1. Yukinari Sugawara in 2024-25: Quick Overview
Yukinari Sugawara is a Japanese international defender who began his career in his homeland with Nagoya Grampus before moving to Europe five years ago. Sugawara’s destination upon leaving Japan was the Netherlands’ Eredivisie and AZ Alkmaar.
The right back has earned 15 caps for his country after making his debut back in 2020 against Cameroon but he missed out on the 2022 World Cup squad. The 25-year-old has been capped for Japan at every level, from Under-17s through to the senior side.
Last summer, Sugawara joined the English Premier League side Southampton from Alkmaar for a reported fee of £6 million and signed a four-year deal worth £40,000 per week.
He established himself in the Saints side that found life in the Premier League to be a challenge, playing 30 of the club’s 38 league fixtures but found himself left out of all but one of their last six starting lineups.
Over those 30 outings, he scored once and provided one assist for his teammates, a far cry from his goal involvements in Holland. After a dismal season for Southampton, Sugawara is now preparing for life in the Championship under new manager Will Still.
- Weekly Salary: £40,000
- Annual Salary: £2,080,000
- Current Club: Southampton
- Contract Expiry: June 2028
- Reported Bonuses: None
2. Career Earnings to Date
| Club | Years | Estimated Salary |
| AZ Alkmaar | 2020-24 | £155,037 |
| Southampton | 2024-28 | £2,080,000 |
Yukinari Sugawara broke into the Nagoya Grampus first team back in 2018 having come through the youth set-up at the club. However, it didn’t take long for the defender to attract interest from Europe and he eventually moved to the Netherlands to join Eredivisie side AZ Alkmaar.
He joined the Dutch club for an unknown fee and signed a contract worth a reported £2,981 a week or £155,037 per year. During his time at the AFAS Stadion, Sugawara not only gained experience in a top-flight European league but also in European competition.
The Japan International made 26 Conference League appearances and added a further 10 Europa League outings to that number. Across his five seasons with the club, Sugawara contributed 14 goals and 29 assists in his 198 appearances in all competitions.
His spell in Holland earned him over £600,000 in wages.
Sugawara’s form caught the attention of the newly promoted Premier League side Southampton and they paid around £6 million for his signature.
Having earned £155,037 a year, the contract he signed at Southampton represented a significant increase in his salary. The four-year deal he signed at St Mary’s is believed to be worth £40,000 a week and £2,080,000 a year to the player. To date, Sugawara’s career earnings stand at approximately £2,700,000.
3. Contract Details & History
Yukinari Sugawara’s wage at Nagoya Grampus is not readily available but after less than 30 appearances for the J-League side, he was headed for Europe.
A deal worth just less than £3,000 a week was signed with AZ Alkmaar, and the Japanese International would become a fixture on the side. He made close to 200 appearances before being sold to Premier League side Southampton.
The 25-year-old signed a four-year deal with the Saints that saw his wages go up almost 13 and a half times compared to his wage in Holland. He jumped from less than £3,000 a week to a staggering £40,000 per week, equating to over £2 million per year.
With no relegation clause made public, it can be assumed the player remains on £40,000 per week despite now being a Championship player and he has three seasons remaining on that deal. Should he see out that contract, Sugawara will have grossed £8,320,000 in salary.
4. Salary Comparison: How Yukinari Sugawara Stacks Up
Southampton’s Top Earners (2024-25):
- Aaron Ramsdale – £6,240,000
- Jan Bednarek – £3,640,000
- Joe Aribo – £3,640,000
- Adam Lallana – £2,340,000
- Jack Stephens – £2,340,000
- Yukinari Sugawara – £2,080,000
- Alex McCarthy – £2,080,000
- Cameron Archer – £2,080,000
- Kamaldeen Sulemana – £2,080,000
- Ryan Fraser – £2,080,000
Comparison To Other Right Backs In The Championship (2025-26)
- Ricardo Pereira (Leicester City) – £4,160,000
- Yukinari Sugawara – £2,080,000
- James Justin (Leicester City) – £1,560,000
- Ben Johnson (Ipswich Town) – £1,560,000
- Luke Ayling (Middlesbrough) – £1,560,000
Aaron Ramsdale is easily the highest earner on Southampton’s books, earning over £2.5 million more than the next highest-paid player, Jan Bednarek. Yukinari Sugawara earns a third of Ramsdale’s wages but is still one of the top-paid players at St Mary’s.
Sugawara is the second-highest-paid defender at Southampton, behind only Bednarek. He is one of several players who were earning £40,000 a week at the club last season, alongside the likes of Alex McCarthy, Jack Stephens, Cameron Archer, Ryan Fraser and Kameldeen Sulemana.
When compared to those players earning the same, Sugawara compares very favourably, with perhaps only Cameron Archer close to matching his input. Reserve goalie McCarthy played just five times and Ryan Fraser managed just eight appearances.
Perhaps unsurprisingly as both have suffered relegation, Southampton and Leicester City dominate the list of highest-paid players in the Championship for the upcoming season.
When compared to fellow right-backs, only Leicester’s Ricardo Pereira earns more than Sugawara. There is then a gap of around half a million a year, or £10,000 a week, to the next best-paid players Justin, Johnson and Ayling.
Southampton will be hopeful their defender can repeat the performances that first brought him to their attention as they look to bounce straight back to the top flight.
5. FAQs About Yukinari Sugawara’s Salary
Q: What is Yukinari Sugawara’s weekly and annual salary?
A: Yukinari Sugawara earns £40,000 per week and £2,080,000 per year.
Q: When does Yukinari Sugawara’s current contract end?
- A:.Yukinari Sugawara is under contract at Southampton until June 2028.
Q: Are there any bonuses or incentives in the contract?
- A: Any bonuses in his contract are unknown.
Q: Has Yukinari Sugawara’s salary changed in recent years?
- A: Yukinari Sugawara’s wages benefited from an incredible rise when he left Alkmaar to join Southampton, jumping from £155,000 per year to over £2 million.
Q: How does Yukinari Sugawara’s salary compare to teammates or league rivals?
- A: Yukinari Sugawara is one of Southampton’s highest-paid players, currently sitting sixth on the top earners list. He is also one of several Southampton players to appear in the best-paid players of the Championship list.
Q: Does his salary affect club finances?
- A: While Yukinari Sugawara’s wages are high, the Saints reportedly spend £50,400,000 a year on wages meaning he takes up a relatively small fraction of their overall expenditure. He does, however, earn significantly higher than the average wage at the club, which stands at just over £24,000 per week.
