Vesper 30,469 Posted November 12 Share Posted November 12 Ange Postecoglou linked with Leeds job Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vesper 30,469 Posted November 14 Share Posted November 14 Former Tottenham owner Joe Lewis pardoned by Donald Trump British billionaire was fined £4m for insider trading but, despite US president’s intervention, will not be returning to London club https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2025/11/13/former-tottenham-owner-joe-lewis-to-be-pardoned-by-trump/ https://archive.ph/EM5FS Former Tottenham Hotspur owner Joe Lewis is to receive an official pardon from US president Donald Trump, but will not be making a return to the club. Lewis was fined £4m last year after pleading guilty to insider trading, having handed ownership of Tottenham to the Lewis Family Trust in 2022. The Lewis family this year took full operational control of Tottenham, following the departure of former chairman Daniel Levy, but 88-year-old Joe will remain in retirement. Tottenham will continue to be run by the next generation of the Lewis family – Joe’s daughter Vivienne, his son Charles and Nick Beucher, the husband of Vivienne’s daughter – along with non-executive chairman Peter Charrington and chief executive Vinai Venkatesham. Eric Hinson last month joined the club’s board as a non-executive director. Lewis’s pardon is due to be published by the White House later today and the British billionaire said: “I am pleased all of this is now behind me, and I can enjoy retirement and watch as my family and extended family continue to build our businesses based on the quality and pursuit of excellence that has become our trademark.” A source close to the Lewis family added: “Joe and the Lewis family are extremely grateful for this pardon and would like to thank President Trump for taking this action. Over his long business career, Joe has been a visionary, creating businesses across the world which multiple generations of his family are now taking forward. There is so much more to the Joe Lewis story than this one event.” Vivienne has been a regular at games since Levy’s departure and the Lewis family last month confirmed the injection of £100m into Tottenham, as first revealed by Telegraph Sport. The family have vowed to prioritise sustained sporting success, with the club fifth in the Premier League table and 10th in the Champions League standings. Lewis, who was born in London’s East End, was ranked 39th in the 2023 Sunday Times Rich List with an estimated worth of around £5bn. Before his sentencing in April last year, Lewis said that he learned as he grew up in England during World War II how “precious life is” and had devoted himself to finding a cure for “horrendous diseases”. Trump has issued a number of pardons since returning to the White House, some of which have provoked controversy and criticism. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vesper 30,469 Posted Wednesday at 14:05 Share Posted Wednesday at 14:05 Arsenal’s Gabriel set for further tests on thigh injury, fears he will miss one to two months https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6813855/2025/11/18/gabriel-arsenal-thigh-injury/ Arsenal defender Gabriel is set for further tests after sustaining a muscle injury in his right thigh, with concerns that he faces between one and two months out. The 27-year-old picked up the injury while on international duty with Brazil last weekend. He was substituted in the 65th minute of Brazil’s 2-0 friendly win over Senegal — which was hosted at Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium — after receiving treatment for several minutes and appeared to be in pain as he departed the pitch, holding his leg as he walked off. Brazil subsequently confirmed the right thigh injury and that Gabriel had withdrawn from the squad and would not be available for Tuesday’s friendly against Tunisia in Lille, France. Sources briefed on the injury, speaking on the condition of anonymity as they were not authorised to do so publicly, confirmed that further tests are required to discover the full extent of Gabriel’s injury but initial examinations suggest he will miss a month or two. Gabriel’s injury comes ahead of a busy period for Arsenal, who play at least 14 games in the next eight weeks. The centre-back has played every minute of Arsenal’s Premier League campaign so far and started all four of the club’s Champions League fixtures. He has made 227 appearances for the club, scoring 22 times, since joining from Lille in 2020 and signed a contract extension until 2029 in the summer. Arsenal have seen several players miss time this season through injury, including Viktor Gyokeres, Martin Odegaard, Noni Madueke, and Gabriel Martinelli. Arteta’s side return to action on Sunday when they host north London rivals Tottenham Hotspur. They then face Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich three