SCOTTISH CHAMPIONSHIP · MIDFIELDERS · 2026/27
Highest paid Scottish Championship midfielders
Graeme Shinnie is the best-paid midfielder in the Scottish Championship, on £4,200 a week at Inverness Caledonian Thistle, or £218,400 a year. Jamie Lindsay is next on £3,100 at Ross County. We hold wages for 56 Scottish Championship midfielders in 2026/27.
BEST PAID £4k
AVERAGE WAGE £907
SHARE OF WAGE BILL17%
TOP 10 A WEEK £21k
WAGES HELD56
The 50 best-paid Scottish Championship midfielders
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 | Graeme Shinnie | £4,200£4k | £218,400£218k | Inverness Caledonian Thistle | 33 | Left-back, defensive midfielder | Scotland |
| 2 | Jamie Lindsay | £3,100£3k | £161,200£161k | Ross County | 29 | Defensive midfielder | Scotland |
| 3 | Akil Wright | £2,500£3k | £130,000£130k | Ross County | 29 | Centre-back, defensive midfielder | England |
| 4 | Dean Cornelius | £2,400£2k | £124,800£125k | Ross County | 24 | Defensive midfielder, central midfielder | Scotland |
| 5 | Oisin Smyth | £1,800£2k | £93,600£94k | Partick Thistle | 25 | Defensive midfielder | Northern Ireland |
| 6 | Alfons Amade | £1,500£2k | £78,000£78k | Dunfermline Athletic | 25 | Right-back, defensive midfielder | Mozambique |
| 7 | Calum Adamson | £1,400£1k | £72,800£73k | Raith Rovers | 17 | Central midfielder | Scotland |
| 8 | Connor Randall | £1,400£1k | £72,800£73k | Ross County | 29 | Right-back, defensive midfielder | England |
| 9 | Francis Turley | £1,300£1k | £67,600£68k | Ayr United | 19 | Defensive midfielder | Northern Ireland |
| 10 | Emmanuel Danso | £1,300£1k | £67,600£68k | Livingston | 24 | Defensive midfielder | Ghana |
| 11 | Jack Turner | £810£810 | £42,120£42k | Ross County | 22 | Defensive midfielder, attacking midfielder | England |
| 12 | Charlie Gilmour | £780£780 | £40,560£41k | Dunfermline Athletic | 26 | Defensive midfielder | Scotland |
| 13 | Dylan Lobban | £770£770 | £40,040£40k | Dunfermline Athletic | 19 | Right-back, central midfielder | Scotland |
| 14 | Lawal Samson | £740£740 | £38,480£38k | Livingston | 21 | Defensive midfielder, attacking midfielder | Nigeria |
| 15 | Robbie Crawford | £730£730 | £37,960£38k | Partick Thistle | 31 | Defensive midfielder, attacking midfielder | Scotland |
| 16 | Chris Hamilton | £730£730 | £37,960£38k | Ross County | 24 | Centre-back, defensive midfielder | Scotland |
| 17 | Scott Martin | £720£720 | £37,440£37k | Queen's Park | 28 | Defensive midfielder | Scotland |
| 18 | Scott Brown | £720£720 | £37,440£37k | Raith Rovers | 30 | Defensive midfielder | Scotland |
| 19 | Ryan McGowan | £700£700 | £36,400£36k | Livingston | 35 | Centre-back, defensive midfielder | Australia |
| 20 | Arron Lyall | £700£700 | £36,400£36k | Raith Rovers | 21 | Defensive midfielder | Scotland |
| 21 | Ross Docherty | £700£700 | £36,400£36k | Ross County | 32 | Defensive midfielder | Scotland |
| 22 | Adam Mackinnon | £650£650 | £33,800£34k | Inverness Caledonian Thistle | 22 | Defensive midfielder, attacking midfielder | Scotland |
| 23 | Keith Bray | £600£600 | £31,200£31k | Dunfermline Athletic | 19 | Right-back, defensive midfielder, attacking midfielder | Scotland |
| 24 | Scott Pittman | £600£600 | £31,200£31k | Livingston | 33 | Defensive midfielder, attacking midfielder | Scotland |
| 25 | Luke McBeth | £590£590 | £30,680£31k | Ayr United | 25 | Centre-back, defensive midfielder | Scotland |
| 26 | Jordan Doherty | £585£585 | £30,420£30k | Livingston | 24 | Centre-back, defensive midfielder | Ireland |
| 27 | Cameron MacPherson | £580£580 | £30,160£30k | Livingston | 26 | Defensive midfielder | Scotland |
| 28 | Nurudeen Abdulai | £570£570 | £29,640£30k | Dunfermline Athletic | 20 | Centre-back, defensive midfielder | Ghana |
