Jordan James' wages at Rennes compared to what he earned at Birmingham City | OneFootball

James' move to Rennes will have certainly increased his earnings after impressing with Birmingham

Jordan James' step-up the football ladder to Rennes last summer has surely seen a wage increase, but how does it compare to his earnings at Birmingham City?

James's excellent season with the Blues last campaign warranted his move to France, but so far the Welshman is struggling to settle with Rennes.

The 20-year-old has found it difficult thus far to become a consistent regular with the Ligue 1 outfit, but it's still early days for James to make his mark after his £8 million move in August.

You can't question his ability after his performances at St. Andrew's last season, but what has the big jump in his career done for his earnings?

We take a look at how James' wage has changed since his summer window switch to the north of France.

James' wages at Rennes

After receiving a lot of interest in the summer, James' move from his boyhood club in Birmingham was expected.

What he will take into account is his earnings increasing. According to Capology, James is estimated to be earning €12,308 (£10,288) per week (we must stress this is an estimate). This means James is the 18th highest earner out of 25 in the Rennes squad, and for someone of his age, it's fairly impressive.

Despite his wage coming out at a reasonable figure, it doesn't match the estimated average wage at the Ligue 1 side, which stands at €22,300 (£18,643).

This means James earns a gross per year salary of €640,000 (£535,411), which, as you will see, is a much larger fee compared to that of his final season in Birmingham.

Despite his slow start at Rennes, James is bound to breakthrough and start performing, and live up to the £8m fee paid for the youngster in the summer.

James' wages at Birmingham City

It must have felt surreal when James received his first pay check from his boyhood club, but his wages at Birmingham for a player of his quality at the time, may have been perceived to be on the low side.

Once again, Capology's figures are an estimate, but the youngster was earning 10 times less than what he is currently earning with Rennes, with a figure suggesting he earned £1,154 weekly in the 2023/24 season.

This put him as the third-lowest earner at the club, alongside fellow academy graduates, Brandon Khela and Romelle Donovan.

This is far from the average wage for the Blues last season, which stood at £8,694. To put it in the perspective of the yearly salary compared to Rennes, James was earning £60,000 per year, which has given him an 11% increase at Rennes.

The likelihood is it was always going to be difficult for Birmingham to retain their academy product after relegation into League One. He's a player with much more ability than the level and a move to further his career has brought about a chance to increase his salary significantly.