As Chelsea finally got around to filing their annual accounts we can now see the order of clubs according to their wage bills for the 13/14 season.
Sitting on top of the pile is not, however, one of Manchester City or Chelsea but rather Manchester United with an annual bill of £214.8m.
Manchester City are second with their total expenditure on wages amounting to £205m while an 8% increase in Chelsea’s wages saw them place in third position with £190.5m.
Arsenal, who love a fourth-placed finish, show that they are indeed performing in-line with the salaries they are paying. Their total wage bill was £166.4m for last season. The difference between Arsenal and Chelsea is the rough equivalent of four players on £110,000 per week.
Southampton are the surprise package with a wage bill of just £47.1m [latest figures available – 12/13 season].