| 29 | Tashan Oakley-Boothe | £560£560 | £29,120£29k | Dunfermline Athletic | 25 | Defensive midfielder | England |
| 30 | Ali Crawford | £550£550 | £28,600£29k | Greenock Morton | 33 | Defensive midfielder, attacking midfielder | Scotland |
| 31 | David Gold | £545£545 | £28,340£28k | Arbroath | 32 | Right-back, central midfielder | Scotland |
| 32 | Grant Gillespie | £540£540 | £28,080£28k | Greenock Morton | 34 | Defensive midfielder | Scotland |
| 33 | Ben Stanway | £540£540 | £28,080£28k | Partick Thistle | 20 | Defensive midfielder | Scotland |
| 34 | Iain Wilson | £520£520 | £27,040£27k | Greenock Morton | 26 | Defensive midfielder | Scotland |
| 35 | Kyle Ure | £500£500 | £26,000£26k | Ayr United | 19 | Defensive midfielder | Scotland |
| 36 | Paul Allan | £500£500 | £26,000£26k | Inverness Caledonian Thistle | 25 | Defensive midfielder, attacking midfielder | Scotland |
| 37 | Calum MacLeod | £480£480 | £24,960£25k | Inverness Caledonian Thistle | 19 | Right-back, defensive midfielder | Scotland |
| 38 | Oscar MacIntyre | £460£460 | £23,920£24k | Stenhousemuir | 20 | Left-back, left midfielder | Scotland |
| 39 | Aaron Muirhead | £450£450 | £23,400£23k | Arbroath | 34 | Centre-back, defensive midfielder | Scotland |
| 40 | Harry Cochrane | £430£430 | £22,360£22k | Greenock Morton | 24 | Defensive midfielder | Scotland |
| 41 | Shea Kearney | £370£370 | £19,240£19k | Dunfermline Athletic | 21 | Right-back, central midfielder | Northern Ireland |
| 42 | Findlay Gray | £350£350 | £18,200£18k | Stenhousemuir | 23 | Defensive midfielder, attacking midfielder | Scotland |
| 43 | Ross Callachan | £330£330 | £17,160£17k | Arbroath | 31 | Defensive midfielder, attacking midfielder | Scotland |
| 44 | Reece Lyon | £330£330 | £17,160£17k | Ayr United | 25 | Defensive midfielder, attacking midfielder | Scotland |
| 45 | Michael Anderson | £330£330 | £17,160£17k | Stenhousemuir | 25 | Defensive midfielder | Scotland |
| 46 | Tom Beadling | £310£310 | £16,120£16k | Arbroath | 29 | Centre-back, defensive midfielder | Australia |
| 47 | Leyton Grant | £275£275 | £14,300£14k | Stenhousemuir | 19 | Centre-back, defensive midfielder | Scotland |
| 48 | Scott McGill | £270£270 | £14,040£14k | Arbroath | 23 | Defensive midfielder | Scotland |
| 49 | Samuel Reid | £250£250 | £13,000£13k | Inverness Caledonian Thistle | 17 | Central midfielder | Scotland |
| 50 | Ryan Flynn | £230£230 | £11,960£12k | Arbroath | 36 | Right wing-back, defensive midfielder | Scotland |
What each position earns in the Scottish Championship
Average weekly wage of the players aged 22 or over we hold a wage for
Midfielders take 17% of what the Scottish Championship 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 midfielders the most
Every midfielder wage we hold at each Scottish Championship club, added together, a week
Ross County pay 8 midfielders £11,690 a week between them, and Jamie Lindsay takes 27% of it.
The best-paid midfielder at every Scottish Championship club
11 clubs, 2026/27, with where each ranks among the league's midfielders
| CLUB | PLAYER | WEEKLY | RANK |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inverness Caledonian Thistle | Graeme Shinnie | £4,200£4k | 1 |
| Ross County | Jamie Lindsay | £3,100£3k | 2 |
| Partick Thistle | Oisin Smyth | £1,800£2k | 5 |
| Dunfermline Athletic | Alfons Amade | £1,500£2k | 6 |
| Raith Rovers | Calum Adamson | £1,400£1k | 7 |
| Livingston | Emmanuel Danso | £1,300£1k | 10 |
| Ayr United | Francis Turley | £1,300£1k | 9 |
| Queen's Park | Scott Martin | £720£720 | 17 |
| Greenock Morton | Ali Crawford | £550£550 | 30 |
| Arbroath | David Gold | £545£545 | 31 |
| Stenhousemuir | Oscar MacIntyre | £460£460 | 38 |
The best-paid midfielder in every men's league
43 leagues, ordered by their best-paid midfielder. The Scottish Championship ranks 38th.
