10 highest-paid players in the Premier League this season (2020/21)

The English Premier League is the richest football league in the world. Last season, as many as six clubs in the competition had annual player salaries exceeding $5 million.

To put that figure into perspective, only Bayern Munich, PSG, Juventus and the La Liga trio of Barcelona, Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid doled out heftier player wages.

Ten highest-paid players in the 2020-21 English Premier League

Considering the global appeal of the English top-flight and the competitive nature of its games, some of the finest players in the sport ply their trade in the English Premier League.

The competition has consistently attracted the best in business, and the 2020-21 season has been no exception in this regard despite the COVID-19 outbreak wrecking the finances of most clubs in the continent.

On that note, let us have a look at the ten most well-paid players in the ongoing 2020-21 season of the Premier League.

#10 Gareth Bale (Tottenham Hotspur) - £220,000 per week

After a torrid time at Real Madrid where he fell out of favour with Zinedine Zidane, Gareth Bale has returned to the Premier League to reunite with his former club Tottenham Hotspur, albeit in a loan-deal.

The relationship between the manager and the player had exacerbated to such an extent that Bale hardly appeared for the side in the La Liga restart as Madrid romped to their first title triumph in three years.

Madrid were so desperate to see the back of Bale that they have reportedly agreed to pay more than 50% of the player's £600,000-a-week wage, with Spurs set to pay £220,000 a week to the on-loan player.

Bale last played in the Premier League in 2012-13, scoring 21 goals and providing nine assists to earn a dream move to the Spanish capital.

The Welshman would look to prove his detractors wrong by excelling at the club where he first made his name. Bale, however, is injured at the moment and is yet to make his 'second' debut at Spurs.

#9 Sergio Aguero (Manchester City) - £230,135 per week

Manchester City's Sergio Aguero has the most goals by a foreign player in Premier League history.

Ever since his arrival at City in the summer of 2011, the Argentine striker has netted at least 12 league goals every season and has had more than 20 goal-contributions in the competition in all but one of his seasons in the blue side of Manchester.

The 32-year-old, who is currently out with an injury, is an out-and-out central striker but has also displayed versatility in playing across a bevvy of positions in the attacking-third.

#8 Anthony Martial (Manchester United) - £250,000 per week

After an indifferent few campaigns, Anthony Martial enjoyed the most prolific season for Manchester United in 2019-20.

The Frenchman's 17 Premier League goals helped the Old Trafford club clinch third place on the last day of the season to return to the Champions League. In the process, the former Monaco marksman became the tenth different player to net 50 Premier League goals for the most successful club in English top-flight history.

Martial, who can play both as a centre-forward as well as on the wings, is one of the highest-earning strikers in the Premier League at the moment.

#7 Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Arsenal) - £250,000

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has been one of the few bright sparks for a largely lacklustre Arsenal side since his arrival at the Premier League club in February 2018.

The Gabon international made an instant impact at the Emirates Stadium, scoring ten goals in the second half of the 2017-18 Premier League before producing successive 22-goal seasons in his next two campaigns in the competition.

The Arsenal captain, who has made a slow start to the ongoing season by netting only once in four games, has scored at least 13 league goals in nine successive seasons for three different top-five league clubs.

Perhaps bizarrely, Aubameyang, despite his massive impact at the club, is not Arsenal's highest-paid player.

#6 Thomas Partey (Arsenal) - £260,000 per week

Defensive midfielder Thomas Partey made his name under Diego Simeone during six successful seasons at Atletico Madrid before arriving in the Premier League at the start of the season.

He became one of the high-profile signings of the summer when Arsenal staved off competition to acquire the services of the much sought-after player. The 27-year-old is yet to make his debut for the Premier League club, though, but is already one of the club's highest-paid players

The arrival of the Ghanian international adds some much-needed steel to the Arsenal midfield as the club looks to continue their recent upturn in fortunes under Mikel Arteta by finishing in the top four in the Premier League this season.

#5 Mesut Ozil (Arsenal) - £268,750 per week

Mesut Ozil might have already made his last Premier League appearance for Arsenal.

Mesut Ozil arrived at Arsenal with much fanfare in the summer of 2013 after a successful stint at Real Madrid.

However, after a productive few seasons, the attacking midfielder found his stock spectacularly nosedive in recent times as a combination of injuries and an apparent inability to adapt has seen him shunted out of the altogether.