days later at the Emirates before ending the week facing Chelsea in the Premier League at Stamford Bridge on November 30. Additional reporting: Mario Cortegana and David Ornstein How will Arsenal cope without Gabriel? Analysis by Arsenal correspondent James McNicholas The loss of Gabriel is a big blow to Arsenal, ahead of a busy run of nine matches within 31 days. The Brazilian centre-half has been one of Arsenal’s best performers thus far. Not only is he dominant in both boxes, but he’s a leader. The only consolation is that this is an Arsenal squad with more depth than ever before — particularly at the back. One solution could be to draft in Cristhian Mosquera. The Spain Under-21 international has already deputised brilliantly for William Saliba this season. Mosquera, 21, is naturally right-sided, though. To maintain the balance of one right-footed centre-half and one left-footer, Arteta could turn to either Riccardo Calafiori or Piero Hincapie. Given Calafiori’s excellent form at left-back, moving him to the middle may be an unnecessary complication, so on-loan Ecuador international Hincapie could be the obvious solution. Arsenal strongly believe that in Hincapie and Mosquera, they have the depth to cope with Gabriel’s absence. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vesper 30,469 Posted Wednesday at 14:21 Share Posted Wednesday at 14:21 Who are this season’s unsung heroes in the Premier League’s ‘Big Six’? https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6789236/2025/11/19/premier-league-big-six-unsung-heroes/ The biggest Premier League clubs covet the best players, and that’s understandable: quality on the pitch is (usually) reflected in results. But football has very few examples of 11 superstars combining to fire their team to glory. Instead, successful sides usually contain a careful blend of marquee names and more unsung heroes; players who make a team greater than the sum of its parts and ensure the manager’s chosen tactical system functions as it is meant to. Here, The Athletic runs through a key performer at each of the Premier League’s ‘Big Six’ clubs so far this season. Arsenal — Leandro Trossard Leandro Trossard was omnipresent for Arsenal last season, featuring in 56 matches across all competitions, more than any player has for the club in over two decades. He started 37 of those games and was used across the front line, even stepping into Martin Odegaard’s role during the captain’s absence. His adaptability helped Arsenal maintain structure and consistency through a demanding campaign. After less than 50 minutes of Premier League action in the first four fixtures this season, he returned to the line-up against Manchester City in September and has been one of Arsenal’s most reliable performers since. Trossard’s game is built on intelligence and timing. He reads space instinctively, drifts into half-pockets and combines fluidly with those around him. Whether finding Riccardo Calafiori on the overlap or linking with Martin Zubimendi inside, his movement creates room for the forward runs of Calafiori and Declan Rice. Two-footed in dribbling, passing and shooting, and calm in decision-making, the 30-year-old Belgium international acts as a natural connector in every phase of the game. In what is a younger Arsenal squad, his experience carries even more weight. Away at Fulham last month, he was the oldest outfield player on the pitch for the visitors and showed his know-how in the game, scoring its only goal. Beyond his involvement in build-up and defensive work, Trossard remains just as sharp in front of goal, with four goals and four assists making him Arsenal’s most productive player so far this season. His thunderous strike from the edge of the box last time out against Sunderland, followed by the quick footwork and close control that created space for himself, underlined just how dangerous he remains inside the area. Henry Nicholls/AFP via Getty Images Manchester City — Nico Gonzalez Signed from Porto in January for €60million (£52.8m; $69m at the current rates) to bolster a Manchester City midfield lacking long-term injury victim Rodri, Nico Gonzalez was quickly questioned over both that fee and how he fitted into Pep Guardiola’s side. Less than a year on, those early doubts have all but disappeared. Nico has blossomed into one of the most essential players in City’s new-look system. There is greater directness and intensity in both his game and their overall play, and long-time Liverpool No 2 Pep Lijnders’ summer arrival as an assistant to Guardiola has clearly contributed here. That shift is visible in how Nico balances the team without the ball. The 23-year-old Spaniard leads City in both tackles won and defensive duels, relying on anticipation more than aggression to do so. Against Liverpool in City’s final game before this international window, he repeatedly stepped across passing lanes alongside right-back Matheus