Aston Villa wages: Who is the best paid player at the Villans and everything you need to know about Villa's salary bill

How much do the Villa players earn annually and who receives the most into their account?

The Premier League is famous for the 'Top 6', the moniker given to the six biggest clubs in England. Aston Villa do not fall in that category these days, but they might be making a case to be the new contenders for the top six in England, having finished in fourth spot in 2023-24 and returning to the Champions League.

That, coupled with the acquisition of Unai Emery, has transformed Villa into a well-drilled unit, allowing them to generate more revenue thanks to them finishing higher on the table in the past two seasons.

While they might not have the financial muscle that some of the other English outfits do, they have managed to splash big on signings such as Pau Torres, Amadou Onana, Moussa Diaby, Leon Bailey, and Lucas Digne, significantly raising the ceiling of their team.

In 2024-25, players such as Jhon Duran, Morgan Rogers, and John McGinn have come to the fore. Simultaneously, the prolific Ollie Watkins continues to find the back of the net on a consistent basis, with Emiliano Martinez proving to be the ideal man to protect the Villa goal.

But who is the highest earner at the Aston Villa this season? And who is on the opposite end of the spectrum?

GOAL delved into the numbers from Capology and found out!

*Salaries are gross and on an annual basis

Getty
Goalkeepers
Villa have three goalkeepers on their payroll, with Emi Martinez standing out as the highest-earning goalkeeper with an annual salary of £7.8m. He is also the joint-highest paid player at the club.
With an annual salary of £2.6m, Sweden international Robin Olsen is the second-best paid goalkeeper at Villa.
Australian goalkeeper Joe Gauci is among the lowest-paid members of the squad, earning only six digits annually.
Name Salary
Emiliano Martinez £7,800,000
Robin Olsen £2,600,000
Joe Gauci £520,000

Name	Salary
Emiliano Martinez	£7,800,000
Robin Olsen	£2,600,000
Joe Gauci	£520,000

Aston Villa FC v Brentford FC - Premier League

Getty Images Sport

Defenders

No surprises here as star left-back Lucas Digne is the outright highest-paid defender at Aston Villa, making more than £6m annually.

Pau Torres is the joint-second highest-paid defender along with the explosive Ian Maatsen, and the injury-ravaged duo of Diego Carlos and Tyrone Mings.

Long-time Villa servants Matty Cash and Ezri Konsa are next in the list in terms of earnings, and some may have wanted to see them higher up the list given their contributions to the club in the past five years.

19-year-old Kosta Nedeljkovic is the only other defender to make seven figures, leaving Kortney Hause and Lamare Bogarde as the lowest-paid defenders and among the lowest-paid players at Villa.

Name	Salary
Lucas Digne	£6,240,000
Pau Torres	£5,200,000
Diego Carlos	£5,200,000
Ian Maatsen	£5,200,000
Tyrone Mings	£5,200,000
Matty Cash	£4,160,000
Ezri Konsa	£3,900,000
Kosta Nedeljkovic	£1,040,000
Kortney Hause	£520,000
Lamare Bogarde	£416,000

Getty Images Sport
Midfielders
Youri Tielemans, one of the most experienced midfielders at Aston Villa, is the joint-highest paid midfielder in the squad along with Boubacar Kamara, and just ahead of the impressive Amadou Onana.
John McGinn is earning a respectable salary, too, making over £6m annually.
Emiliano Buendia and Jacob Ramsey are earning over £3m every year, but remain the lowest-paid midfielders in the squad.
NOTE: There was no info available on Ross Barkley's salary for the 2024-25 season.
Name Salary
Youri Tielemans £7,800,000
Boubacar Kamara £7,800,000
Amadou Onana £7,280,000
John McGinn £6,240,000
Emiliano Buendia £3,900,000
Jacob Ramsey £3,640,000

AFP
Attackers
Among forwards, the highest-earning player is, without a doubt, Ollie Watkins, who commands such high wages thanks to his reliability in front of goal.
Some might wonder why Leon Bailey is making over £6m per year ahead of the likes of Jhon Duran and Morgan Rogers, both of whom have proven themselves to be more impactful in attack.
Jaden Philogene, the 22-year-old winger, is the lowest-paid forward in the squad. However, he is still making over £2m a year.
Name Salary
Ollie Watkins £6,760,000
Leon Bailey £6,240,000
Jhon Duran £3,900,000
Morgan Rogers £3,900,000
Jaden Philogene £2,080,000
Getty Images Sport
Top 5 highest-paid Aston Villa players
It might shock some fans to find out that Watkins is not Villa's highest-paid player. Martinez, Kamara, and Tielemans are the squad's joint-highest paid players, earning around £8m each.
Onana is the fourth-highest paid Villa man, with Watkins closing out the top five.
Name Salary
Youri Tielemans £7,800,000
Emi Martinez £7,800,000
Boubacar Kamara £7,800,000
Amadou Onana £7,280,000
Ollie Watkins £6,760,000
Getty Images Sport
Top 5 lowest-paid Aston Villa players
This list mostly comprises of youngsters such as Bogarde, Philogene, Gauci, and Nedeljkovic, with the expection being 29-year-old defender Kortney Hause, who is the joint-second lowest-paid Aston Villa player.
Name Salary
Lamare Bogarde £416,000
Kortney Hause £520,000
Joe Gauci £520,000
Kosta Nedeljkovic £1,040,000
Jaden Philogene £2,080,000
Total salary costs Aston Villa
So, what does this mean for the bigger picture? In which area of the pitch are Villa investing the most, and how much do they spend annually on first-team salaries?
The club spends most of its wage money on the defence, with a total of over £37m annually.
Line Salary
Goalkeepers £10,920,000
Defenders £37,076,000
Midfielders £36,660,000
Forwards £22,880,000
Total £107,536,000

Name	Salary
Youri Tielemans	£7,800,000
Boubacar Kamara	£7,800,000
Amadou Onana	£7,280,000
John McGinn	£6,240,000
Emiliano Buendia	£3,900,000
Jacob Ramsey	£3,640,000

Name	Salary
Ollie Watkins	£6,760,000
Leon Bailey	£6,240,000
Jhon Duran	£3,900,000
Morgan Rogers	£3,900,000
Jaden Philogene	£2,080,000

Name	Salary
Youri Tielemans	£7,800,000
Emi Martinez	£7,800,000
Boubacar Kamara	£7,800,000
Amadou Onana	£7,280,000
Ollie Watkins	£6,760,000

Line	Salary
Goalkeepers	£10,920,000
Defenders	£37,076,000
Midfielders	£36,660,000
Forwards	£22,880,000
Total	£107,536,000

Goalkeepers

Defenders

Midfielders

Attackers

Top 5 highest-paid Aston Villa players

Top 5 lowest-paid Aston Villa players

Total salary costs Aston Villa