Big spenders driving small clubs towards the cliff edge
WE ARE BEING LEFT TO SUFFER SAYS EFL CHIEF
AT A time when Premier League clubs were supposed to be helping the rest of football, they simply reached down and pulled up the trap door.
The final deadline- day scramble took the overall transfer window spend by Premier League clubs to over £ 1billion for the sixth season in a row, despite the global economic situation in the wake of the Covid- 19 pandemic.
Although the final figure of £ 1.156billion is £ 248m down on last year, the collapse of the markets in Spain, Germany and Italy meant the Premier League’s net spend of £ 867m is the second largest in its history. As a result, one Championship chief executive has been left fearful that nothing will ever be done by the 20 top clubs to help teams struggling lower down the leagues.
“Nobody is worth £ 100m – it is a nonsense,” said the senior figure.
“But some very ordinary players going for some eyewatering transfer fees. The industry needs a reset.
“The problem is that with its success, the Premier League is making so much money for 20 clubs while the rest are getting a pittance. Why should the team that finishes bottom of the Premier League get £ 100m and the team that finishes top of the Championship gets £ 7m? That’s wrong.
“The cliff edge between the Premier League and the Championship causes all sorts of problems and has to be changed.
“But the reality is, each club just wants to outdo the next club. Premier League, Championship – that’s just the way it is.
“The sad thing about English football is that the FA have no authority over professional
football. The FA ought to be sorting it, but when they do the Premier League just say, ‘ p*** off’ because they are too powerful.
“Nobody has the power or authority to force change, it is down to the clubs – and where is the incentive to do so?”
He also accused some clubs of double standards for ignoring a cause they had fought for before joining the Premier League elite.
“It is not a Covid problem – Covid has just made it worse,” the executive continued.
“We’ve been talking about it for five years, but one of the problems is that the leading lights looking to smooth the cliff edge are now in the Premier League.
“Leeds were driving it, Villa were driving it, Fulham were driving it.
“There is a certain amount of hypocrisy from those who happen to be in the Premier League but might not be next season – Fulham or West Brom, for example.
“The cliff edge between the Premier League and the Championship simply has to be sorted for both the good of the pyramid and the good of the game.”