Nunes to close the central spaces in a performance that summed up his blend of composure and awareness. On the ball, he sets City’s pace. Among Premier League midfielders to play at least 500 minutes this season, he is first in successful passes per 90 minutes (65.2) with a 90 per cent accuracy, and also ranks among the leaders for line-breaking passes into advanced zones. When he starts, City keep more possession, commit fewer fouls and take all three points far more often. The difference seems clear: five wins in six with him in the line-up, compared with just two in five without. Their win-rate climbs from 40 to 83 per cent, possession rises from 54 to nearly 60 per cent, and the team take more shots, concede less of them and pass the ball with greater accuracy. Those details point to a player now central to Guardiola’s structure, and the numbers mirror the eye test and underline how Nico has become City’s quiet metronome, setting a rhythm that keeps them in control. Carl Recine/Getty Images Liverpool — Curtis Jones Liverpool’s summer rebuild was loud and expensive, but the start of the champions’ 2025-26 season has featured more uncertainty than dominance, with those new signings still adjusting and key players missing. Amid all the turbulence, Curtis Jones has quietly become one of the team’s most reliable performers. Jones’ adaptability was evident last season, when he featured in 46 games across all competitions in midfield and attacking positions, making six Premier League goal contributions. Once known for flair in youth football, he has evolved into a steadier, more disciplined midfielder who fits seamlessly into Arne Slot’s possession-focused system and values control as much as creativity. His positional intelligence rarely shows up on the statistical dashboards, but gives Liverpool a quiet sense of order in the centre of the pitch. Opportunities have been limited this season — he has only two Premier League starts in the first 11 matches — but his impact has been immediate whenever Slot turns to him. In the 1-0 defeat of Arsenal at Anfield in August, he came off the bench after an hour with the game still goalless to calm the build-up, take the ball under pressure and thread passes through the press, eventually winning the free kick that Dominik Szoboszlai hammered into the net. His composure shifted the tempo of play and restored order in midfield. Yagiz Gurtug/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images Jones is among the hardest players in the Liverpool squad to dispossess, using balance and awareness to protect possession and turn away from pressure. He completes more passes per 90 than any midfielder at the club (66.6), including 22.4 into the final third, and leads the group for recoveries and duels won. In the 5-1 Champions League win away at Eintracht Frankfurt last month, Jones started as the deepest midfielder and dominated the game’s rhythm. He finished with a match-high 139 touches and 127 completed passes from 132 attempts, more than any other player on the pitch, while covering over seven miles (11km). His positioning anchored Liverpool’s shape and allowed smoother transitions into attack, a performance that showed how comfortably he controls matches from deeper zones. That blend of press resistance, control and defensive balance makes him the quiet conduit between chaos and calm, a player who can keep Liverpool steady in turbulent moments. Tottenham Hotspur — Guglielmo Vicario Only five Premier League clubs have conceded a higher expected-goals figure than Tottenham Hotspur this season, yet only three have let in fewer actual goals. Much of that discrepancy is down to their goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario. After an injury-hit 2024-25 season, Vicario has been one of the league’s most effective shot-stoppers in the early months of this one, relative to the chances he faces. His +0.34 post-shot xG saved per 90 minutes puts him on course to prevent around 12 goals across the 38-game campaign. So far, he is already four goals above expectation, a swing that could be worth two extra wins over a season. Only Crystal Palace’s Dean Henderson has prevented more. The shift to a more compact structure under Thomas Frank has been mutually beneficial for both new head coach and goalkeeper. Tottenham now concede fewer high-value shots, but the real difference lies in the quality of Vicario’s performance. His save percentage has climbed from 65 to 77, and the goals conceded have fallen from over 1.5 per game to 0.9, despite only a modest drop in shots faced. In 2024-25, he allowed 37 goals from 37.6 expected on-target attempts; this season, that figure has flipped in his favour, evidence of a goalkeeper performing well above expectation. He has not been flawless. Two goals conceded from long range against Aston Villa last month and a pair of errors leading to shots, one resulting in a goal, have