How Sheffield Wednesday's wage bill compares to the rest of the Championship | OneFootball

We looked at how Sheffield Wednesday's wage bill compares to their Championship rivals.

It has been a mixed start to the campaign for Sheffield Wednesday, but they will still be hopeful that they can consolidate in the Championship this season.

Wednesday narrowly avoided relegation last term following a remarkable turnaround under Danny Rohl, and there was plenty of optimism heading into this season after a busy summer transfer window.

Owls owner Dejphon Chansiri has invested mainly in wages rather than transfer fees in recent years, and he adopted a similar policy once again this summer, but he did spend a reported £2.5 million on the signing of striker Ike Ugbo from Troyes.

While Wednesday's squad is undoubtedly stronger than last season, some weaknesses still remain, and Rohl will be hoping to address those in January, but it has been claimed that the German's ability to do business during the winter window will be restricted, with much of the focus likely to be on loan signings.

The Owls' transfer activity in the New Year could be limited even further as they have been placed under a registration embargo by the EFL over amounts owed to HM Revenue and Customs, but this is due to a temporary cash flow issue and is expected to be lifted soon.

With finances currently a big topic of debate at Hillsborough, we looked at how Wednesday's wage bill compares to their Championship rivals.

All figures are according to Capology, and it should be stressed that they are an estimate.

Sheffield Wednesday's wage bill compared to their Championship rivals

Wednesday are estimated to have a weekly wage bill of £297,038 and an annual wage bill of £15,446,000, which is the 10th-highest in the Championship this season.

Promotion favourites Leeds United have the biggest annual wage bill in the division at a huge £36,816,000, followed by Burnley (£30,992,000), West Bromwich Albion (£22,958,000), Sheffield United (£22,828,000) and Luton Town (£22,074,000).

Norwich City (£21,710,000), Cardiff City (£20,412,000), Watford (£18,276,000) and Middlesbrough (£16,216,000) are the other clubs who have a higher annual wage bill than the Owls.

At the other end of the scale, newly-promoted Portsmouth have the lowest annual wage bill in the division at just £7,202,000, followed by Plymouth Argyle (£8,985,600), Queens Park Rangers (£10,840,000), Oxford United (£10,978,000) and Coventry City (£11,062,000), highlighting the financial disparity that currently exists in the second tier.

Wednesday's highest paid player is captain Barry Bannan, who is estimated to earn £24,038 per week and £1,250,000 per year, and few would disagree with him holding that status considering the fact he has become something of a club legend since his arrival on a free transfer from Crystal Palace in the summer of 2015.

Yan Valery, Dominic Iorfa, Nathaniel Chalobah and Ugbo are next on the list at £20,000 per week and £1,040,000 per year, while the likes of Jamal Lowe, Callum Paterson, Michael Smith and Max Lowe are also among the Owls' biggest earners.

Given Wednesday's struggles last season and inconsistency at the start of this campaign, it is surprising to see their wage bill rank so highly compared with their Championship rivals, and Chansiri will be hoping for more of a return on his investment over the coming months.