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How Sunderland’s audited payroll changed
Sunderland’s filed accounts show a substantial reduction between 2016/17, when the club was in the Premier League, and 2024/25, its latest audited season covered by the figures here. SalarySport’s table of filed-account figures reports two related but distinct measures:
| Accounting measure | 2016/17 | 2024/25 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Staff costs | £82.691 million | £52.899 million | Down £29.792 million, or about 36.0% |
| Wages and salaries | £73.570 million | £45.961 million | Down £27.609 million, or about 37.5% |
These figures come from Sunderland’s filed accounts as tabulated by SalarySport’s Sunderland finances and accounts table. “Staff costs” is the broader measure; “wages and salaries” is a separate line in the accounts. Neither isolates first-team player pay. The figures therefore answer how the club’s recorded payroll changed, not precisely how much the 2026/27 squad earns.
What Sunderland’s current player-salary estimate says
Capology’s indexed estimate for Sunderland’s 2026/27 season is £63.076 million in gross fixed player salaries, equivalent to £1.213 million per week. The estimate excludes bonuses. It is a provider estimate, not an audited figure in the club’s accounts. Capology’s 2026/27 Sunderland salary page is the source for that estimate.
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For comparison, FBref’s indexed wage table estimates Sunderland’s annual player wages in 2016/17 at £47.762 million. That is also a provider estimate, not the same accounting measure as the club’s £82.691 million in staff costs or £73.570 million in wages and salaries. FBref’s 2016/17 Premier League wages table supplies the estimate.
| Figure | Season and scope | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| £47.762 million a year | 2016/17 Sunderland player wages | FBref estimate |
| £63.076 million a year; £1.213 million a week | 2026/27 Sunderland gross fixed player salaries | Capology estimate; bonuses excluded |
On those estimates, the current-season fixed-salary total is higher by about £15.3 million a year. Treat that as an indicative comparison, not a like-for-like audited increase: the figures refer to different seasons and providers, and their squad coverage and inclusion rules may differ. The 2026/27 estimate does not include bonuses.
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Why the figures do not line up neatly
“Wage bill” can mean several things in football finance. A whole-club accounts line may include employees beyond the first team and employment costs beyond player salaries. A salary-provider estimate instead attempts to capture player pay, and may apply its own rules for fixed pay, bonuses, squad coverage and contracts. Comparing these without identifying their scope can make a club-wide payroll look like a first-team salary total, or make an estimate appear to be an audited fact.
The latest audited accounts in the figures cited here cover 1 August 2024 to 31 July 2025. They report £39.4 million in revenue and a £3.3 million pre-tax loss, according to PSRwatch’s summary of Sunderland’s 2024/25 accounts. Those financial results help place the payroll in context, but the accounts period predates the 2026/27 squad estimate. SalarySport calculates 2024/25 staff costs at 134.2% of revenue; that ratio uses the broader staff-cost figure, not just first-team wages.
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What the comparison says about Sunderland’s seasons
Sunderland finished bottom of the Premier League in 2016/17 with 24 points. FBref’s indexed record for 2025/26 lists Sunderland seventh with 54 points. These are season outcomes, not evidence that payroll by itself caused relegation or a later improvement in league position. Squad quality, recruitment, injuries, management and many other factors are not measured by a wage total.
The useful conclusion depends on the question: the audited accounts show lower club-wide staff costs and wages and salaries in 2024/25 than in 2016/17, while provider estimates put 2026/27 fixed player salaries above FBref’s 2016/17 player-wage estimate. The two comparisons use different scopes and evidence types, so neither should be presented as a precise, audited current-versus-relegation-squad comparison.
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