brought scrutiny. Yet those moments sit within an overall campaign largely defined by command and consistency between the posts. Now established within the leadership group of a young squad, the 29-year-old Italian has given Spurs the composure they missed last season. Justin Setterfield/Getty Images Chelsea — Malo Gusto Chelsea’s best performances this season have invariably come with Malo Gusto in their starting line-up, and the difference when he isn’t there is striking. They have won all six games he’s begun in the Premier League, scoring 2.7 goals per game and conceding just 0.3. In the other five, they have lost three times and drawn twice. Gusto’s importance extends beyond the black-and-white of results, though. He shifts seamlessly between full-back, midfield and advanced wide roles, using his positioning to form triangles that keep the team connected across the right flank. In last month’s win against Liverpool, he stepped into midfield as a hybrid full-back, helping control possession and stretch play; against Tottenham a couple of weeks ago, he held deeper, providing balance while still progressing the ball forward. That adaptability allows head coach Enzo Maresca to tailor the system to different opponents without losing fluency, and it reflects a player who is growing rapidly in both awareness and responsibility. At 22, the Frenchman is still developing, but his defensive recovery speed and decision-making have improved with every game. His first senior goal, in the 3-0 home win against Wolves that took Chelsea into this international window, offered a glimpse of his growing confidence in the final third, too. Michael Regan/Getty Images Manchester United — Leny Yoro Leny Yoro has quietly established himself as the balancing presence in Ruben Amorim’s 3-4-3 formation, operating on the right of Manchester United’s back three. Amorim often uses him in games where he wants to push the line higher and compress the space between defence and midfield, trusting Yoro’s pace and anticipation to hold the structure. Amorim’s centre-backs are also asked to step into midfield to close gaps, a demand Yoro fulfils naturally. The 20-year-old’s composure and decision-making reflect a defender far beyond his years. With Amad often pushing high and wide from wing-back, Yoro carries heavy responsibility, covering the channel behind Amad, defending diagonals and tracking late runs into the box, yet he invariably handles it with calm assurance. This season has underlined how quickly Yoro’s defending is evolving. His aerial success rate has climbed from 50 to 67 per cent, placing him among the Premier League’s best centre-backs in duels won. That progress has come through cleaner tackling, sharper anticipation and quicker recovery across the ground. His reading of play allows him to break up attacks before they develop, giving United greater control in transition. On the ball, he remains composed and secure, supporting rather than initiating United’s build-up, but his range of passing hints at further growth. During his time playing for Lille back home in France, he frequently played long diagonals to stretch defences, a part of his game that remains underused in England. There is more to come then, but already Yoro looks like the stabiliser in a system that demands both precision and bravery. Fernando and Reddish-Blue 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vesper 30,469 Posted 18 hours ago Share Posted 18 hours ago Premier League clubs vote to replace PSR: Explaining the new squad cost ratio rules https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6822838/2025/11/21/premier-league-scr-anchoring-financial-rules/ Premier League clubs have voted to overhaul the league’s financial regulations from the start of the 2026-27 season. The clubs held a shareholders’ meeting in London on Friday to discuss a range of proposed new financial measures, known as top to bottom anchoring, the squad cost ratio (SCR) and the sustainability and system resilience (SSR). Anchoring was voted on first but received only seven votes in favour, with 12 against and one abstention. The clubs then voted on SCR, which passed 14 to six — with Bournemouth, Brighton & Hove Albion, Brentford, Crystal Palace, Fulham and Leeds voting against — and SSR, which passed unanimously. A threshold of 14 of the 20 clubs voting in favour of a proposal is required to change Premier League rules. SCR will replace the league’s current profitability and sustainability rules (PSR), which limit club losses to a maximum of £105million ($137m) over a three-year period. This season will be the last under those regulations. The Athletic’s BookKeeper Chris Weatherspoon explains the new rules below, including how punishments will work and which clubs are at most and least risk of being caught out. How will SCR work? Similarly to the current SCR regime operated by UEFA, which nine Premier League clubs