Premier League clubs have forked out more than £1bn in wages to injured players across the last five years, a new study has found.
Since the start of the 2020-21 season, 5,367 injuries in the English top flight have cost its clubs £1.2bn in salary payments – equivalent to a quarter of their matchday revenue during that period.
Insurance giant Howden’s fifth Men’s European Football Injury Index, released on Tuesday, reveals that the Premier League contributed 24 per cent of the injuries over the last five years across Europe’s Big Five leagues and 40 per cent of the cost.
Last season saw a small rise in the number of injuries across the top five leagues – from 4,429 to 4,456 – despite a fall in the cost to the clubs – from £733m to £592m – suggesting fewer top-earning stars were sidelined.
For the Premier League, injuries fell for a fourth consecutive year to 958, from 986 in 2023-2024, with the cost coming down by a notable £70m to £250m.
Over the last half-decade, Manchester United saw the most injuries with 399, while Chelsea were second on 357 ahead of Newcastle United at 355.
In terms of cost, United came top at £157m ahead of Chelsea at around £140m and Manchester City at £105m.
Premier League injury cost
But the Club World Cup appears to have “had a minimal impact on the overall number of injuries sustained”, though Howden’s head of sport James Burrows said the data could spike into this season as the delayed toll hits players.
“We wanted to publish the data in a timeframe that is relevant and newsworthy,” he added. “We expect to see the impact spike in the November to February period. That’s where you see the most significant impact from summer tournaments.”
Former Manchester United head of recovery Dr Robin Thorpe added: “The Premier League continues to exhibit the highest burden of muscle and hamstring injuries, consistent with its high-velocity, transition-heavy style of play.
“Because on-pitch performance strongly influences financial performance via league position, European qualification, commercial value and player asset appreciation, injuries impose a dual competitive and economic burden.”
Across the Big Five leagues – the Premier League, Bundesliga, Ligue 1, LaLiga and Serie A – there were 22,596 injuries during the last five seasons, costing nearly €3.5bn at an average cost of €150,000.
The report assumes that a player’s full salary is paid across the duration of his injury.
It comes amid record spending on signings in the summer of 2025, with the Premier League clubs splashing £2bn in the most recent transfer window. And salaries across the Premier League are on the rise.
But it’s too early to say whether the lack of a spike in injury numbers means clubs are being more sensible in using their squads, with Burrows saying it will need a “two-three-four-year view” to ensure there are no anomalies.
“It is too narrow a base of data,” he added. “If we’re looking at the Club World Cup we will be able to draw a more comprehensive conclusion in 12 to 24 months.”