Chelsea’s transfer window and what net spend says about your club September 4, 2025 “Feel more confident about our transfer business than I have done since the fall of the Roman Empire,” wrote a Chelsea supporter friend of this column. Chelsea are of course a transfer outlier, churning a huge roster of players, deploying ultra-long contracts (and hence amortisation periods) and happy to break even in the market. How [...]
Paqueta phone celebration raises eyebrows at FA as judgement looms September 3, 2025 The Football Association is expected to publish the independent commission’s full judgement in the acquittal of Lucas Paqueta on spot-fixing charges imminently, days after spotting a possible double meaning in his goal celebration during West Ham’s win at Nottingham Forest on Sunday. After converting a penalty, the Brazilian mimed receiving a phone call and then [...]
Premier League clubs spend more than European rivals combined September 2, 2025 Premier League clubs highlighted the growing financial gap between English football and its rivals during the summer transfer window, spending more than the other members of the so-called Big Five combined. Teams collectively spent £3bn gross, a record sum for the division and 51 per cent of the aggregate total invested by the Big Five, [...]
Moshiri to Friedkin: Inside Everton’s Hill Dickinson Stadium deal September 2, 2025 Proud Everton fans very nearly walked into a brand new arena called the MoneySuperMarket Stadium. Alas, the Toffees now call the Hill Dickinson Stadium home. The international commercial law firm’s roots are entrenched on the banks of the River Mersey, but the search for a title sponsor for the Premier League’s newest stadium was a [...]
Premier League spending hits £3bn for first time on busy deadline day September 1, 2025 Records look set to tumble as Liverpool near the £125m signing of Alexander Isak from Newcastle United, taking Premier League summer spending to £3bn. A flurry of activity on transfer deadline day saw the majority of top-flight clubs close in on last-minute deals before business closes at 7pm. Spending was set to breach the £3bn [...]
Fan groups urge Fifa to block overseas LaLiga and Serie A matches September 1, 2025 Fifa has been urged to block plans for domestic leagues to play in-season matches overseas. Supporters’ groups say that “relocating domestic league matches abroad would set a dangerous precedent” amid news that both the Italian Serie A and Spanish LaLiga are working on staging matches overseas. AC Milan and Como are looking to play one [...]
Premier League spending hurtles towards £3bn mark August 29, 2025 Alexander Isak’s on-off transfer from Newcastle United to Liverpool will not be of interest only to fans and bean-counters on Tyneside and Merseyside. The protracted deal is also one for the transfer data crunchers and historians of English football’s top flight, given that it could represent the passing of multiple financial milestones. Isak’s transfer fee [...]
Man United shareholder, Ratcliffe’s Ineos, buys into Castore with Belstaff deal August 28, 2025 Manchester United minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s Ineos has announced a “significant strategic investment” into premium sports apparel brand Castore. The petrochemicals company will invest in the British clothing brand as part of a deal which will see Castore acquire 100 per cent of Ineos-owned Belstaff on a “debt-free, cash-free” basis. Castore enjoys sporting sponsorship [...]
Are franchise IPOs the end game for The Hundred’s £1bn investors? August 28, 2025 Have The Hundred’s investors figured out yet how they will make a return? Look out for minority stake sales and maybe even listings in India, says Ed Warner. Never make an investment without having a plan on how to sell it. Illiquidity can scupper the most enticing of propositions. The very best portfolio managers, especially [...]
EU Commissioner: Overseas football matches a betrayal of fans August 27, 2025 A top EU figure has described plans to play European football matches in other continents as a “betrayal” of fans. The European Commissioner for Sport Glenn Micallef said plans to play Serie A and LaLiga matches abroad should not be described as “innovation”. Both the Italian and Spanish top flight leagues are looking to play [...]
