EPL clubs post pre-tax losses despite record revenues
Chelsea, Spurs stars headline PFA Team of the Year
Group photo of participants
LONDON, April 20, (AFP): Premier League clubs’ revenues hit a new record of £3.6 billion in the 2015-16 season, but top-flight teams still recorded pre-tax losses of £110 million, according to sports finance experts Deloitte.
The record revenues were nine percent higher than the previous top total of £3.4 billion posted in the 2014-15 campaign, with Manchester United and Manchester City responsible for more than half of the rise.
United’s revenue grew to £515 million, which saw them top the Deloitte Football Money League for the first time since 2003-04 as the world’s highest revenue-generating club for more than 50% of the increase.
“Manchester United’s participation in the 2015/16 UEFA Champions League, coupled with continued strong commercial revenue growth, resulted in a 30% increase in revenue to £515m.
“Our analysis reveals a return to pre-tax losses, following two consecutive years of pre-tax profits.
“However, it is worth noting that this is due to a small number of oneoff ‘exceptional’ costs, and we fully expect that the Premier League’s new three-year broadcast rights deal will see a return to record levels of profitability in the 2016-17 season.”
Sky and BT paid a record £5.136 billion for the latest round of TV rights, a sum 71 per cent higher than the previous deal.
Table-topping Chelsea and their title rivals Tottenham both have four players in the PFA Premier League Team of the Year.
Chelsea midfielders N’Golo Kante and Eden Hazard, both nominated for the PFA Player of the Year award, are included, while Blues central defenders Gary Cahill and David Luiz are also in the line-up.
Spurs, who trail Chelsea by four points in the title race, are represented by midfielder Dele Alli and striker Harry Kane, as well as full-backs Danny Rose and Kyle Walker.
Manchester United’s David De Gea gets the nod in goal, while Liverpool winger Sadio Mane and Everton striker Romelu Lukaku, the division’s top scorer with 24 goals, complete the line-up.
While Kane and Lukaku are also on the shortlist for player of the year, the other two nominees, United’s Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Alexis Sanchez of Arsenal, miss out.
Anthony Knockaert is one of four Brighton players in the Championship Team of the Year.
The French midfielder, the Championship’s Player of the Year, is joined by goalkeeper David Stockdale and defenders Bruno and Lewis Dunk for the Seagulls, who celebrated promotion on Monday.
Newcastle trio Jonjo Shelvey, Jamaal Lascelles and Dwight Gayle are included, along with Leeds striker Chris Wood, Aaron Mooy of Huddersfield and Fulham duo Tom Cairney and 16-year-old full-back Ryan Sessegnon.