needed to adhere to this season. SCR broadly covers one year of club activity, except for player sales (see below), and Premier League SCR will be assessed across a season. UEFA, by contrast, assesses clubs on an annual January to December basis. SCR puts a direct limit on how much clubs can spend on their players and head coach, albeit one which is linked to a given club’s revenue. In other words, the amount able to be spent under SCR will differ from club to club. Costs assessed under SCR include player and head coach wages, agent fees and the amortisation or impairment (when a club writes down a player’s value in their books) of transfer fees. In a continuation of the old PSR regime, costs relating to women’s teams and youth academies are excluded for SCR purposes. To allow for swift punishment — i.e. to avoid matters dragging over multiple seasons, as they have under PSR — clubs will undergo an SCR Compliance Test each March 1. If their squad cost is equal to or less than 85 per cent, they will be deemed compliant. If they exceed that level, they will be subject to an Accounts Confirmation Test at the end of the season in June. How does this compare to UEFA’s rules? A notable difference between the two SCR frameworks is the proportion of relevant income clubs can spend on squad costs. Under UEFA regulations, that limit sits at 70 per cent while the Premier League has agreed to an 85 per cent limit. That won’t matter to the nine clubs already competing in Europe this season, but the extra 15 per cent allowed for the rest tallies with the Premier League’s statement, which says the new rule will “promote opportunity for all of (our) clubs to aspire to greater success, while protecting the competitive balance and compelling nature of the league”. Clubs will only be able to spend a set proportion of relevant income under SCR, which comprises “football-related revenue” (so, generally speaking, a club’s annual turnover) plus their net profit or loss generated from player sales. Under UEFA rules, the latter is averaged over the past three seasons, meaning clubs are less easily able to extricate themselves from regulatory trouble with a quick player sale. The averaging has been reflected in the Premier League’s SCR regime. What are red and green thresholds and the other new terms we’ll be hearing about? That 85 per cent limit has another name, introduced in the new rules soon to inhabit the Premier League’s handbook: The ‘Green Threshold’. At the beginning of each season, clubs and the Premier League will agree on estimated football revenues, from which their 85 per cent, Green Threshold spending limit will be derived. A further limit (the ‘Red Threshold’) will be set at up to 30 per cent higher, so for each club in 2026-27 their Red Threshold will be 115 per cent. Clubs will be able to spend above their Green Threshold without incurring a sporting sanction, provided they do not exceed their Red Threshold. If they exceed the latter, a sporting punishment will follow. If that sounds too simple, then don’t worry, they found a way to make it more complex. If a club complies with their Green Threshold and returns a squad cost ratio of 85 per cent or lower, their Red Threshold will remain at 115 per cent. However, if a club exceeds the Green Threshold, they will see their Red Threshold reduced by the size of the excess. For example, if a club records a 90 per cent ratio in 2026-27, their 2027-28 Red Threshold would be 110 per cent. Premier League chief executive Richard Masters.Alex Livesey – Danehouse/Getty Images The Premier League has termed this a Feedback Loop, and it is one which updates year-on-year. Ultimately, if a club consistently goes over their Green Threshold but does not exceed their Red Threshold, the latter will move ever closer to the 85 per cent mark. On the flipside, if a club exceeds the Green Threshold in one season but is later compliant, they have scope to build their Red Threshold back up to that 115 per cent maximum. In each season they are compliant, they increase their Red Threshold by 10 per cent, up to the 30 per cent overall maximum. As an example, say a club records a 100 per cent SCR figure in 2026-27, or 15 per cent over their Green Threshold. That reduces their 2027-28 Red Threshold to 100 per cent. In 2027-28, they record an SCR figure below 85 per cent, meaning they are compliant. As a result, their 2028-29 Red Threshold would be 110 per cent and further compliance that season would raise it to the 115 per cent maximum for 2029-30. In explaining why clubs will be allowed to exceed the 85 per cent limit without sporting sanction, the Premier League said it “allows for clubs to invest ahead of revenue and reasonable variance or genuine sporting underperformance throughout the season”. In essence, clubs not in Europe have been afforded extra leeway for longer-term spending on squads, albeit up to a reducing limit. No such differing