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WOMEN'S SUPER LEAGUE · DEFENDERS · 2026/27

Highest paid Women's Super League defenders

Leah Williamson and Lucy Bronze are the best-paid defenders in the Women's Super League, on £5,000 a week each, or £260,000 a year. Naomi Girma is next on £4,900 at Chelsea Women. We hold wages for 98 Women's Super League defenders in 2026/27.

BEST PAID £5k
AVERAGE WAGE £1,648
SHARE OF WAGE BILL30%
TOP 10 A WEEK £37k
WAGES HELD98

The 50 best-paid Women's Super League defenders

Weekly wage, 2026/27. A player who plays in two areas of the pitch is on both lists, at the full wage.

The best-paid defenders in the Women's Super League in 2026/27, ranked by weekly wage, with the yearly wage, club, age, position and nationality.
# PLAYER WEEKLY YEARLY CLUB AGE POSITION NATION
1 Leah Williamson £5,000£5k £260,000£260k Arsenal Women 28 Centre-back
2 Lucy Bronze £5,000£5k £260,000£260k Chelsea Women 33 Full-back
3 Naomi Girma £4,900£5k £254,800£255k Chelsea Women 25 Centre-back
4 Alex Greenwood £4,500£5k £234,000£234k Manchester City Women 31 Centre-back
5 Emily Fox £3,300£3k £171,600£172k Arsenal Women 27 Right-back
6 Fridolina Rolfö £3,300£3k £171,600£172k Manchester United Women 31 Left-back, left winger
7 Maya Le Tissier £2,900£3k £150,800£151k Manchester United Women 23 Centre-back
8 Ona Batlle £2,800£3k £145,600£146k Arsenal Women 26 Full-back
9 Rachel Daly £2,700£3k £140,400£140k Aston Villa Women 33 Left-back, attacking midfielder, striker
10 Saki Kumagai £2,600£3k £135,200£135k London City Lionesses Women 34 Centre-back, defensive midfielder
11 Alanna Kennedy £2,500£3k £130,000£130k London City Lionesses Women 30 Centre-back, defensive midfielder
12 Celin Bizet Dønnum £2,400£2k £124,800£125k Manchester United Women 23 Right wing-back, winger
13 Dominique Janssen £2,400£2k £124,800£125k Manchester United Women 30 Centre-back, defensive midfielder
14 Clare Hunt £2,400£2k £124,800£125k Tottenham Hotspur Women 26 Centre-back
15 Ellie Carpenter £2,300£2k £119,600£120k Chelsea Women 25 Right-back
16 Gabby George £2,200£2k £114,400£114k Brighton & Hove Albion Women 28 Centre-back
17 Grace Fisk £2,200£2k £114,400£114k Liverpool Women 27 Defender
18 Hanna Lundkvist £2,200£2k £114,400£114k Manchester United Women 22 Right-back
19 Jenna Nighswonger £2,100£2k £109,200£109k Aston Villa Women 24 Left-back, defensive midfielder, attacking midfielder
20 Jana Fernández £2,100£2k £109,200£109k London City Lionesses Women 23 Defender
21 Jayde Riviere £2,100£2k £109,200£109k Manchester United Women 24 Right-back
22 Julie Blakstad £2,100£2k £109,200£109k Tottenham Hotspur Women 23 Left-back, left winger
23 Lotte Wubben-Moy £2,000£2k £104,000£104k Arsenal Women 26 Centre-back
24 Lynn Wilms £2,000£2k £104,000£104k Aston Villa Women 24 Centre-back
25 Lucy Parker £2,000£2k £104,000£104k Aston Villa Women 26 Centre-back
26 Katie McCabe £2,000£2k £104,000£104k Chelsea Women 29 Full-back
27 Lily Woodham £2,000£2k £104,000£104k Liverpool Women 24 Left-back
28 Laia Codina £2,000£2k £104,000£104k West Ham United Women 25 Defender
29 Nathalie Björn £1,900£2k £98,800£99k Chelsea Women 28 Centre-back
30 Niamh Charles £1,900£2k £98,800£99k Manchester City Women 26 Full-back
31 Steph Catley £1,600£2k £83,200£83k Arsenal Women 31 Centre-back
32 Sandy Baltimore £1,600£2k £83,200£83k Chelsea Women 25 Left-back, winger
33 Anna Patten £1,500£2k £78,000£78k Aston Villa Women 26 Centre-back
34 Alejandra Bernabé £1,500£2k £78,000£78k Liverpool Women 23 Left-back
35 Andrea Medina £1,500£2k £78,000£78k Manchester United Women 21 Left wing-back, left winger
36 Anna Sandberg £1,500£2k £78,000£78k Manchester United Women 22 Left-back
37 Amanda Nildén £1,500£2k £78,000£78k Tottenham Hotspur Women 26 Centre-back
38 Chasity Grant £1,400£1k £72,800£73k Aston Villa Women 24 Right wing-back, right winger
39 Charlize Rule £1,400£1k £72,800£73k Brighton & Hove Albion Women 22 Centre-back, right midfielder
40 Elena Linari £1,300£1k £67,600£68k London City Lionesses Women 31 Centre-back
41 Hannah Blundell £1,200£1k £62,400£62k Everton Women 31 Full-back
42 Heather Payne £1,200£1k £62,400£62k Leicester City Women 25 Right-back, right winger
43 Hanna Wijk £1,200£1k £62,400£62k Tottenham Hotspur Women 21 Full-back
44 Jenna Clark £1,100£1k £57,200£57k Liverpool Women 23 Centre-back
45 Isa Kardinaal £1,100£1k £57,200£57k London City Lionesses Women 20 Centre-back
46 Alice Bergström £1,059£1k £55,068£55k Liverpool Women 22 Right-back, winger
47 Caitlin Hayes £1,039£1k £54,028£54k Brighton & Hove Albion Women 29 Centre-back
48 Chantelle Swaby £1,039£1k £54,028£54k Leicester City Women 26 Centre-back
49 Céleste Boureille £1,039£1k £54,028£54k Leicester City Women 31 Centre-back, defensive midfielder
50 Kiko Seike £1,000£1k £52,000£52k Brighton & Hove Albion Women 28 Right wing-back, right winger, striker

