The Weekly Cost of Premier League Stars
It seems even the humble Premier League star has been struck by inflation as potential Chelsea signing Victor Osimhen has asked for £500,000 a week. Osimhen is currently playing for Napoli in the Seria A and has been linked to Premier League clubs for some time. However, Saudi clubs are also attempting to swoop in and sign the star at £65 million but Osimhen’s agent has stated the player still has much to give to European soccer. Chelsea has told the player he needs to be open to financial negotiations to make the move happen with even Napoli lowering the price for the transfer slightly, but it seems Osimhen is hesitant to budge.
Although, is it entirely unrealistic for Osimhen to expect £500,000 per week as an incoming Premier League star? Chelsea pays both Romelu Lukaku and Raheem Sterling £325,000 a week each, with both players barely touching the field and are linked to transfers out of the club. Sterling has even told Chelsea he wants to leave, which would free up quite a bit of the budget. Similarly, Manchester United has 32-year-old Casemiro on £350,000 a week and Marcus Rashford on £300,000 a week. Although Liverpool and Arsenal don’t have any players on more than £300,000, Manchester City are the highest spenders with four players on £300,000 or more with Kevin De Bruyne making an astronomical £400,000 a week.
The simple answer is yes, Osimhen is a bit out of touch asking for £500,000 a week, however, most of the highest earners right now have one foot either out the door or into retirement so top clubs will have some more spending power, and open roster spots. Osimhen will most likely not receive his asking wages, but he is setting a new expectation for players coming into England’s topflight and may open the door for other players to begin to ask for similar weekly allowances. With the rising prices of soccer seemingly not slowing down any time soon perhaps, he was just a few years too early in his asking price and it may not be outrageous anymore. For now, though, he has only slowed his move to England down and may even see the opportunity disappear as the transfer window comes nearer to closing.
