Will Still was the highest-paid manager in the EFL Championship for 2025/26, on £1.3 million per year at Southampton but who else features on this list of the biggest earning bosses? 888sport looks at the finances.
The race for promotion makes the Championship a strange place financially: clubs spend big on managers, keep changing them, and still call it value if the gamble pays off.
The highest paid managers in the EFL Championship reflect that pressure, with salary levels that make more sense once you remember what the prize at the end of the tunnel is.
Who is the highest-paid Championship manager?
Will Still was the highest-paid Championship manager before his dismissal midway through the season, but managerial turnover is so high that the rankings below reflect reported 2025/26 season figures across the whole campaign, not just current jobs.
While these salaries are high, they don’t quite meet the levels of managers who’ve taken on Premier League contracts. Getting a deal up top greatly increases the pay – just look at Eddie Howe’s net worth as an example.
Will Still - Southampton (£1.3m) 2025
Will Still’s Southampton salary puts him top of the pile among the highest paid managers across the 2025/26 EFL Championship season, and the number makes sense when you look at the profile of the appointment.
Still arrived from Lens after building his reputation in Ligue 1, and Southampton backed him as a modern, high-ceiling manager rather than a safe short-term fix.
His age also stands out. At 32, he is the youngest boss in this top five and the clearest example of how Championship manager wages in 2025/26 are now tied to upside as much as track record.
The club paid for ideas, not just experience, and that is usually a sign of a team chasing immediate promotion rather than slow-burn stability.
Martí Cifuentes - Leicester City (£1.1m) 2025-2026
Martí Cifuentes’ Leicester salary is reported at £1.1 million per year, placing him second on the list of highest paid managers in the EFL Championship. Leicester appointed him in July 2025 after his spell at QPR, where his work was admired for structure, organisation, and control.
Cifuentes is 43, and his move to Leicester followed a spell in which the club wanted a manager ready to handle promotion pressure from day one.
That is exactly the sort of appointment that drives Championship manager’s salary levels up: the club is paying for a better shot at instant return, not just for weekly results.
Kieran McKenna - Ipswich Town (£1.0m) 2021-present
Kieran McKenna’s Ipswich salary is reported at around £1 million per year, keeping him firmly among the league’s highest earners. He has been in charge since December 2021, and his rise at Ipswich has made him one of the most respected young coaches in English football.
McKenna previously worked at Manchester United as an assistant, and that background still matters because it explains why clubs see him as a premium appointment.
Ipswich have paid for continuity and a defined coaching identity, which is exactly the sort of thing that pushes the highest paid managers in the EFL Championship into seven-figure territory.
Check out the average National League salary right here!
Rubén Sellés - Sheffield United (£850k) 2025
Rubén Sellés’ Sheffield United salary was reported at £850,000, putting him fourth in the ranking. He arrived in 2025 after previous head-coaching work in England, and Sheffield United backed him as they reset for another promotion push.
Sellés is a good reminder that the market does not just reward fame. It rewards the chance that a manager can organise a squad quickly, survive the Championship’s weekly grind, and keep a promotion bid alive long enough for the club to cash in.
Chris Davies - Birmingham City (£600k) 2024-present
Chris Davies is reported to earn £600,000 per year at Birmingham City, completing the top five. He was appointed in 2024 and brought a coaching reputation shaped by elite-level assistant work before taking his own senior role.
Davies sits lower than the three promotion-heavy appointments above him, but his place in this list still says plenty about the market. Birmingham are paying for a manager whose ideas fit a longer-term project, and even that sits well above what many elite coaches in other divisions would expect.
Why are Championship managers paid so much?
Promotion to the Premier League is worth at least £150 million in revenue, even if the promoted team finishes bottom and is immediately relegated.
That is the whole story in one line: clubs spend aggressively because one successful season can transform the balance sheet, while one failure usually leaves the wage bill looking expensive rather than clever.
The Championship is also a league where fine margins decide everything. Clubs are willing to pay more for managers who can handle pressure, solve problems quickly, and keep a dressing room together through a 46-game season that barely lets anyone breathe.
Much of the time, the clubs willing to spend big on players and their coaching team will lead the Championship outright betting.
How Championship salaries compare to Premier League managers
The gap between Championship manager wages in 2025/26 and Premier League pay is still large, but it is not as wild as the gap in club revenues suggests. The top end of the Championship now sits in a bracket that overlaps with the lower half of the Premier League market.
As you’d assume, Championship salaries are way higher than the League One salary on average, be it for players or managers. That said, there is sometimes a bit of crossover.
When clubs achieve promotion from the lower tiers to the Championship, it can take time for contracts and salaries to catch up. So, sometimes, you’ll find a League Two salary within the second-tier of English football.
Highest Paid Championship Manager FAQs:
Who is the highest-paid manager in the Championship?
Will Still at Southampton was the highest-paid Championship manager for 2025/26, on £1.3 million per year.
How much does Kieran McKenna earn at Ipswich?
Kieran McKenna is reported to earn around £1 million per year at Ipswich Town, where he has been manager since December 2021.
Why are Championship managers paid so much?
Promotion to the Premier League is worth at least £150 million in TV and prize revenue, even if a club finishes bottom of the PL. Clubs spend heavily to give themselves the best chance.
Championship outright odds at 888sport
Championship outright odds shift fast, and they usually say as much about expectations as they do about form.
The market is a useful snapshot for anyone following the promotion race, but it should be treated as a guide rather than a promise.
Southampton, Leicester City, Ipswich Town, Sheffield United, and Birmingham City all went into the 2025/26 season with serious attention on their promotion chances, which is no surprise given the wages and expectations attached to their managers.
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