Old Trafford club underline position as European giant
THE Premier League’s growing financial muscle is highlighted in the latest study of leading European clubs by professional services firm KPMG, with Manchester United taking top spot for most valuable club.
Now in its second year, the report looked at the finances of 39 clubs based on their popularity on social media channels, revenues for the 2014-15 and 2015-16 seasons, and success in European competitions.
The clubs were then ranked by enterprise value, an accounting measure used to assess how much it would cost to buy any given club or company as it includes a business’s total debt, with KPMG using its own formula to reach these valuations.
Despite two relatively disappointing seasons on the pitch between 2014 and 2016, United’s value surged clear of Real Madrid and Barcelona last year, becoming the first club to break the 3billion euros (£2.7bn) mark for enterprise value.
United not only make more money than any other football club in the world, they also have nearly debt.
Bayern Munich remain in fourth place, while Manchester City edge past Arsenal to take fifth spot, both with enterprise values of just under £1.7bn. Alisher Usmanov’s recently rebuffed bid for the latter valued the North London club at £1.54bn.
Chelsea, Liverpool, Juventus and Spurs fill the next four positions, which means six of the 10 are from the Premier League.
Last year’s Premier League winners Leicester City (16th) and Everton (17th) are the two other English clubs to make KPMG’s top 32, with Scottish champions Celtic being among seven nonranked “runners-up”.
English clubs also hold five of the top 10 positions for shirtsponsorship revenue, with Jose Mourinho’s United ahead of Barca, Bayern, Chelsea and Real. half-a-billion pounds of ARSENE WENGER insists there are no limits to Arsenal’s ambitions after he signed a new two-year deal to continue as manager of the Gunners.
The 67-year-old had been widely expected to extend a reign already lasting more than 20 years and confirmation came from the club yesterday afternoon – with chief executive Ivan Gazidis and majority owner Stan Kroenke calling for Premier League success.
Wenger had come in for fierce criticism from pundits, supporters and former players during the second half of last season as Arsenal slipped out of the Premier League top four and were thrashed 10-2 on aggregate by Bayern Munich in the Champions League.
But, after a spell of seven defeats in 12 games, Wenger made a tactical shift to a threeman defence. That helped the club end the season with a run of nine wins out of 10, culminating with their record-breaking 13th FA Cup final success against Chelsea last Saturday.
Despite delivering a seventh FA Cup title during his reign, some fans were still keen for Wenger to depart having not won a Premier League title since the unbeaten ‘Invincibles’ season in 2004 and with no Champions League football to look forward to for the first time since 1998.
But Wenger feels Arsenal can achieve anything they set their minds to heading into next season now his future has been sorted.
“They are of course unlimited, our ambitions,” he said.
“We live in a very competitive world where you need the support of the owner as well. He’s highly ambitious and supportive as well so, on that front, we are all united with exactly the same targets. I’m happy and excited. Happy because I can work where I love to be. As well because this club cherishes the values I love.
“I’m excited because I believe that our end of season is a big springboard to go for more.”