How much Derby County or Stoke City may need to fork out in wages to sign John Swift | OneFootball

Stoke City and Derby County have both been linked with a move for John Swift

Derby County and Stoke City are both set to compete for the signing of John Swift amid his exit from West Brom.

According to Birmingham World, the two Championship clubs are eyeing a move for the playmaker now that he is set to become a free agent.

Swift will be available from 1 July, having departed the Baggies after an underwhelming final year with the Midlands outfit.

The 30-year-old contributed three goals and one assist from 36 appearances in the Championship last season, with West Brom finishing ninth in the table.

Here we use estimated figures from Capology to see how much it could cost either Stoke or Derby to bring Swift to the club this summer…

John Swift’s West Brom wages

Swift made the switch to West Brom in the 2022 summer transfer window following the end of his contract with Reading.

The playmaker was a key figure for the Royals and established himself as a standout performer in the division, contributing 11 goals and 13 assists in his final campaign with the Berkshire outfit as they narrowly avoided relegation to League One.

He signed a three-year contract when he made the move to the Hawthorns, which will now expire on Tuesday.

As part of that contract, Swift agreed to terms estimated to be worth £22,500 per week, making him the fourth best player at the club during his final year there.

Only Daryl Dike, Jed Wallace and Darnell Furlong earned more at West Brom during the 2024/25 campaign.

The American is on a deal worth £32,308-a-week, while Wallace and Furlong both receive £25,000 per week.

Swift was better paid at West Brom than the likes of Grady Diangana (£20,385 per week), Karlan Grant and Jayson Molumby (both £20,000).

The average West Brom player earned £16,259 per week last season, with their overall weekly total amounting to £422,731.

Stoke City and Derby County’s wage bills

Stoke’s wage bill last season was smaller than West Brom’s, amounting to a total of £302,750 per week.

Their highest paid player was Ben Gibson, with the defender receiving £35,000 per week, which is more than Dike’s deal is worth at the Hawthorns.

Sam Gallagher is the only other player in Mark Robins’ squad with a greater salary than Swift’s with the Baggies, earning £25,000 per week.

It’s likely that the Potters will have to make the playmaker one of their best paid players to sign him to the club for next season.

Ben Wilmot and Lewis Baker are the only other players at Stoke with a deal worth at least £20,000 per week.

Meanwhile, at Derby, the Rams paid a total of £231,392 per week to their first team squad last season, which is nearly £200,000 per week less than West Brom’s wage bill.

The highest paid player in John Eustace’s squad is Matt Clarke, with the defender earning £20,000 per week.