The day that Alan Shearer, top scorer in the Premier, left Blackburn to join Newcastle United, he said goodbye to his captain, Tim Sherwood: “Thank you for everything.
We are undoubtedly living through the best moment in history to be footballers”.
The transfer of him, for 15 million pounds sterling (about 35 million euros now), broke all records.
It was 1996. The Premier had been running for four years, and had revolutionized English football.
And it was sensed that he would do the same with the rest.
In the summer transfer window of this 2022, English football has broken the ceiling again.
More than 2,100 million euros in transfers, salaries and commissions.
Eight of the ten European clubs that have spent the most in this limited period of exchanges are English.
Five of them have not even qualified for the Champions League.
Nottingham Forest, Manchester United, West Ham, Wolverhampton or Arsenal have each spent more than Real Madrid, the current European champion.
Newcastle, owned by the sovereign fund of Saudi Arabia, has paid 70 million euros for Swedish striker Alexander Isak, from Real Sociedad, the second highest transfer of the Premier summer behind the signing of Darwin Núñez by Liverpool ( 80 million plus 20 in variables).
Until Manchester United beat him, with the transfer of Antony from Ajax for 95 million.
Chelsea have paid 82 to Leicester for Wesley Fofana, a 21-year-old French central defender.
"As the Premier enters its fourth decade [this year marks its 30th anniversary], its advantage is greater than ever," says Tim Bridge, a specialist at
Deloitte
consultancy .
“His clubs have come out of the pandemic in better financial health than other European clubs.
And that disparity will continue to grow.
There will be no turning back, and it is something that undoubtedly makes the rest of Europe uncomfortable”, says Bridge.
The reasons for so much wealth
800 million people in 188 countries follow the Premier League matches on their screens.
Allowances in other parts of the world exceed allowances in the UK in revenue.
The average attendance at each Premier match last season was around 40,000 spectators.
It is estimated that the twenty main English teams will share more than 12,000 million euros over the next three years from the sale of matches.
Even the club that finishes the season in 20th is guaranteed 116 million euros just for television rights.
“Premier teams earn four times more than any team in Serie A of Italian
calcium
,” Adriano Gallani
,
former CEO of AC Milan and now in charge of newly promoted Monza , complained to
Tuttosport
magazine a month ago .
“Monza gets 33 million euros from television rights, and of those we have to give three to Serie B. Any newly promoted team in England gets 160 million euros.
How to stop this trend in the world economy?
There should also be a Brexit in football”, protested Gallani.
More information
The Premier is not so fierce… or is it?
“The Premier teams enter four times more than any team in the Italian Serie A,”
Adriano Galliani, former general director of Milan and now in charge of the promoted Monza , complained on
Tuttosport .
“Monza gets 33 million from television rights.
Any newly promoted team in England takes €160m.
How to stop this trend in the world economy?
There should also be a Brexit in football”, Silvio Berlusconi's faithful friend protested.
The obsessive love for the Champions League and its glory from players like Cristiano Ronaldo is a rarity.
The most coveted players put any team in the Premier, even if it is in the middle of the table, before the possibility of being crowned in Europe.
Matheus Nunes, who could have played in the Champions League with Sporting Lisbon, has preferred Wolverhampton, 15th in the Premier.
In the thirty-year history of the Premier, the entry of foreign capital has changed the balance of the competition.
In most cases, the raids sought prestige, notoriety and influence rather than sporting success or financial gain.
But they brought with them generous checkbooks that elevated the acquired teams to stardom.
Mohamed Al Fayed bought Fulham to obtain his long-awaited British nationality.
Roman Abramovich loosened, without hope of recovering them, almost 1,750 million euros in Chelsea to launder his money and his reputation, and help the international propaganda strategy of his protector, Vladimir Putin.
The United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia have taken over Manchester City or Newcastle to shine their global reputation.
The entry of foreign capital in the Premier has also changed the balance of the competition.
They raked them with generous checkbooks that raised the acquired teams to stardom.
Mohamed Al Fayed bought Fulham to obtain his long-awaited British nationality.
Roman Abramovich loosened almost 1,750 million euros in Chelsea to launder his money and his reputation, and incidentally help the international propaganda strategy of his protector, President Vladimir Putin.
The United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia have taken over Manchester City or Newcastle.
The consortium led by the American Todd Boehly, who has acquired Chelsea this year, has arrived with a different mentality.
The one to obtain benefits.
In the 2020-2021 season, the Premier obtained an income of around 5,300 million euros.
The Spanish League achieved about 2,900 million.
The Bundesliga, 2,940.
millions.
Series A, about 2,500 million.
English clubs have spent on players with aggressive and confident competitiveness.
Only halfway have they adjusted to the UEFA Financial Fair Play Regulations, the so-called
fair play
, which did not allow a club to exceed the difference between expenses and income by 100 million.
Regarding the new rules, which will limit the money that can be spent to 70% of income, they have promised to comply with them.
But at your own pace.
Gradually.
You can follow EL PAÍS Deportes on
and
, or sign up here to receive
our weekly newsletter
.
50% off
Subscribe to continue reading
read without limits
Keep reading
I'm already a subscriber