5 most overpaid players in the Premier League right now

Premier League clubs tend to overpay players in order to attract them

The Premier League is the most competitive and widely watched league globally. Apart from gaining worldwide popularity, the Premier League also garners the highest revenue of any football league in the world.

This allows teams to offer lucrative contracts to sign and keep players at the club. There has been a meteoric rise in the prices of players from all over the world. With changes in ownership, competition between clubs and options for a player, this is probably going to get even higher.

📝 — Manchester United estimate their wage bill will rise by “around 20%” this season, as a result of signing Sancho, Varane and Ronaldo, meaning a £65 million increase to £387 million in 2022, the highest in English football history. #mufc #mujournal

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Premier League clubs often wage war in the transfer market

Following Lionel Messi’s arrival at PSG, the French club topped the charts for the highest wage bill in football. Spanish clubs Real Madrid and Barcelona are next on the list. Manchester United (£228 million) have the highest wage bill in the Premier League at the moment. Both Chelsea and Manchester City have a wage bill in the region of £150 million.

Given that these clubs spend so much on player wages, it is imperative that some players are overpaid. Certain footballers show a lot of promise before signing contracts. However, they fail to make an impact and eventually get replaced by better players. On that note, let's take a look at five overpaid players in the Premier League right now.

Note: All player wages are taken from Sportac.

#5 Jadon Sancho (£350k/week)

Manchester United v Arsenal - Premier League

Manchester United spent well over a year chasing Jadon Sancho’s signature, before finally signing him this summer.

However, since joining, he has failed to impress. He opened his Premier League goal account against Chelsea last week. But the winger hasn’t pleased the Old Trafford faithful so far. It is a bit harsh to judge his performances over such a short period of time. However, his weekly wage is still quite high compared to his peers.

Sancho earns £350k per week, which accrues to £18,200,000 per year. It makes him the fourth highest-paid player in the Premier League.

Despite being a star for Borussia Dortmund, Sancho didn’t play a major role in England’s Euro campaign either.

Jadon Sancho has agreed a £350,000 per week, five year deal with Man United.

(@FabrizioRomano)

Wow 🤯🤯🤯 https://t.co/jGhnwSlYCc

His England teammates Bukayo Saka and Mason Mount flourished over the summer. The duo earn nowhere close to the Manchester United winger. Saka makes less than 10% of what Sancho bags at Old Trafford. Mount will have to quadruple his salary to reach within touching distance of Sancho’s wage.

Sancho has scored just two goals in all competitions. He hasn't created many chances either.

However, given his talent, Sancho can easily become one of the best players in the Premier League in the future. As of now, his contract looks generous.

#4 Timo Werner (£272k/week)

Timo Werner’s lapses in front of goal last season were well documented. The German international was bought from RB Leipzig in 2020 for £47.5 million. He was expected to be a prolific goal scorer for Chelsea like he was in the Bundesliga.

However, he has been anything but that during his 15 months at Stamford Bridge. He went several matches without finding the back of the net last season.

Timo Werner has now failed to score in his last 1️⃣0️⃣ games in all competitions for Chelsea.

😬 https://t.co/LbiNCOPcRk

Werner pockets over £14 million annually, ranking him just outside the top 10 earners. The only Chelsea players paid more are Romelu Lukaku and N’Golo Kante, who are arguably better players than him. The defensive trio of Antonio Rudiger, Thiago Silva and Reece James combined (£263k/week) don’t receive as much as Timo Werner does.

Timo Werner has been a side character in the Premier League this season. He has scored just three goals in all competitions for Chelsea. With Romelu Lukaku returning to full fitness, his playing time will only decrease in the coming days.