1. James McClean in 2024-25: Quick Overview
The veteran James McClean is still going strong despite being 36 years old. Last season in League One, the Wrexham man played in 42 of the club’s 46 league matches, providing four goals and six assists.
His impressive performances helped Wrexham to a third consecutive promotion and a place in the Championship. The Irishman had been part of the club’s promotion the previous season from League Two, providing three goals and ten assists in 37 league outings.
The 104-cap Republic of Ireland international has shown no signs of slowing down, starting the 2025-26 campaign with three assists in four games across all competitions.
- Weekly Salary: £10,000
- Annual Salary: £520,000
- Current Club: Wrexham
- Contract Expiry: June 2027
- Reported Bonuses: None
2. Career Earnings to Date
| Club | Years | Estimated Salary |
| Wigan Athletic | 2013-15 | £780,000 |
| West Bromwich Albion | 2015-17 | £1,300,000 |
| West Bromwich Albion | 2017-18 | £2,080,000 |
| Stoke City | 2018-21 | £1,040,000 |
| Wigan Athletic | 2021-23 | £370,000 |
| Wrexham | 2023-24 | £416,000 |
| Wrexham | 2024-27 | £520,000 |
James McClean moved to English football from Derry City of the Irish Premier Division in 2011 when he joined Sunderland for a fee of around £400,000.
He remained at the Stadium of Light for two seasons, making 70 appearances for the Mackems and contributing 11 goals and six assists before moving to Wigan Athletic for £2 million. On joining the Latics, McClean signed a contract worth £15,000 a week and £780,000 per year.
West Bromwich Albion were the next destination for the winger, who signed a deal that saw his wage rise from £780,000 a year to £1,300,000, with a weekly gross salary of £25,000.
For the 2017-18 campaign, McClean signed an improved contract worth £40,000 a week and £2,080,000 per annum.
He was on the move again in 2018 when he signed for Stoke City, surprisingly halving his wages to £20,000 a week and £1,040,000 a year to join The Potters.
Across three seasons, McClean would play 111 matches for Stoke, contributing 12 goals and 19 assists before returning to Wigan, now in League One, in 2021. The Irishman signed a contract thought to be worth £7,115 a week and £370,000 a year with his old club.
The return was a successful one as McClean scored nine times to help guide the club back to the Championship, where he would be an ever-present the following season.
McClean’s next move was one that saw him drop to the bottom division of English League Football for the first time to join ambitious Wrexham. The Welsh side are believed to have paid around £250,000 for his services and handed him an £8,000 a week, £416,000 a year deal.
Promotion was achieved as runners-up, a second consecutive success for the club, and McClean was back in League One and rewarded with a pay rise to £10,000 a week and £520,000 per year.
More success followed immediately in League One as McClean was part of a Wrexham side that again finished runners-up and secured a historic berth in the Championship.
The former Sunderland man has two years remaining in his deal with Wrexham, meaning gross earnings of £1,040,000 before the summer of 2027. James McClean’s career earnings currently stand at just over £11,000,000.
3. Contract Details & History
James McClean has been in English football since 2011, having made his name at Derry City. Details of his wages with the Candystripes and Sunderland are not known, but it is safe to assume that moving to England’s top flight saw a drastic increase in salary.
His wages at Wigan Athletic during his first spell with the club were £15,000 a week and £780,000 per year, and that jumped by over half a million pounds when he transferred to West Bromwich Albion, signing a £25,000 a week deal.
This saw his yearly salary rise to £1,300,000, a sum he earned for two seasons before signing his career-best contract for what proved to be his final season with The Baggies. McClean signed a £ 40,000-a-week, £ 2,080,000-a-year deal at The Hawthorns.
Following relegation from the Premier League, McClean made known his desire to leave the club and went on to join Gary Rowett at Stoke City. The contract he signed paid him considerably less than he had been earning in his final season with West Brom, believed to be £20,000 a week and £1,040,000 a year.
After three seasons with Stoke, McClean dropped down to League One to rejoin Wigan Athletic, this time signing a deal worth a fraction of what he had previously earned with the Latics. He joined the club for £7,115 per week and £370,000 a year.
Promotion followed, and a year back in the second tier before this time dropping to League Two to join the much-fancied Wrexham and their surge up the divisions. He signed for £8,000 a week and £416,000 a year at the Racecourse Ground before signing an improved deal after promotion to League One, seeing him earn £10,000 a week and £520,000 a year.
4. Salary Comparison: How James McClean Stacks Up
Wrexham’s Top Earners (2025-26):
- Jay Rodriguez – £1,300,000 per annum
- Sam Smith – £780,000
- Matty James – £780,000
- Oli Rathbone – £650,000
- James McClean – £520,000
- George Dobson – £442,000
- George Evans – £416,000
- Lewis Brunt – £390,000
- Ryan Longman – £390,000
- Andy Cannon – £312,000
Comparison To Other Left-Sided Players In The Championship (2025-26)
- Ryan Fraser (Southampton) – £2,080,000
- Jack Clarke (Ipswich Town) – £1,300,000
- Jaden Philogene-Bidace (Ipswich Town) – £1,300,000
- Delano Burgzorg (Middlesbrough) – £1,040,000
- Samuel Edozie (Southampton) – £780,000
- Przemyslaw Placheta (Oxford United) – £780,000
- Siriki Dembele (Oxford United) – £780,000
- Liam Millar (Hull City) – £780,000
- Ephron Mason-Clark (Coventry City) – £624,000
- Kwadwo Baah (Watford) – £546,000
James McClean is, unsurprisingly, one of Wrexham’s top earners on £520,000 a year, but he falls somewhat short of the club’s best-paid player, Jay Rodriguez. The former Burnley striker has a gross yearly salary of £1,300,000.
He may be in the top ten in terms of salary when it comes to his club, but he falls a long way short of the highest earners in the division. A quick look at other players in his position
Southampton’s Ryan Fraser earns an eye-watering £2,080,000 per year, putting him some way ahead of Ipswich Town’s Jack Clarke, who is paid £1,300,000.
5. FAQs About James McClean’s Salary
Q: What is James McClean’s weekly and annual salary?
A: James McClean earns £10,000 a week, giving him an annual salary of £520,000.
Q: When does James McClean’s current contract end?
- A: James McClean is currently under contract at Wrexham until the summer of 2027.
Q: Are there any bonuses or incentives in the contract?
- A: Any bonuses in his contract are unknown.
Q: Has James McClean’s salary changed in recent years?
- A: James McClean’s salary has changed throughout his career. From a career high of £2,080,000 a year at West Brom in 2018 to a low of £370,000 on his return to Wigan in 2021.
Q: How does James McClean’s salary compare to teammates or league rivals?
- A: James McClean is one of the best-paid players at Wrexham, behind the likes of Jay Rodriguez and Matty James. Across the Championship, McClean’s wages are low when compared to those of players who also play in his position.
Q: Does his salary affect club finances?
- A: Wrexham’s annual payroll is believed to be approximately £9,400,000, with the average wage paid to players being £303,613. These figures indicate that while McClean earns above average, his salary does not financially burden the club.
