The Black Cats’ squad is one of the most talented in the Championship, but let’s take a look at every Sunderland player’s salaries and see just how much the club is paying its top performers.
Regis Le Bris inherited an exciting and very young squad when he took over at Sunderland last summer, but he’s still exceeded all expectations by guiding the Mackems to what looks set to be a fourth-placed finish this season.
It remains to be seen whether the Black Cats can secure promotion via the play-offs. If they do, it will be fascinating to see what new additions Le Bris brings in, but if they fail, we will surely see some big names moving on from the Stadium of Light.
Here, we take a look at the Sunderland wage bill and find out who’s earning the most, who’s overpaid, and who’s due a pay rise.
Sunderland salaries 2024/25
Goalkeepers
| Player | Weekly wage | Annual salary | Contract expires |
| Anthony Patterson | £10,000 | £520,000 | June 2028 |
| Simon Moore | £7,000 | £364,000 | June 2026 |
| Blondy Nna Noukeu | £6,000 | £312,000 | June 2026 |
According to data from Capology, Anthony Patterson brings in £10k per week at Sunderland. Only seven players earn more than the Black Cats’ number one ‘keeper, and it does feel like a pretty fair salary for one of the more experienced members of the Sunderland squad, who is regarded as one of the best stoppers in the Championship.
Interestingly, though, Patterson doesn’t earn much more than his deputy, Simon Moore, who is on £7k per week. And, even more surprising, the forgotten man Blondy Nna Noukeu is not far behind on £6k a week. Surely, that has to feel like money wasted every week.
Defenders
| Player | Weekly wage | Annual salary | Contract expires |
| Chris Mepham | £35,000 | £1.82m | May 2025 (loan) |
| Dan Ballard | £25,000 | £1.3m | June 2028 |
| Dennis Cirkin | £10,000 | £520,000 | June 2026 |
| Luke O’Nien | £7,500 | £390,000 | June 2026 |
| Aji Alese | £6,000 | £312,000 | June 2027 |
| Leo Hjelde | £5,000 | £260,000 | June 2028 |
| Niall Huggins | £5,000 | £260,000 | June 2026 |
| Jenson Seelt | £3,000 | £156,000 | June 2028 |
| Joe Anderson | £3,000 | £156,000 | June 2026 |
| Trai Hume | £3,000 | £156,000 | June 2027 |
While Chris Mepham is the second highest-earner of anyone in the squad, it’s worth noting that is a Premier League wage that will be paid, at least in part, by Bournemouth. The defender is thought to be available for a permanent move in the summer, but would Sunderland actually be able to afford anything close to £35k per week? Probably not.
Meanwhile, of all the players Sunderland actually own, Dan Ballard comes in with the highest wage at £25k per week. Shockingly, though, at the other end of the scale, Trai Hume is only earning £3,000 per week, which seems disproportionate to the number of minutes he plays and the impact he has on the pitch. Surely a new deal is in the offing.
Sunderland chiefs will also be keeping an eye on a number of contracts that are expiring at the end of next season, most notably Dennis Cirkin and Luke O’Nien.
Midfielders
| Player | Weekly wage | Annual salary | Contract expires |
| Enzo Le Fee | £67,500 | £3.15m | June 2025 (loan) |
| Alan Browne | £15,000 | £780,000 | June 2027 |
| Salis Abdul Samed | £15,000 | £780,000 | June 2025 (loan) |
| Jobe Bellingham | £12,500 | £650,000 | June 2028 |
| Patrick Roberts | £12,500 | £650,000 | June 2026 |
| Ian Poveda | £9,000 | £468,000 | June 2027 |
| Romaine Mundle | £5,000 | £260,000 | June 2028 |
| Milan Aleksic | £3,000 | £156,000 | June 2028 |
| Chris Rigg | £1,500 | £78,000 | June 2027 |
| Tommy Watson | £1,500 | £78,000 | June 2026 |
| Dan Neil | £1,346 | £70,000 | June 2026 |
It was always going to be the case that Enzo Le Fee would have the highest salary of anyone at Sunderland, and it is believed the club is covering those wages for the loan spell. However, that £67.5k weekly salary will be taken off the wage bill at the end of the season unless Sunderland go up.
The same will apply to Salis Abdul Samed, who is on £15k per week, but has not likely not done enough to earn a permanent move after a loan spell blighted by injuries.
Key men Jobe Bellingham and Patrick Roberts are fairly well-compensated with a £12.5k per week wage, but we were stunned to learn that Chris Rigg and Dan Neil are two of the lowest-paid players in Regis Le Bris’ squad.
Of all the Sunderland player’s salaries, these shocked us the most. But, it’s worth noting that Rigg signed his deal as a teenager, and Neil agreed a new contract back in 2023 when he was not quite as important as he is now, which could explain the reason they are paid £1.5k and £1.3k respectively.
Rigg could move for £25m this summer, and we would expect him to land a significant pay rise wherever he goes. Meanwhile, we will surely see the Sunderland captain rewarded with a bumper new deal at the end of the season after an impressive campaign leading the team — Neil only has just over one year left on his current agreement.
Sunderland also need to do something about Tommy Watson’s contract, which expires next summer, as does Roberts’ deal.
Forwards
| Player | Weekly wage | Annual salary | Contract expires |
| Wilson Isidor | £8,500 | £442,000 | June 2028 |
| Eliezer Mayenda | £6,500 | £338,000 | June 2028 |
| Ahmed Abdullahi | £2,000 | £104,000 | June 2028 |
Wilson Isidor made his loan move a permanent one in January, and compared to other Sunderland player’s salaries, the forward is looking like he may be worth a higher wage very soon. One thing’s for sure, if Premier League clubs come sniffing, it’ll take more than an £8.5k weekly salary to keep him on Wearside.
Fellow forward Eliezer Mayenda has only just started to really show what he’s capable of at Sunderland, but the deal he signed in 2023 brought him a pretty tidy £6.5k weekly wage, which feels about right given his age.
However, one player who has not earned his salary just yet is Ahmed Abdullahi. The summer signing is yet to turn out for the Sunderland first-team, and even £2k a week feels steep at this point.