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WG The takeover of Chelmsford City by construction company Jade Global Group has collapsed. The club is now looking for new investment. Having increased their playing budget after the takeover was announced last summer, the club is now facing short-term financial pressures.
The Clarets looked assured of a place in the National League South play offs.
Uefa made €847m on its expanded European championships in 2016, an increase of €500m on 2012. Total revenue for the championships was €1.92bn. Income for the 2016 financial year was €4.58bn.
Broadcasting accounts for 50 per cent of Uefa’s revenues and sponsorship for 20 per cent. Reserves amount to €632m.
Manchester City and Chelsea spent the most money on agents in the last two transfer windows as Premier League clubs parted with £174m. Manchester City spent £26.3m, Chelsea £25.1m, Manchester United £19m, Liverpool £13.8m and Arsenal £10.2m.
The three promoted clubs spent the least (£1.9m to £2.6m), while West Bromwich Albion were the next most parsimonious at £4.2m.
Arsenal players will lose out on bonuses worth about £5m if they fail to qualify for the Champions League. The club pays out £200,000 per player if it reaches the group stage, although that is not evenly split. The competition was worth about £46m in payments from Uefa last season, while the club also made money from matchday income.
Newcastle United have recorded their sixth consecutive year of profits. However, they fell to £4.6m in the year to June 2016, compared with £32.5m in the year to 2015. Turnover was down by three per cent with a £4.5m fall in media income.
The author of the authoritative Swiss Ramble blog has tweeted some information about wages to turnover ratios in the Premier League in the 2015-16 season. The two Manchester clubs have among the lowest ratios: 50 per cent at City and 45 per cent at United.
However, only three clubs are at or below the 50 per cent figure recommended by Deloitte, Tottenham Hotspur being the other club at 48 per cent. At the other end of the scale were relegated Aston Villa (85 per cent), Crystal Palace (79 per cent) and Stoke City (also 79 per cent).
Last Sunday’s game at the Emirates saw the spectacle of demonstrations for and against Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger outside the ground. There were even scuffles in one of the stands at the end of the game. However, this article cautions that Arsenal fans should be careful what they wish for.
Approval from Liverpool City Council for their new £300m stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock is another step forward for Everton. Unlike the club’s previous plan to relocate away from th city in Kirkby, this proposal has the broad backing of supporters.
However, fulfilling the ambition of Everton becoming a top six club will not be easy, even with the backing of millionaire owner Farhard Moshri. In age of financial fair play, clubs can no longer simply spend their way into the elite, as was the case for Chelsea and Manchester City.
Chelsea have held renewed talks with West Ham over a potential ground share at the London Stadium during the redevelopment of Stamford Bridge. The club’s preference is still to play games at Wembley during the three years the redevelopment will take, but it is making contingency plans in case it cannot reach agreement with the FA.
The London Stadium has emerged as the only credible alternative. A possible move to Twickenham has been ruled out because of opposition from the Rugby Football Union and local residents.
Charlton Athletic have reported a loss of £13.5m for the 2015-16 season, up by £9.5m from the previous twelve months. These ‘unsustainable’ losses are attributed to efforts to maintain the club’s Championship status in what turned out to be a rather expensive relegation.