Newcastle substitute Matt Ritchie is given instructions before coming on from coach Graeme Jones as manager Steve Bruce looks on. (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)Newcastle substitute Matt Ritchie is given instructions before coming on from coach Graeme Jones as manager Steve Bruce looks on. (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)
Newcastle substitute Matt Ritchie is given instructions before coming on from coach Graeme Jones as manager Steve Bruce looks on. (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)

Newcastle United's most expensive benchwarmer in 20/21 - and how they compare to Spurs and Arsenal

Having a deep squad is generally seen as a necessary evil in the hectic world of modern football.

With packed fixture schedules and little in the way of recovery time, top tier competition is about so much more than a starting XI these days.

For the most part, Newcastle United tend to follow that trend, and having 26 different senior starters over the course of last season's Premier League campaign shows that Steve Bruce’s men are just about average in that regard.

Even taking that figure into account, however, there were some players who – whether it be through injury or other reasons – were on the club’s books without making much of an on-field impact.

But which benchwarmer cost the Magpies the most money for the least output last term?

New research from OLBG has discovered the Premier League players who were paid the most but played the least in 2020/21.

Click and scroll through their findings for each club below…