Premier League clubs transfer fee debts – New report shows massive stunning sums owed


 
 
 
 
 
 

Very interesting new analysis on the transfer fee debts carried by Premier League clubs.

Football finance expert Kieran Maguire has put the figures together for each of 20 clubs.

Kieran has regularly written in the past about Newcastle United and Mike Ashley, as well as of course, the situations at many other Premier League clubs. Also a Brighton fan, the football finance expert once famously declaring ‘I’d be soiling myself’ if Ashley was buying a club that he supported.

Back in January, the football finance expert also said (see below) that one of the major flaws with the Premier League’s FFP / PSR (Profit and Sustainability Rules), was that the allowed £105m losses over any three year period, hadn’t risen with inflation, never mind football inflation (the rise in revenues, wages, or whatever other main metric, in relation to Premier League clubs).

Kieran Maguire making the point that if the allowed losses has risen in line with football inflation, then FFP / PSR rules would have risen from £105m to £218m in the last decade, when it came to allowed losses over any three year period.

Anyway, back to Premier League clubs and the amount of money still owed in transfer fee instalments on signings made in recent years.

Kieran Maguire producing the table below showing the 20 Premier League clubs, along with the following text:

“I’ll be chatting on talkSPORT shortly about the quiet January transfer window.

“May be linked to clubs already owing more than £2bn in outstanding instalments on previous transfers (figures 2022 unless otherwise stated).”

Yes, over £2bn!!! Massive amounts owed by the 20 Premier League clubs collectively.

How about though club by individual club?

Well, as the football finance expert indicates, many of the clubs haven’t yet released their 2022/23 accounts, with actually Newcastle United only one of four, along with Man City, West Ham and Man U having done so.

So in reality, the transfer fee debt will be even higher that that collective £2bn+ shown below. Maguire’s analysis is on the 20 Premier League clubs that were in the top tier in 2022/23.

As you can see, using the most up to date Newcastle United figures (including the 2022/23 season), NUFC owing £80m in transfer fee instalments. Like pretty much every other club though, the transfer fee debt owed will have gone up further after the summer 2023 trading.

Interesting to see though that of the seven other current Premier League clubs that owe more than Newcastle in this table, six of the seven are the ‘big six’…

All of those six spent more than Newcastle United last summer, so fair to expect that in most, if not all, of the six cases, their transfer fee instalment debt will also have increased more than NUFC’s.

As for the very extreme…

Manchester United owing £364m in transfer fee instalments, how is that allowed???

Then when you look at the bigger picture with Man U in particular, the amount of money they owe is spectacular. Well over £1bn when you take into account the longer-terms loans and their overdraft, as well as the money owed in transfer instalments. They pay serious amounts in interest payments and interesting to see what sustained absence from the Champions League would do to them…

Brighton fan and Football finance expert Kieran Maguire  – 13 January 2024:

“If Premier League PSR (Profit and Sustainability Rules) limits had risen in line with football inflation since 2013 (here I’m using wages but revenues are similar) clubs could lose up to £218 million over 3 years.

“Non adjustment of limits is similar to fiscal drag when government doesn’t raise tax thresholds.

“The non increase of the PSR limits has hit clubs with new owners since 2013 hardest, such as Newcastle, Everton and Villa.”