While transfer fees grab the headlines, salaries handed out to players take up a significant portion of a club’s budget.

Other than a few exceptions like Virgil van Dijk, it is almost always the attackers who earn the big money – but how many of the best-paid players in the Premier League are actually value for money?

We’ve taken the top 10 highest-paid attackers in the league according to Capology and seen how cost-effective they have been over the eight weeks since the Premier League began.

=10) Marcus Rashford and Bradley Barcola (Yet to score or assist)
Given neither have registered a goal involvement in the league so far, both Barcola and Rashford are not proving good value for money yet.

In Barcola’s defence, he joined a couple of weeks after the season started and is new to the league but has still cost Liverpool £1.7m in wages so far.

He has at least scored in the Champions League which is more than can be said for Rashford.

He is the seventh-highest earner in the league and yet has no goals or assists in either the Premier League, Champions League or League Cup.

That means United have forked out £2.4m for nothing.

8) Jeremy Doku – £2.2m per contribution
The Manchester City winger gets plenty of leeway as he has played just 49 minutes of Premier League football this season but he still gets paid in that time.

Doku is on a reported £280k a week at City with his contract set to expire in 2028 but he has at least scored in his limited minutes.

His whipped finish against Liverpool was his first goal involvement of the campaign and means City have paid £2.2m per involvement so far.

7) Phil Foden – £1.2m per contribution
Foden takes home a weekly wage of £300k a week, meaning he has cost City £2.4m so far this campaign with little to show for it.

He has two assists, both of which came in a 4-1 defeat of Crystal Palace in the second game of the season.

Foden has, though, missed the last two matches through suspension after his red card against Manchester United for kicking out at Bruno Fernandes.

So City have paid for him to sit on the sidelines at £1.2m per goal involvement.

6) Kai Havertz– £1.1m per contribution
Havertz has cemented himself as Arsenal’s first-choice No.9 and has so far contributed two G/A this season.

Both of those were goals with Havertz scoring in the opening game of the season against Coventry before another against his former club Chelsea.

He has since gone three without a goal or an assist.

Viktor Gyokeres has played just 56 minutes of Premier League football, meaning Arsenal have paid him £1.3m for not a lot.

5) Bukayo Saka– £800k per contribution
Saka was given a bumper new deal at Arsenal, making him the top-paid player at the club, and seeing him earn £300k per week.

It has, however, been a bit of a slow start for the Arsenal man. He began the year with back-to-back goals but has got just one in the four games since then.

He’s yet to register a Premier League assist this season meaning he has three league goal involvements, putting him at a rate of £800k per G/A.

4) Erling Haaland – £700k per contribution
Haaland is the top earner in the Premier League on more than half a million a week, but his prolific output means he is still one of the most cost-efficient in the league.

In the eight weeks since the season started, City have forked out £4.2m but Haaland has repaid them with six goal involvements in the Premier League, all of which have been goals.

To make him even more valuable, three of those six goals have been game-deciding, including in matches against Coventry, Manchester United and Liverpool.

In total, City have paid £700k per Haaland goal so far this campaign.

3) Cody Gakpo – £620k per contribution
Gakpo gets paid a surprisingly high amount at £310k a week, which explains why some at Liverpool were reportedly keen to move him on this summer.

He stayed and has proven to be worth it with four goal involvements for the club, joint top with Isak.

Three of the Dutchman’s goal contributions have been assists with his one strike coming against Newcastle on the opening day; overall he has cost Liverpool £620k per G/A.

2) Alexander Isak – £600k per contribution
Considering the price he cost, Isak is relatively low down on the top earners at £300k a week (how will he survive?) and has proven to be good value so far this season.

After a slow first campaign, Isak has begun this season with four goals in five Premier League games.

Two of them came against Ipswich alongside one each against Forest and Bournemouth.

In total, Isak has cost Liverpool £600k a week.

1) Morgan Rogers – £448k per contribution
Rogers’ excellent start to his Chelsea career has made him the best value amongst those in the top 10 highest-earning attackers.

The former Aston Villa man has five G/A this season, four of which have been goals, and he has contributed in all but one game this season, Chelsea’s 3-0 loss away at Brentford.

Rogers earns a reported £280k a week at Chelsea, meaning he has earned £2.2m since the season began but is producing goals and assists at a rate of £448k per contribution.