thresholds are in place under UEFA’s PSR regime. What are the punishments? For clubs which exceed their Green Threshold but not the Red, a fine looms, much like under UEFA’s SCR rules. As outlined above, Premier League clubs will also see their Red Threshold reduced in line with the previous season’s excess. That fine will be calculated via choosing the lower of two figures: a club’s Green Threshold overspend per the March 1 measurement (based on projected spending), or the club’s Accounting Confirmation Test overspend (based on the end-of-season actual spending). That figure is multiplied by the percentage overspend in excess of the 85 per cent Green Threshold. If a club’s SCR figure comes in at 90 per cent, their fine will be equal to five per cent (being 90 per cent less the 85 per cent allowed) of the monetary overspend. If that 90 per cent SCR figure translated to a club spending £10m more than they should have, their fine would be equal to five per cent of £10m, or £500,000. If a club breaches in 2026-27, they will not be fined. The ‘levies’, as the Premier League terms them, commence from 2027-28. However, a club will still have its future Red Threshold reduced if its 2026-27 SCR figure falls between the 85 per 115 per cent band. Of far greater consequence is if a club breaches its Red Threshold. As a reminder, that will be 115 per cent of relevant income in 2026-27 but could then vary by club in future seasons. If a club breaches its Red Threshold, a sporting sanction will follow. Red Threshold breaches automatically generate a minimum six-point deduction, with a further point taken off for every £6.5m by which the offending club exceeds its Red Threshold. Crucially, and in a clear departure from the PSR regime, clubs will be punished in the season of their breach. This should, in theory, reduce the complications and impact of a relegation-threatened club (or title-contending one) breaching the new rules. Which clubs are most at risk? Given the rules won’t come into action until next season, nobody just yet but, generally, it is clubs who spend a high proportion of revenue on their playing squads. SCR is directly tethered to a club’s turnover; if they spent the bulk of that on wages and fees, they will have a harder time complying. Player costs have long been clubs’ biggest expense anyway, but the narrower focus of SCR means clubs will be less able to extricate themselves from regulatory trouble via non-football means. That was most memorably done by Chelsea in recent seasons, whose internal sales of hotels, a car park and the club’s women’s team all helped them avoid Premier League sanction. That was not the case with UEFA, which found Chelsea in breach of two of its rules in 2024, as those asset sales were not allowed to be included in their UEFA calculations. Such transactions will now be excluded domestically too. Chelsea’s ability to comply is much improved following the summer’s FIFA Club World Cup success and a return to the Champions League this season, while fellow UEFA breachers Aston Villa should benefit from having had to work towards the continent’s lower 70 per cent SCR limit. UEFA’s SCR rules saw Chelsea and Aston Villa receive combined fines of around £14.7m (€17m) last summer for breaches in 2024.Clive Mason/Getty Images The 85 per cent threshold for non-UEFA clubs gives those teams more headway, but there are a couple who flag up as immediate potential concerns, albeit based on figures from 2023-24 (the latest we have available for most clubs). Per The Athletic’s calculations, using those admittedly outdated figures, five clubs’ estimated squad cost ratio exceeded 85 per cent in 2023-24: Villa, Nottingham Forest, Leeds United, Fulham and Bournemouth. Wolverhampton Wanderers were not far off, at a projected 81 per cent. Bournemouth have progressed in the league and made significant player sales, which contribute to SCR spending power, since then, as have Forest (at least last season in terms of league position), while Leeds are expected to have improved revenues markedly since their last Premier League stint in 2022-23. Fulham and Wolves look in more precarious positions though, as explained, the need to comply will not come until next season. Interesting will be the impact on promoted clubs. They have generally suffered from carrying high levels of loss up from the Championship under PSR, alongside not being afforded the full £105m loss limit Premier League mainstays enjoyed. Forest’s PSR breach came in part because they had to include over £60m of pre-tax losses incurred in the Championship in their first Premier League PSR calculation. With SCR covering only a single season, there should, theoretically, be more scope for squad investment by the Premier League’s newest entrants. That will especially be the case if they choose to accept the financial hit of exceeding their Green Threshold in the season following promotion. What’s