Fresh from their League One title triumph, Birmingham City are making serious financial waves in the Championship with one of the division's most ambitious wage structures, according to newly-released data from Football Manager 2026.
The Blues' big spenders
Following their promotion back to the second tier, Birmingham's owners have demonstrated their Premier League ambitions by assembling a squad with the tenth-highest wage bill in the Championship, as tracked by football finance experts Capology. This represents a significant statement of intent from the newly-promoted club.
Manager Chris Davies, who enjoyed a dream start to his managerial career last season, has been heavily backed in the transfer market. The club invested approximately £25 million on 17 new players last summer, followed by a further £12.5 million after securing promotion.
Who tops the pay scale?
According to FM26's detailed database estimations, the highest earner at St Andrew's is currently Tommy Doyle. The midfielder arrived on a season-long loan from Wolverhampton Wanderers after struggling for game time under Vitor Pereira at Molineux.
The playmaker, once on the radar of England's Under-21 setup, is estimated to be taking home a substantial £45,000 per week. It's worth noting that Birmingham City may not be responsible for the entirety of his wages under the terms of the loan agreement.
Other high-profile earners
In terms of permanent signings, Marvin Ducksch leads the way. The marquee addition from the Bundesliga commands an estimated £40,000 per week following his move to English football.
He's closely followed by deadline day loan signing Patrick Roberts, whose £38,000 per week wages are partially covered by his parent club Sunderland. Meanwhile, academy graduate Demarai Gray likely accepted reduced terms for his emotional return to Birmingham from Saudi Arabia, earning around £35,000 per week.
Japanese striker Kyogo Furuhashi, who has experienced a slow start to life in the West Midlands since his high-profile transfer, completes the top tier of earners with £34,500 per week.
Full Birmingham City wage list according to FM26
- Tommy Doyle – £45K p/w
- Marvin Ducksch – £40K p/w
- Patrick Roberts – £38K p/w
- Demarai Gray – £35K p/w
- Kyogo Furuhashi – £34.5K p/w
- Bright Osayi-Samuel – £32K p/w
- Jay Stansfield – £25K p/w
- Christoph Klarer – £22.5K p/w
- Paik Seung-Ho – £22.5K p/w
- Jack Robinson – £22K p/w
- Kanya Fujimoto – £20K p/w
- Eiran Cashin – £20K p/w
- Phil Neumann – £20K p/w
- Lyndon Dykes – £20K p/w
- Marc Leonard – £18K p/w
- Ryan Allsop – £18K p/w
- Tomoki Iwata – £18K p/w
- Willum Þór Willumsson – £18K p/w
- Ethan Laird – £18K p/w
- Keshi Anderson – £15K p/w
- Alex Cochrane — £15K p/w
- Alfons Sampsted - £15K p/w
- Lee Buchanan - £15K p/w
- Scott Wright - £15K p/w
- James Beadle - £6K p/w
- Lewis Koumas - £5K p/w
The significant investment in player salaries underscores Birmingham City's determination to establish themselves as genuine promotion contenders rather than simply aiming for Championship survival.
