 | Tarik Muharemović | £100,000£100k | £5,200,000£5.2m | Leeds United | 22 | Centre-back | Bosnia & Herzegovina |
| 38 | Amad | £100,000£100k | £5,200,000£5.2m | Manchester United | 23 | Right wing-back, attacking midfielder | Côte d’Ivoire |
| 39 | Fabian Schär | £92,000£92k | £4,784,000£4.8m | Newcastle United | 33 | Centre-back | Switzerland |
| 40 | Wataru Endo | £91,000£91k | £4,732,000£4.7m | Liverpool | 32 | Centre-back, defensive midfielder | Japan |
| 41 | Malo Gusto | £89,000£89k | £4,628,000£4.6m | Chelsea | 22 | Right-back | France |
| 42 | Murillo | £89,000£89k | £4,628,000£4.6m | Nottingham Forest | 23 | Centre-back, defensive midfielder | Brazil |
| 43 | Rico Lewis | £88,000£88k | £4,576,000£4.6m | Manchester City | 20 | Right-back, defensive midfielder | England |
| 44 | Lewis Dunk | £87,000£87k | £4,524,000£4.5m | Brighton & Hove Albion | 33 | Centre-back | England |
| 45 | Timothy Castagne | £87,000£87k | £4,524,000£4.5m | Fulham | 29 | Full-back | Belgium |
| 46 | Diogo Dalot | £87,000£87k | £4,524,000£4.5m | Manchester United | 26 | Full-back | Portugal |
| 47 | Ian Maatsen | £86,000£86k | £4,472,000£4.5m | Aston Villa | 23 | Left-back | Netherlands |
| 48 | Ben Davies | £85,000£85k | £4,420,000£4.4m | Tottenham Hotspur | 32 | Centre-back | Wales |
| 49 | Micky van de Ven | £84,000£84k | £4,368,000£4.4m | Tottenham Hotspur | 24 | Centre-back | Netherlands |
| 50 | Abdukodir Khusanov | £83,000£83k | £4,316,000£4.3m | Manchester City | 21 | Centre-back | Uzbekistan |
What each position earns in the Premier League
Average weekly wage of the players aged 22 or over we hold a wage for
Defenders take 31% of what the Premier League pays its players of that age. The four shares add up to the whole bill, because a player who plays in two areas gives half the wage to each.
The clubs that pay their defenders the most
Every defender wage we hold at each Premier League club, added together, a week
Liverpool pay 34 defenders £1,441,628 a week between them, and Virgil van Dijk takes 24% of it.
The best-paid defender at every Premier League club
20 clubs, 2026/27, with where each ranks among the league's defenders
| CLUB | PLAYER | WEEKLY | RANK |
|---|---|---|---|
| Liverpool | Virgil van Dijk | £350,000£350k | 1 |
| Manchester City | Marc Guéhi | £300,000£300k | 2 |
| Chelsea | Reece James | £250,000£250k | 3 |
| Manchester United | Matthijs de Ligt | £220,000£220k | 5 |
| Arsenal | William Saliba | £220,000£220k | 4 |
| Tottenham Hotspur | Andrew Robertson | £175,000£175k | 14 |
| Fulham | Joachim Andersen | £140,000£140k | 17 |
| Everton | Jarrad Branthwaite | £135,000£135k | 19 |
| Aston Villa | Pau Torres | £130,000£130k | 20 |
| Newcastle United | Sven Botman | £125,000£125k | 22 |
| Leeds United | Tarik Muharemović | £100,000£100k | 37 |
| Nottingham Forest | Murillo | £89,000£89k | 42 |
| Brighton & Hove Albion | Lewis Dunk | £87,000£87k | 44 |
| Hull City | Matthew Targett | £79,000£79k | 55 |
| Crystal Palace | Axel Disasi | £78,000£78k | 57 |
| Sunderland | Kevin Danso | £75,000£75k | 64 |
| AFC Bournemouth | Bafodé Diakité | £73,000£73k | 67 |
| Ipswich Town | Issa Diop | £66,000£66k | 80 |
| Brentford | Kristoffer Ajer | £55,000£55k | 94 |
| Coventry City | Ethan Pinnock | £42,000£42k | 125 |
The best-paid defender in every men's league
43 leagues, ordered by their best-paid defender. The Premier League ranks second.