What each position earns in the Women's Super League

Average weekly wage of the players aged 22 or over we hold a wage for

Goalkeepers £1,284 Defenders £1,648 Midfielders £1,722 Attackers £2,087

Defenders take 30% of what the Women's Super 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 Women's Super League club, added together, a week

Chelsea Women £19k Manchester United Women £18k Arsenal Women £16k Aston Villa Women £15k London City Lionesses Women £13k Manchester City Women £11k Liverpool Women £11k Tottenham Hotspur Women £9,602 Brighton & Hove Albion Women £8,339 Leicester City Women £7,472

Chelsea Women pay 8 defenders £19,357 a week between them, and Lucy Bronze takes 26% of it.

The best-paid defender at every Women's Super League club

12 clubs, 2026/27, with where each ranks among the league's defenders

Each Women's Super League club's best-paid defender in 2026/27, the weekly wage, and that player's rank among every defender in the league.
CLUB PLAYER WEEKLY RANK
Chelsea Women Lucy Bronze £5,000£5k 2
Arsenal Women Leah Williamson £5,000£5k 1
Manchester City Women Alex Greenwood £4,500£5k 4
Manchester United Women Fridolina Rolfö £3,300£3k 6
Aston Villa Women Rachel Daly £2,700£3k 9
London City Lionesses Women Saki Kumagai £2,600£3k 10
Tottenham Hotspur Women Clare Hunt £2,400£2k 14
Liverpool Women Grace Fisk £2,200£2k 17
Brighton & Hove Albion Women Gabby George £2,200£2k 16
West Ham United Women Laia Codina £2,000£2k 28
Leicester City Women Heather Payne £1,200£1k 42
Everton Women Hannah Blundell £1,200£1k 41

The best-paid defender in every women's league

4 leagues, ordered by their best-paid defender. The Women's Super League ranks second.

The best-paid defender in each women's league we rank defenders in, the weekly wage, and the league's average defender wage over players aged 22 or over.
LEAGUE BEST PAID WEEKLY AVERAGE
NWSL Jacquie Ovalle £6,100£6k £1,494£1k
Women's Super League Leah Williamson £5,000£5k £1,648£2k
Frauen-Bundesliga Giulia Gwinn £4,200£4k £961£961
Liga F Laia Aleixandri £3,000£3k £667£667

Frequently asked questions

Who is the highest paid defender in the Women's Super League?

Leah Williamson of Arsenal Women and Lucy Bronze of Chelsea Women, on £5,000 a week each in 2026/27, or £260,000 a year.

How much do Women's Super League defenders earn?

The average Women's Super League defender aged 22 or over earns £1,648 a week, and the median one £1,350. Defenders take 30% of what the Women's Super League pays its players of that age.

Which Women's Super League club pays its defenders the most?

Chelsea Women, £19,357 a week across the 8 defenders we hold a wage for, led by Lucy Bronze on £5,000.

Who is the highest paid defender in women's football?

Of the 4 women's leagues we rank defenders in, the best-paid is Jacquie Ovalle of Orlando Pride Women in the NWSL, on £6,100 a week. The best-paid in the Women's Super League ranks second of the 4 leagues on that measure.

Where to next

The same Women's Super League squads, cut a different way

See the highest paid Women's Super League players in every position, the best-paid player at every club, what Women's Super League players are paid at every age, or the Women's Super League wage bill, club by club.