Portsmouth survival ‘even more remarkable’ amid £7.2m reveal
Portsmouth have been up against it in many aspects this season while trying to establish themselves in the Championship.
John Mousinho has had to deal with injuries, and Rich Hughes has had to lead the recruitment of experienced second-tier performers with one hand tied behind his back compared to the financial might of their new competitors.
However, Pompey are 17th in the table and despite back-to-back defeats before the international break, will be looking to do enough to fairly comfortably stay afloat having now done the hard part of scraping clear.
Portsmouth have lowest wage bill in Championship
As revealed by Capology, Portsmouth are paying less in wages than any other Championship club at around £7.2million a year,
With that of course comes the difficulty to attract a higher calibre of player, meaning the January transfer window recruitment was, in hindsight, extremely impressive.
Pompey brought in eight new arrivals – some on loan, some on short-term deals, and with a mixture of youth and experience. It has worked, with an excellent run of form following, before two poor defeats in their last two games dragged Mousinho’s men back into minor relegation threat.
Portsmouth are under the stewardship of Michael Eisner while Andy Cullen runs the financial outlook as CEO. Plenty of investment from the ownership into Fratton Park has been admirable, but has meant the playing budget has taken a hit.
Pompey rank considerably lower than any Championship rival
Portsmouth had a wage bill prior to January of just £7,202,000 according to Capology’s report, which will not have risen too much despite the winter signings and certainly not reached the next-lowest in the Championship, Plymouth Argyle, on just short of £9million.
QPR, Oxford United and Coventry City were all next, but all exceeded an annual charge of £10million, with Swansea City and Millwall next.
Coventry and Millwall in particular have demonstrated how to challenge in the top half of the league on a budget – especially the Sky Blues, who were but a penalty kick at Wembley away from the Premier League two years ago.
| Lowest wage bills – Championship | Annual wages paid |
| PORTSMOUTH | £7.2million |
| Plymouth Argyle | £9million |
| Queens Park Rangers | £10.8million |
| Oxford United | £11million |
By contrast, the top seven clubs in the annual wage bill ranking towards the end of 2024 all exceed £20million in outgoings, which alarmingly includes both Luton Town and Cardiff City – both of whom are in huge danger of dropping into League One with massive costs on the books.
Unsurprisingly, Leeds United‘s gargantuan wage receipt of over £36.8million is over five times’ that of Pompey’s as they lead the way, followed by Burnley (£30.9million) and Sheffield United (£22.8million).