Sunderland AFC v Newcastle United: Owners wealth, wage bill, highest paid player compared | OneFootball

FLW compares the financial differences between the Tyne-Wear rivals

Sunderland against Newcastle United is one of the fiercest rivalries in English football.

However, in recent years, the two sides have endured differing trajectories, leading to just one Tyne-Wear Derby being played out since March 2016, which occurred in last season's FA Cup Third Round.

An own-goal from Dan Ballard and two strikes from Alexander Isak highlighted the gulf in quality between the Black Cats and the Magpies at the time, but there is genuine hope that under Regis Le Bris, the rivalry will be renewed in the league from next season, with Sunderland starting well in the Championship.

The financial gap between clubs in the Premier League and the second tier has been well-documented for quite some time now, and with that in mind, Football League World has compared varying aspects of said landscape between these two bitter rivals.

Newcastle's ownership has come under the spotlight for a whole host of reasons since taking over for £300m in October 2021, with the Saudi Public Investment Fund, RB Sports & Media and PCP Capital Partners said to have a combined net worth of £478bn - the strongest valuation out of the 20 top flight sides, according to GiveMeSport figures.

However, according to a list published by Forbes in May 2024, the St James' Park outfit are only the 23rd-most valuable club in the world, with eight Premier League sides coming above them in the ranking, as Newcastle reportedly hold a figure of $790m (£609m) in that regard.

Obviously, Kyril Louis-Dreyfus' net worth is incomparable in that regard, but the Sunderland chairman does have a reported net worth of £2bn, according to reports, after being the heir to the Louis-Dreyfus Group, ran by his late father, Robert Louis-Dreyfus - the former Marseille owner.

The 27-year-old continues to own a 5 percent stake in the Ligue 1 side, as well as holding a higher wealth than five Premier League owners.

Newcastle United's wage bill is unsurprisingly way higher than Sunderland's

Once again, it won't come as a major surprise to anyone that the Premier League side have a much stronger wage bill - according to estimated figures from Capology - in comparison to their Championship counterparts.

Newcastle's current payroll is said to have a value of £1,896,000 per week, which pays out an average weekly salary of £59,250 per week as a result of varying wage packets among the squad, and an annual payroll figure of £98,592,000.

Based off those numbers, Eddie Howe's side have the eighth-highest wage bill in the top flight behind Manchester City, Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Aston Villa and Tottenham Hotspur.

However, the same can't be said for the club from the Stadium of Light, who have an estimated wage bill of £241,615 per week, which comes at an average of £8,332 per week across Le Bris' squad, and an annual figure of £433,241.

Sunderland are said to have the 14th-highest wage bill in the Championship, which makes their start to the season even more remarkable in comparison to the likes of Leeds United and Burnley, who lead the way in that regard.

But, putting it in comparison between themselves and their Tyneside rivals, the gap in weekly wage bills is a figure of £1,654,385.

Referring to the highest earners among the respective squads, and it is Chris Mepham who tops the salary charts for the Black Cats with a weekly wage of £35,000 - £10,000 per week higher than fellow centre-back, Dan Ballard.

The 26-year-old signed on loan from Bournemouth on Deadline Day, and has already made a significant impression in the opening six matches of his temporary spell, which has already led to discussions as to whether the 47-time Welsh international will remain on Wearside at the end of the season.

As for Newcastle, their estimated highest earner is Brazilian midfield maestro, Bruno Guimarães, taking home a weekly figure of £160,000 per week - once again £10,000 more than the second-highest earner at the club, which is said to be Anthony Gordon.

The box-to-box midfielder was a statement signing for the Geordies back in January 2022, signing from Lyon for a reported £40m.

At 26 years of age, Guimarães has earned a reputation as one of the most technically-gifted midfielders in the Premier League, as well as becoming a cult hero at St James' Park after making over 100 appearances for the club to date and accumulating 17 goals and assists during that time.