Declan Rice: How Proposed New Arsenal Wages Compare to Premier League Elite

Mikel Arteta is not the only person in line for a major salary increase.

Declan Rice is closing in on a new Arsenal contract. | Naomi Baker/Getty Images

Having made Mikel Arteta the highest-paid manager in the Premier League, reports state Arsenal are closing in on an agreement that would make midfielder Declan Rice the top earner at the club.

Arteta banked an annual salary of £20 million ($26.4 million) with the new contract announced on Wednesday, with Gunners officials keen to recognize the impact of those that have helped Arsenal return to Europe’s elite.

Rice has been particularly integral to Arsenal’s rise to the top of the English game, with his continued availability far exceeding many of his teammates. Indeed, in just over three full years in north London, Rice has totted up 165 appearances across all competitions—with many of those seeing him complete the full 90 minutes.

BBC Sport report the England international is on the cusp of signing a new contract that will include a significant increase to his current salary. He is understood to take home £200,000 ($264,000) per week at the Emirates but is now expected to see that number fly up to £350,000 ($462,000) when he puts pen to paper.

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How Rice’s Salary Compares to Premier League’s Elite

Rice is expected to move level with Bukayo Saka (right). | David Price/Arsenal FC/Getty Images

It was not long ago that Arsenal were being mocked for not loosening the purse strings. Oh, how times have changed.

The Gunners now boast one of the highest wage bills in the Premier League, and they are showing no signs of slowing down. Arteta is now the top earner in the dugout, pocketing a salary nearly twice as high as any other manager in the division, and that trend is creeping into the playing squad as well.

If Rice, as expected, sees his salary jump up to £350,000 per week, he would join Bukayo Saka as the team’s highest earner.

That figure still falls someway short of the £500,000 ($660,000) salary reportedly handed out to Manchester City striker Erling Haaland, while Liverpool center back Virgil van Dijk is understood to earn £400,000 ($528,000) every week at Anfield.

Behind that pair, however, is where Arsenal start to make some serious noise on the wage books. Saka and Rice would sit clear in third place with the status of the highest-paid English players in the division.

Marcus Rashford is understood to take home £325,000 ($429,000) every week at Manchester United, where club captain Bruno Fernandes earns slightly lower but has held talks over an extension that would offer him a healthy financial jump.

Arsenal forward Kai Havertz signed a contract worth around £280,000 ($370,000) per week when he joined from Chelsea, but he could soon see his earnings eclipsed by midfielder Martin Ødegaard, who is believed to be next in line for an extension.

The Norwegian’s earnings of £240,000 ($317,000) made him the club’s top earner when he renewed in 2023, but Arsenal’s rise over the past three seasons has forced the Gunners to dig a little deeper into their pockets.

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Top Earners at Big Six Clubs

Player / Club	Reported Wage p/w
Bukayo Saka (Arsenal)	£350,000 ($462,000)
Reece James (Chelsea)	£200,000 ($264,000)
Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool)	£400,000 ($528,000)
Erling Haaland (Man City)	£500,000 ($660,000)
Marcus Rashford (Man Utd)	£325,000 ($429,000)
Sandro Tonali (Tottenham)	£150,000 ($198,000)

*Currency conversion to $ accurate at time of publication. Salary figures per widespread reports.

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