Premier League: Financial gravy train keeps rolling

The Premier League’s quest for global domination shows no signs of slowing down judging by the activity during this summer’s transfer window.

Lucrative broadcast and sponsorship deals have given top flight clubs in England the chance to buy some of the best players in the world.

This has helped English clubs shine in the Champions League, with the last five finals featuring six teams who ply their trade in the EPL.

With that in mind, we assess some of the key numbers in the Premier League, starting with a look at which clubs are ranked as the most valuable.

Man Utd top the Premier League rich list

Five Premier League clubs feature in the top 50 list of the most valuable teams in sport – Manchester United, Liverpool, Manchester City, Chelsea and Arsenal.

Man United’s $4.2 billion valuation puts them just ahead of Liverpool ($4.1bn) and Man City ($4bn), with Chelsea ($3.2bn) and Arsenal ($2.8bn) rounding off the quintet.

A lack of on-field success over the past few seasons may result in United being overhauled by Liverpool and City in the rich list.

However, given the size of their global fanbase and commercial appeal, United should stay well ahead of Chelsea and Arsenal for the foreseeable future.

Ronaldo keeps the cash tills ringing

Despite reaching the latter stages of his illustrious career, Cristiano Ronaldo remains one of the highest paid footballers in the world.

The Man United forward’s annual $36 million salary is the largest in the Premier League, although it some way behind the $62m Paris Saint-Germain pay Kylian Mbappe.

Mohamed Salah (Liverpool, $26m), Kevin De Bruyne (Man City, $24m) and Erling Braut Haaland (Man City, $24m) are the Premier League’s other representatives in the top 10 salary list.

Haaland may well challenge Mbappe’s status as the highest earner in the future, with Real Madrid and Barcelona both keen to break the bank to secure his services.

Top transfer fees show some prudency in the EPL

While Premier League clubs are not averse to spending big in the transfer market, they are generally more prudent when it comes to splashing ‘silly money’.

Of the top ten transfer fees of all time only two involve EPL clubs buying players – Jack Grealish (Aston Villa to Man City, £105.75m) and Romelu Lukaku (Inter Milan to Chelsea, £101.7m).

Phillipe Coutinho (Liverpool to Barcelona, £121.5m) and Eden Hazard (Chelsea to Real Madrid, £103.5m) are the only other deals in the top 10 that feature EPL clubs.

Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona are responsible for spending the biggest amounts, with five of the top six deals concluded by them.

Foreign TV deals keep the gravy train on track

Domestic television contracts with Sky Sports and BT Sport have long been the dominant source of income for the Premier League.

However, that will change from the 2022/23 season, with overseas television rights now worth a whopping £5.3bn following the agreement of new deals in Asia.

With domestic TV contracts raking in a cool £5.1bn for Premier League clubs, the title winners will pocket £176m in prize money this season.

The growth in TV revenue cements the Premier League’s status as the richest football competition in the world.