| LEAGUE | BEST PAID | WEEKLY | AVERAGE |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saudi Pro League | Otávio | £472,000£472k | £49,687£50k |
| Süper Lig | N'Golo Kanté | £348,000£348k | £21,488£21k |
| Bundesliga | Joshua Kimmich | £315,000£315k | £39,483£39k |
| Premier League | Bruno Fernandes | £300,000£300k | £76,710£77k |
| Major League Soccer | Casemiro | £300,000£300k | £11,731£12k |
| Ligue 1 | Marquinhos | £279,000£279k | £30,015£30k |
| La Liga | Trent Alexander-Arnold | £249,000£249k | £40,838£41k |
| Serie A | John Stones | £200,000£200k | £44,528£45k |
| Primeira Liga | João Palhinha | £199,000£199k | £11,158£11k |
| Championship | Kalvin Phillips | £165,000£165k | £20,131£20k |
| Croatian First League | Ismaël Bennacer | £117,000£117k | £4,206£4k |
| Brasileirão Série A | Arthur | £99,000£99k | £10,842£11k |
| Eredivisie | Lutsharel Geertruida | £99,000£99k | £9,142£9k |
| 2. Bundesliga | Maximilian Arnold | £74,000£74k | £11,170£11k |
| Russian Premier League | Wendel | £71,000£71k | £16,664£17k |
| Liga MX | Carlos Gruezo | £64,000£64k | £6,811£7k |
| League One | Boubakary Soumaré | £58,000£58k | £6,405£6k |
| Serie B | Ali Al Musrati | £55,000£55k | £8,344£8k |
| La Liga 2 | Donny van de Beek | £54,000£54k | £5,199£5k |
| Super Liga | Leandro Paredes | £44,000£44k | £4,100£4k |
| Chinese Super League | Ibrahim Amadou | £42,000£42k | £5,544£6k |
| Scottish Premiership | Callum McGregor | £39,000£39k | £5,790£6k |
| J1 League | Oriol Romeu | £35,000£35k | £4,063£4k |
| Danish Superliga | Philip Billing | £35,000£35k | £7,123£7k |
| Superleague Greece | Christos Zafeiris | £33,000£33k | £7,533£8k |
| Czech First League | Sivert Mannsverk | £33,000£33k | £2,010£2k |
| Belgian Pro League | László Bénes | £25,000£25k | £6,702£7k |
| Ekstraklasa | Karol Linetty | £25,000£25k | £3,410£3k |
| Ligue 2 | Ibou Sissoko | £21,000£21k | £4,966£5k |
| Austrian Bundesliga | Bendegúz Bolla | £20,000£20k | £3,500£4k |
| Belgian Challenger Pro League | Mats Rits | £16,000£16k | £2,048£2k |
| Eliteserien | Hrannar Snær Magnússon | £13,000£13k | £2,231£2k |
| League Two | Joe Williams | £12,000£12k | £2,560£3k |
| Categoría Primera A | Élan Ricardo | £11,000£11k | £3,852£4k |
| Thai League | Roque Mesa | £8,000£8k | £2,247£2k |
| Indian Super League | Lalengmawia | £5,500£6k | £707£707 |
| Veikkausliiga | Alexander Ring | £4,500£5k | £708£708 |
| Scottish Championship | Graeme Shinnie | £4,200£4k | £907£907 |
| National League | Jake Rooney | £4,100£4k | £1,293£1k |
| A-League | Jake Girdwood-Reich | £4,100£4k | £1,219£1k |
| I-League | Jordi Altena | £3,100£3k | £364£364 |
| Canadian Premier League | Manuel Aparicio | £810£810 | £458£458 |
| Meistriliiga | Modou Tambedou | £484£484 | £161£161 |
Frequently asked questions
Who is the highest paid midfielder in the Scottish Championship?
Graeme Shinnie of Inverness Caledonian Thistle, on £4,200 a week in 2026/27, or £218,400 a year. Jamie Lindsay of Ross County is second on £3,100 a week.
How much do Scottish Championship midfielders earn?
The average Scottish Championship midfielder aged 22 or over earns £907 a week, and the median one £590. Midfielders take 17% of what the Scottish Championship pays its players of that age.
Which Scottish Championship club pays its midfielders the most?
Ross County, £11,690 a week across the 8 midfielders we hold a wage for, led by Jamie Lindsay on £3,100.
Who is the highest paid midfielder in football?
Of the 43 men's leagues we rank midfielders in, the best-paid is Otávio of Al-Qadsiah Football Club in the Saudi Pro League, on £472,000 a week. The best-paid in the Scottish Championship ranks 38th of the 43 leagues on that measure.
Where to next
The same Scottish Championship squads, cut a different way
See the highest paid Scottish Championship players in every position, the best-paid player at every club, what Scottish Championship players are paid at every age, or the Scottish Championship wage bill, club by club.