Wage bill nearly doubles at Forest following busy summer

Nottingham Forest’s wage bill rose by just over 94% to £24.3m this summer, with the hike representing the biggest increase of any Premier League club.

New research from OLBG has revealed that Forest’s wage bill almost doubled following a busy summer which saw the club sign 21 players following its return to the top flight for the first time since 1998/99.

Jesse Lingard, who signed on a free transfer from Manchester United, is the biggest earner at the club, taking home £200,000 per week.

To put things in perspective, Aston Villa registered the next highest increase in wage outgoings at 25%, while Brentford, in third, saw its wage bill increase by just 2.5% on last season.

Everton saw the biggest reduction in its wage bill by far, cutting back by 46% after a close brush with relegation last time out.

With the Reds struggling at the bottom of the table so far this season, and with an expensive stadium redevelopment in the offing, supporters will no doubt be hoping for an immediate change in fortunes on the pitch to justify the hike in expenditure.

OLBG compiled the figures using data from Sportsrac.