Chelsea’s squad on the finish of the 2024 monetary 12 months was the most expensive ever assembled, in response to a brand new UEFA report.
The massive-spending Blues’ squad was value an astonishing €1.66bn (£1.39bn), eclipsing the earlier highest recorded by Actual Madrid in 2020 (£1.12bn).
UEFA’s European Membership Finance and Funding Panorama Report, printed on Thursday, discovered 4 golf equipment had squads value €1bn or extra in 2024 – Chelsea, Manchester Metropolis, Manchester United and Arsenal.
The Premier League’s monetary would possibly was underlined by the truth that 9 of the 20 costliest squads in 2024 have been assembled in England, with West Ham’s costing greater than Barcelona’s or AC Milan’s.
There have been additionally 9 English golf equipment within the prime 20 in Europe based mostly on the dimensions of their whole wage invoice.
Manchester Metropolis have been second on €554m (£464.5m), behind solely Paris Saint-Germain on €658m (£551.7m).
Among the many prime 20 golf equipment, the report discovered the share of income absorbed by wages ranged from 42 per cent at Tottenham to 91 per cent at Aston Villa.
Participant wage development was at 4.5 per cent among the many early reporting golf equipment for 2024 in comparison with 2023 – significantly beneath the income development stage – as groups work to adjust to UEFA’s squad value guidelines, which from subsequent season will restrict spending on participant wages, switch and brokers’ charges to 70 per cent of income.
A pointy enhance within the wages of technical and administrative workers was discovered to be consuming into golf equipment’ working margins by the report.
They elevated throughout Europe by 19 per cent in 2023, with double-digit wage development reported in 16 of the 20 leagues examined within the report.
UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin mentioned within the foreword to the report: “While most clubs appear to be managing player wage increases responsibly, other costs are rising rapidly, putting greater pressure on operating margins than ever before.
“The golf equipment should stay vigilant as appreciable work nonetheless must be carried out to revive pre-pandemic profitability.”
Funding in stadiums throughout all golf equipment reached a report excessive in 2023 to €2.1bn (£1.8bn), exceeding the earlier report of €1.5bn set within the pre-pandemic 12 months of 2019, as golf equipment throughout Europe search to maximise matchday income.
4 golf equipment invested greater than €100m throughout 2023 – Actual Madrid, Barcelona, Everton and PSG – however there was additionally a rise within the quantity of investments with 36 golf equipment investing at the very least €10m, in comparison with 18 golf equipment the earlier 12 months.
The report discovered these long-term investments seem to have continued into the 2024 season, with report funding ranges amongst early-reporting golf equipment.
