Tommy Watson’s estimated Sunderland AFC wages and the hike he could expect at Brighton | OneFootball

FLW have taken a look at the wage hike Tommy Watson could expect at Brighton after the confirmed move.

The big news that emerged on Tuesday evening from the Stadium of Light was that Sunderland's winger Tommy Watson had agreed a move to Brighton and Hove Albion.

The 18-year-old has enjoyed a breakthrough season with the Black Cats, scoring two goals in his 17 senior appearances so far.

This has attracted the attention of the Seagulls, who have now reached an agreement with Sunderland on a £10 million fee for his transfer this summer.

For now, he will remain with Regis Le Bris' side and the teenager will be targeting a promotion with his side currently sitting in fourth place.

But with the transfer now confirmed, Football League World has examined his estimated wages at Sunderland and the potential pay rise he could receive at the AMEX Stadium.

Note: It must be stressed that this is an estimate provided by Capology's wage calculation system.

Tommy Watson's Sunderland AFC wages

Having only broken through into Sunderland's first-team this season, it will come as no surprise to Brighton supporters that his current wage is very minimal, according to estimates.

The 18-year-old currently earns £1,500 per week, equating to an annual salary of approximately £78,000. Remarkably, this is not the lowest wage in the squad, as Daniel Neil is believed to be on a contract that sees him earn just £1,346 every seven days.

Watson’s wage is well below the club’s average salary of £10,405, with top earners such as Enzo Le Fée (£67,500) and Chris Mepham (£35,000) – both currently on loan – significantly outpacing him.

Players on a similar wage to the England youth international are typically the younger members of the squad. Chris Rigg is thought to be on the same salary, while the likes of Trai Hume, Joe Anderson, and Jenson Seelt earn twice as much.

Of course, had he remained at the Stadium of Light, he would likely have been offered a new contract, which would have seen an exponential increase in his earnings.

Tommy Watson's likely wages at Brighton

To get an idea of what Watson's financial package might look like on the South Coast, we can look at another recent EFL transfer to Brighton – Derby County's Eiran Cashin, who joined the Seagulls in January.

While the 23-year-old has far more experience than Watson, his move provides a useful indicator of what Watson’s wages could potentially be.

According to Capology, the Irish defender was on £8,500 when he left the Rams and moved onto a contract which sees him take home £15,000 per week. Across a season, this would total to £780,000 and Watson could expect something similar with it being his first jump to the Premier League as well.

Of course, given his age, it's to be expected that he would be on a smaller wage. However, one might still imagine that it wouldn't be far off the amount they pay Cashin each week.

This would place him towards the lower end of Brighton's wage structure. Players earning similar to Cashin include the likes of Carlos Baleba and Simon Adingra, both of whom are flourishing in their careers with the Seagulls.