In fact, Ozil, who happens to be the highest-paid player at Arsenal, last played for the club back in March and hasn't been in the club's matchday squad since June. Barring a miraculous turnaround, the player looks unlikely to add to his tallies of 254 appearances, 44 goals and 77 assists for the Premier League club.

Ozil recently made news for offering to pay the salary of the club's mascot Gunnersaurus. But the move was largely perceived as a publicity stunt from a player who is all too happy to earn the big bucks and not make an effort to get back into the first-team.

#4 Paul Pogba (Manchester United) - £290,000 per week

Paul Pogba has largely cut a forlorn figure in the Premier League.

Once considered one of the most promising players in the sport, Paul Pogba has largely failed to live up to his hype after arriving at Manchester United in the summer of 2016.

During this period, the Frenchman has scored 33 goals and provided as many assists in 168 games in all competitions, tallies that are underwhelming considering the player's prowess.

Pogba remains a key player in Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's setup but hasn't yet produced the kind of season or performance that could endear himself to the Manchester United faithful.

The 27-year-old, who can operate in a plethora of positions in the middle-third, still has time on his side to etch his name in the rich annals of the club's legacy as Manchester United chase their first Premier League title since the departure of Sir Alex Ferguson..

#3 Raheem Sterling (Manchester City) - £300,000 per week

Raheem Sterling, once a Liverpool player, has blossomed under the tutelage of Pep Guardiola after arriving at Manchester City in the summer of 2015.

The 25-year-old is renowned for his blistering pace, dribbling skills and versatility, which allows him to be deployed in a bevvy of positions like striker, winger or attacking midfielder in the attacking-third.

Sterling contributed massively in Manchester City's back-to-back Premier League triumphs in 2017-18 and 2018-19, scoring 35 goals and making 27 assists during the two campaigns.

While Sterling produced his best-ever Premier League season last campaign by scoring 20 goals, City were left trailing in the wake of a rampaging Liverpool as a three-peat was not to be for Pep Guardiola's men.

#2 Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City) - £320,833 per week

Arguably the most skilful player in the Premier League at the moment, Kevin De Bruyne is the creative thrust and heartbeat in the Manchester City midfield.

Though De Bruyne does not score a lot of goals, he is particularly renowned for his elegance, tactical intelligence and ability to conjure goalscoring opportunities for his teammates. The Belgian international has scored 58 goals and provided 90 assists in all competitions since arriving at the Etihad from Wolfsburg in the summer of 2015.

Considering the impact he can have in games, unsurprisingly the 29-year-old is Manchester City's best-paid player and the second overall in the Premier League this season.

#1 David de Gea (Manchester United) - £375,000 per week

Despite exhibiting signs of fallibility in recent times, David de Gea, the long-standing Manchester United number one, is the most well-paid player in the Premier League this season.

Since arriving at United in the summer of 2011, the 29-year-old Spanish custodian has kept 143 clean sheets in 408 games in all competitions for the club - a tally that includes 114 shutouts in 316 games in the Premier League.

In recent times, the Spaniard has displayed a worrying penchant of producing costly errors and making uncharacteristic mistakes. But on his day, the former Atletico Madrid man remains one of the finest in the business, which explains why Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has persisted with De Gea despite the return of the on-loan Jordan Henderson.

About the author

Bhargav is a veteran sports journalist and editor at Sportskeeda, with a rich professional experience of 17 years, working for the likes of Siemens and Bombay Dyeing. An avid football and tennis follower for over three decades, Bhargav uses his vast knowledge and experience, attention to detail, an unbiased yet interesting writing style, and thorough research to craft insightful articles, which have raked in over 20 million reads so far.

Bhargav supports Italy at national level, a team steeped in tradition and history according to him. He still harbors the heartbreak from the Azzurri’s 1994 FIFA World Cup final defeat against Brazil, and protagonist-turned-antagonist from the game, ‘Divine Ponytail’ Roberto Baggio is his all-time favorite player. His favorite manager is Marcelo Lippi, who ended Italy’s 24-year wait for the World Cup trophy, winning it in 2006.

Outside Europe’s top five leagues, he follows the MLS following Lionel Messi’s move in 2023 but favors Cristiano Ronaldo in the G.O.A.T. debate. During his free time, Bhargav enjoys driving off to new places and singing.

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Edited by Ashwin