the likely impact of no anchoring? In terms of most clubs’ spending limits, nothing at all. As The Athletic detailed earlier this week, per the most recent figures, no Premier League club’s existing squad cost limit under either UEFA or domestic SCR would have exceeded the projected £600million upper limit which anchoring would have introduced. One reason clubs were opposed to an anchored limit, or a ‘hard cap’, was because that probably would not have remained the case. As club revenues continued to grow, particularly at the top end of the sport, an anchored limit would have been more keenly felt. The gulf between the non-broadcast revenues of the Premier League’s richest clubs and the rest far exceeds the gap between the two groups’ broadcast revenues. With anchoring tied to the broadcast income of the least-well-off, the ability of the bigger clubs to use their commercial might for squad spending would have been restrained. In turn, in an argument which appears to have worked, opponents to anchoring feared it would leave English clubs less competitive in Europe, where clubs are only limited to the 70 per cent squad cost limit already imposed by UEFA. That was a valid concern, but only up to a point: on 2024-25 figures, only Real Madrid and Barcelona would have had a higher squad cost limit than the £600million proposed under anchoring, and Barcelona have had plenty of their own problems with a domestic salary cap in recent years. In any case, anchoring was roundly rejected, with 60 per cent of clubs voting against. The repercussions will not matter much in terms of most clubs’ nominal ability to spend, but it could allow those at the top to stretch even further ahead. SCR is tied to revenues and player sales, but the latter are averaged over three seasons. In that sense, clubs looking to make up revenue gaps to those above them through player trading will need to be consistently good at the latter; only a third of sales profits will count in a given season, so one big sale will have less of an immediate impact than it did under PSR. Clubs competing in Europe will remain tethered to UEFA’s 70 per cent limit, without the complication of a domestic anchor reducing their spending power further. Anchoring was held up by its critics as having the potential to suppress player wages more widely. Whether it would have is unclear — the limit was far beyond what most clubs can spend anyway — but it is a moot point now. Whether the introduction of domestic SCR can help improve the finances of an overwhelmingly loss-making English pyramid, one where high salaries at the top have a knock-on effect below, will take much more time to assess. And what about SSR? SSR comprises three prongs. One seeks to ensure clubs have sufficient resources to handle both known outgoings and any reasonable fluctuations that may occur in revenue. The other two look at clubs’ long-term financial outlook, assessing the health of a club’s balance sheet. “The sustainability and systemic resilience rules assess a club’s short, medium and long-term financial health through three tests — working capital test, liquidity test and positive equity test,” the league added. All 20 clubs voted in favour of SSR, perhaps reflecting the lack of concern they have around breaching it. The requirements it will impose on clubs are varied but point toward moving them away from short-term thinking. Those requirements, spread across the three tests mentioned above, include: clubs having to show continued monthly access to at least £12.5million in cash or working capital; clubs demonstrating their ability to withstand a ‘Stress Test’, whereby they suffer a theoretical £85m financial hit, ostensibly to mirror the potential impact of relegation; and clubs need to show assets outweigh liabilities though, crucially, they’ll be allowed to include player valuations at market value rather than book value. So, is this the end of PSR? Yes, or at least it is domestically in the top tier. Clubs will continue to be assessed on three years’ worth of overall financials up to the end of this season but, once they are confirmed as clear of any breaches of loss limits under the existing rules, PSR will cease to be a consideration with the Premier League. That is important given events of recent years, where clubs have used the sale of non-football assets to boost their bottom lines. PSR assessed a club’s overall profitability, meaning high spending on players could be offset elsewhere — even if some of the methods used for the latter were met with incredulity by onlookers. The movement away from PSR means such asset sales will no longer help clubs out of a regulatory jam, as they do not comprise revenue (neither in an accounting sense nor in how both UEFA and the Premier League have laid out their SCR rules). Nottingham Forest and Everton were previously sanctioned by the Premier League for breaching PSR.Michael Regan/Getty