| LEAGUE | BEST PAID | WEEKLY | AVERAGE |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saudi Pro League | Kalidou Koulibaly | £497,000£497k | £40,351£40k |
| Premier League | Virgil van Dijk | £350,000£350k | £69,840£70k |
| Bundesliga | Dayot Upamecano | £331,000£331k | £42,331£42k |
| Ligue 1 | Lucas Hernández | £316,000£316k | £27,702£28k |
| La Liga | João Cancelo | £249,000£249k | £37,418£37k |
| Serie A | John Stones | £200,000£200k | £36,415£36k |
| Süper Lig | Milan Škriniar | £166,000£166k | £15,078£15k |
| Superleague Greece | Stefan de Vrij | £117,000£117k | £10,420£10k |
| Championship | Kieran Trippier | £115,000£115k | £18,082£18k |
| Eredivisie | Lutsharel Geertruida | £99,000£99k | £8,088£8k |
| Major League Soccer | Jordi Alba | £85,000£85k | £7,805£8k |
| Scottish Premiership | Ben Godfrey | £80,000£80k | £5,860£6k |
| Primeira Liga | Jakub Kiwior | £58,000£58k | £5,910£6k |
| La Liga 2 | David López | £58,000£58k | £4,473£4k |
| Russian Premier League | Matheus Reis | £57,000£57k | £12,772£13k |
| Brasileirão Série A | Guillermo Maripán | £53,000£53k | £8,284£8k |
| Belgian Pro League | Matteo Dams | £49,000£49k | £5,133£5k |
| League One | Wes Morgan | £46,000£46k | £5,700£6k |
| 2. Bundesliga | Yannick Gerhardt | £42,000£42k | £8,296£8k |
| Super Liga | Nicolás Otamendi | £41,000£41k | £3,253£3k |
| Danish Superliga | Rasmus Kristensen | £39,000£39k | £5,418£5k |
| Ekstraklasa | Attila Szalai | £36,000£36k | £2,883£3k |
| Serie B | Federico Baschirotto | £33,000£33k | £6,876£7k |
| Czech First League | David Jurásek | £29,000£29k | £1,857£2k |
| Chinese Super League | Matheus Jussa (Matheus Isaias dos Santos) | £27,000£27k | £4,788£5k |
| Liga MX | Kenedy | £25,000£25k | £6,926£7k |
| Austrian Bundesliga | Stefan Lainer | £21,000£21k | £4,095£4k |
| Ligue 2 | Frédéric Guilbert | £18,000£18k | £4,556£5k |
| J1 League | Gotoku Sakai | £15,000£15k | £3,457£3k |
| Croatian First League | Ronaël Pierre-Gabriel | £15,000£15k | £2,078£2k |
| Thai League | Erik Sviatchenko | £14,000£14k | £2,172£2k |
| Eliteserien | Hrannar Snær Magnússon | £13,000£13k | £1,630£2k |
| Belgian Challenger Pro League | Thomas Foket | £8,600£9k | £1,529£2k |
| League Two | Alfie Dorrington | £8,500£9k | £2,352£2k |
| Categoría Primera A | Frank Fabra | £8,300£8k | £3,994£4k |
| Scottish Championship | Leon King | £8,000£8k | £952£952 |
| A-League | Jacob Farrell | £6,100£6k | £1,262£1k |
| Indian Super League | Anwar Ali | £4,500£5k | £595£595 |
| National League | Jake Rooney | £4,100£4k | £1,165£1k |
| I-League | Jamie McCart | £4,100£4k | £547£547 |
| Veikkausliiga | Alfie Cicale | £2,500£3k | £646£646 |
| Canadian Premier League | Curtis Ofori | £1,400£1k | £443£443 |
| Meistriliiga | Modou Tambedou | £484£484 | £152£152 |
Frequently asked questions
Who is the highest paid defender in the Premier League?
Virgil van Dijk of Liverpool, on £350,000 a week in 2026/27, or £18,200,000 a year. Marc Guéhi of Manchester City is second on £300,000 a week.
How much do Premier League defenders earn?
The average Premier League defender aged 22 or over earns £69,840 a week, and the median one £56,000. Defenders take 31% of what the Premier League pays its players of that age.
Which Premier League club pays its defenders the most?
Liverpool, £1,441,628 a week across the 34 defenders we hold a wage for, led by Virgil van Dijk on £350,000.
Who is the highest paid defender in football?
Of the 43 men's leagues we rank defenders in, the best-paid is Kalidou Koulibaly of Al-Hilal Saudi Football Club in the Saudi Pro League, on £497,000 a week. The best-paid in the Premier League ranks second of the 43 leagues on that measure.
Where to next
The same Premier League squads, cut a different way
See the highest paid Premier League players in every position, the best-paid player at every club, what Premier League players are paid at every age, or the Premier League wage bill, club by club.