Which Africans are making the big bucks in England’s top flight?

At a time where money is being thrown at the prospect of finding the next Ronaldo or Messi, the English Premier League has been the most guilty, at least in Europe on investing money of unproven talent. Manchester United who has had a string of woeful seasons have been trying desperately to get back to their winning ways by signing unproven talent for insurmountable sums of money. The club who currently pays the salaries of the league’s three highest-paid players have not had much to success to show for it, currently lying 5th in the table as of Gameweek 29. 

By no ways are we referring to the likes of Zlatan Ibrahimovic or Wayne Rooney but whether Paul Pogba for all success he has had at Juventus deserved his 105€ million price tag [1] is still up for debate. Africans who have had a rich history in the competition are among the highest-paid players in the league. In this article, we look at the highest-paid Africans in the 2016/17 Premier League & analyze whether they are actually worth the money.

Top 4 Highest Paid Africans in the 2016/17 Premier League

1st. Yaya Toure – Manchester City

It might not come as a surprise that the 4-time African Footballer of the year is the highest paid African in the Premier League. Ever since he came to the Citizens from Barcelona in 2010, the Ivorian international has been a mainstay at the club helping them to multiple league titles & three domestic cups. Bring in a weekly wage of 240,000£ the 33-year-old ranks among the top 5 highest paid players in the league & the joint highest paid player at Man City along with Argentine Sergio Aguero.

Brought to Man City for a fee of 24£ million, it’s safe to say that Yaya has been one of the club’s best acquisitions over the last decade or so. While it seemed that his career with the club came to an abrupt end with the arrival of Pep Guardiola, he has played his way back to the first-team & has shown that he has still plenty to offer for the club.With his contract set to expire later this year, it has to be seen whether Yaya will choose to remain with the club or move onto greener pastures.

2nd. Sadio Mane – Liverpool

With a weekly wage amounting to 125,000£, Sadio Mane ranks second among the highest paid Africans in the competition. Brought into Liverpool earlier this season, his price tag of 34£ million makes him the most expensive African Footballer in any competition. Mane simply wasn’t a case of investing money on an unproven talent, before his arrival to the Merseyside giants, the Senegalese international had a couple of strong seasons with Southampton & was named in the CAF team of the year in each of those seasons. His performances with Liverpool so far has made him one of the best transfer acquisitions this summer and has arguably become the club’s most important player.

Whether he can be consistent with his performances is still up for debate but as of now, Mane has certainly lived up to the price tag against his name.

3rd. Wilfred Bony – Manchester City/Stoke City

Bony is at that stage in his career where a lot of uncertainty hangs over his future. When was he was bought into the Manchester City fold during the winter of 2015, there was little doubt as to whether he warranted his 28£ million price tag. With a tally of 35 goals in 70 games for Swansea City he had quickly become of the league’s best strikers. Upon joining the Citizens, though, Bony struggled to cement himself a place in the first-team & was unable to emerge out of the shadow of Sergio Aguero. Currently, on loan at Stoke City where he hasn’t had the greatest of seasons’, it remains to be seen whether the Ivorian international can win back the Citizens’ faith. His weekly wage of 120,000£ helps him rank 3rd among the highest paid Africans in the Premier League.

4th. Riyad Mahrez – Leicester City

Signed for just a fee of over 400,000£, it’s safe to say that the Algerian international has paid the club 100 times over for the faith they had shown in him. Along Kante & Jamie Vardy, Mahrez was one of the key factors that helped Leicester pull off one of the greatest upsets in the games’ history last season. Collecting a decent paycheck amounting to 100,000£ per week there are plenty of rumors that are linking Mahrez to a potential move to one of the Spanish giants [2]. Whether he decides to move on or not, Riyad Mahrez has already earned his place in the Premier League folklore.

External Resources

[1] Dailymail.co.uk, Highest Paid Premier League Player

[2] Bleacherreport.com, Mahrez to Barcelona?