1. Ethan Laird in 2024-25: Quick Overview
Ethan Laird is a Manchester United academy graduate and England Under-19 international. The 23-year-old signed for Birmingham City ahead of the 2023-24 Championship season.
Laird had spent time on loan with sides such as MK Dons, Swansea City, Bournemouth and Queens Park Rangers before joining the Blues permanently.
Following relegation at the end of his first season at the club, the 2024-25 campaign was one of great change at Birmingham City. The new owners were able to flex their financial muscle, and in Chris Davies, they appointed a fresh young manager to lead the side.
Laird played 35 League One matches last term as City went on to achieve an EFL points record of 111, thanks to 34 wins and only three defeats across 46 matches. The defender featured in 47 games in all competitions, scoring five times.
The former Manchester United man is now back in the Championship but is battling it out with the likes of Bright Osayi-Samuel for a place in the starting line-up.
- Weekly Salary: £13,500
- Annual Salary: £702,000
- Current Club: Birmingham City
- Contract Expiry: June 2028
- Reported Bonuses: None
2. Career Earnings to Date
| Club | Years | Estimated Salary |
| Bournemouth | 2021-22 | £680,000 per annum |
| Queens Park Rangers | 2022-23 | £680,000 |
| Birmingham City | 2023-24 | £520,000 |
| Birmingham City | 2024-25 | £702,000 |
| Birmingham City | 2025-28 | £702,000 |
Ethan Laird is a product of the Manchester United academy and made two first appearances for the Red Devils. His debut came in a 2-1 defeat in Kazakhstan to FC Astana, and that was followed up with 20 minutes at the end of the club’s 4-0 home victory against Dutch side AZ Alkmaar.
After a loan spell in League One with MK Dons, Laird got his first taste of Championship football with a spell at Swansea City, where he played over 20 times in the second tier.
The second part of the 2021-22 season would see Laird head to Bournemouth on loan. At the point of joining the Cherries, he was reportedly earning £13,077 per week and £680,000 per year.
Laird would once again be sent out on loan to the Championship during the 2022-23 campaign, this time to Queens Park Rangers. During this temporary arrangement, he continued to earn £13,077 per week.
When the time eventually came to leave Old Trafford permanently, Laird made the move to Birmingham City, signing a contract worth £10,000 per week and £520,000 per year.
In October 2024, as the Blues were beginning their dominance of League One, Laird signed a new deal that took his wages to £13,500 a week and £702,000 per year.
The defender has a contract with the club until the summer of 2028, and those remaining three years are worth over £2.1 million in wages to the player.
To date, Laird’s career earnings stand at approximately £2,500,000.
3. Contract Details & History
Ethan Laird developed at one of England’s biggest clubs and well-renowned youth setups, making two appearances for the Manchester United first team.
Laird honed his talents throughout a series of loan spells with the likes of MK Dons, Swansea City, Bournemouth and QPR.
While on loan at Bournemouth, Laird was said to be earning £13,077 per week from Manchester United. That weekly wage gave him a yearly income of £680,000, the same figure he was being paid when he went to Loftus Road on loan to join QPR.
When he signed permanently for Birmingham City, Laird’s wage is believed to have decreased to £10,000 per week and £520,000 per year.
An improved contract that was signed in October 2024 took the 23-year-old up to £13,500 per week and £702,000 per year.
By the time his Birmingham City deal comes to an end in the summer of 2028, the defender will have earned over £3,300,000 from the Blues.
4. Salary Comparison: How Ethan Laird Stacks Up
Birmingham City’s Top Earners (2025-26):
- Krystian Bielik – £1,040,000 per annum
- Christoph Klarer – £780,000
- Seung-ho Paik – £780,000
- Lyndon Dykes – £780,000
- Ethan Laird – £702,000
- Tomoki Iwata – £650,000
- Jay Stansfield – £650,000
- Willum Willumsson – £520,000
- Ryan Allsopp – £520,000
- Scott Wright – £520,000
Comparison To Other Right Backs In The Championship (2025-26)
- Ricardo Pereira (Leicester City) – £4,160,000 per annum
- Yukinari Sugawara (Southampton) – £2,080,000
- James Justin (Leicester City) – £1,560,000
- Ben Johnson (Ipswich Town) – £1,560,000
- Jack Stacey (Norwich City) – £1,560,000
- Luke Ayling (Middlesbrough) – £1,560,000
- Darnell Furlong (West Bromwich Albion) – £1,300,00
- João Ferreira (Watford) – £1,040,000
- Yan Valery (Sheffield Wednesday) – £1,040,000
- Woyo Coulibaly (Leicester City) – £780,000
Ethan Laird is one of Birmingham City’s highest-earning players, sitting fifth on the list behind players like Krystian Bielik and Christoph Klarer.
For all of the talk surrounding the club’s big spending last season, Birmingham City’s wage bill is dwarfed by the likes of Southampton and Leicester City.
Laird’s wages are just a fraction of what right-backs at other Championship clubs are being paid. Leicester’s Ricardo Pereira earns over £4 million per year, which is over four times the wage of Laird and double the salary of the next best-paid player in the same position, Southampton’s Yukinari Sugawara.
Had this deep dive into Laird’s wages been conducted last season with the club in League One, it is likely the results would have been completely different, and the Birmingham defender would be close to the top of the highest-earning players in the league.
5. FAQs About Ethan Laird’s Salary
Q: What is Ethan Laird’s weekly and annual salary?
A: Ethan Laird earns £13,5000 per week at Birmingham City, giving him an annual salary of £702,000.
Q: When does Ethan Laird’s current contract end?
- A: Ethan Laird has three years left on his deal, with it due to expire in the summer of 2028.
Q: Are there any bonuses or incentives in the contract?
- A: Any bonuses in his contract are unknown.
Q: Has Ethan Laird’s salary changed in recent years?
- A: Ethan Laird’s salary has not fluctuated much since he spent time away from Old Trafford on loan. His lowest known wage was £10,000 per week and he is currently earning the highest wage of his career to date, £13,5000.
Q: How does Ethan Laird’s salary compare to teammates or league rivals?
- A: Ethan Laird is one of his club’s highest-earning players but does not come close to being one of the best-paid right-backs in the second tier, falling significantly short of the £4,160,000 paid to Pereira at Leicester.
Q: Does his salary affect club finances?
- A: Birmingham City pay its players an average of £473,778 per year, meaning Laird earns significantly more than the average.