Images Ditching PSR means clubs will no longer be assessed on overall loss-making, a fact which would not seem to do much for those with concerns football clubs lose too much money as it is. Much of that loss though, is driven by spending on players and their wages — which SCR directly focuses upon. More closely tethering player spend to a club’s recurring revenues should, in theory, help with sustainability, though only if the limits imposed under SCR are low enough to leave clubs plenty of money for their other bills. At a glance, that might not be the case. In 2023-24, general running costs comprised 24 per cent of Premier League revenues which, combined with an 85 per cent limit on squad spending, would still see clubs spending more than they earn. The end of domestic PSR does not mean clubs will be entirely free of concern surrounding overall losses. UEFA’s current regulations include a Football Earnings rule, which limits club losses across a rolling three-year period — much as the Premier League’s PSR regime does now. English clubs competing in Europe will remain subject to that. There is also the question of how the EFL and its clubs will react to the rule changes. England’s second tier, the Championship, still operates a PSR regime which limits club losses over three seasons. If that remains in place, clubs relegated from the Premier League will need to adhere to it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NikkiCFC 8,434 Posted 3 hours ago Share Posted 3 hours ago Didn't see the handball. Should be 0:2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strike 7,592 Posted 2 hours ago Share Posted 2 hours ago No home team has scored today Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fulham Broadway 17,458 Posted 2 hours ago Share Posted 2 hours ago 0 -2 Forest with only 25% possession Dyche bettering Arse Slot - now that is a bald fraud Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vesper 30,469 Posted 2 hours ago Share Posted 2 hours ago Welbeck scores his 7th EPL goal in last 7 games he turns 35yo on Wednesday Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vesper 30,469 Posted 2 hours ago Share Posted 2 hours ago nil 3 Slot is going to get sacked soon at this rate Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pizy 19,009 Posted 2 hours ago Share Posted 2 hours ago We were legitimately predicting Liverpool were going to dominate this season and rightly so after that window they had. They’re going to be in danger of not even making the UCL if they keep this form up! Unimaginable if you said that when the season started. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheHulk 2,553 Posted 2 hours ago Share Posted 2 hours ago 5 minutes ago, Vesper said: nil 3 Slot is going to get sacked soon at this rate Watch Klopp come back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vesper 30,469 Posted 2 hours ago Share Posted 2 hours ago it's simple what has went wrong with Pool Salah has fallen off a cliff, ageing out their other wingers are meh (3 months ago Rio was still only 16yo) Konate is (and has been) shit, so carried for years by VVD, who is finally ageing himself (although I would SO take him on a free for us!!!) their fullbacks are shit Isak and Wirtz have been a quarter of a billion pound flops Slot has been found out, he has nothing up his sleeves Fernando 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fulham Broadway 17,458 Posted 1 hour ago Share Posted 1 hour ago 3 minutes ago, Vesper said: it's simple what has went wrong with Pool Salah has fallen off a cliff, ageing out their other wingers are meh (3 months ago Rio was still only 16yo) Konate is (and has been) shit, so carried for years by VVD, who is finally ageing himself (although I would SO take him on a free for us!!!) their fullbacks are shit Isak and Wirtz have been a quarter of a billion pound flops Slot has been found out, he has nothing up his sleeves Klopp was/is a great motivator. Arse Slot has the charisma of a wet cabbage Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vesper 30,469 Posted 1 hour ago Share Posted 1 hour ago Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheHulk 2,553 Posted 1 hour ago Share Posted 1 hour ago Fernando 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vesper 30,469 Posted 1 hour ago Share Posted 1 hour ago Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vesper 30,469 Posted 1 hour ago Share Posted 1 hour ago Everton can go above Pool if they beat Manure Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fulham Broadway 17,458 Posted 1 hour ago Share Posted 1 hour ago Heartbreaking to hear all the boooos at Anfield 😅 Vesper 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fulham Broadway 17,458 Posted 1 hour ago Share Posted 1 hour ago 125m Isak totally anonymous, subbed off Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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