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The 2020/21 Premier League season is upon us, with the first game just two weeks away. For promoted clubs, the boost in finances from TV broadcasting and prize money depending on their table finish are enormous for their financial wellbeing – and all contribute to any outgoings that the club may have, much like it does for all Premier League clubs.

The largest expenditure at almost all football clubs across the globe is their wage bill – and for the bigger teams, these wages can total to hundreds of millions of pounds. Not only this but with the Premier League being one of the richest and most valuable leagues in the world, the big clubs in England often boast some of the largest wage bills across Europe.

With the transfer window still open, it is likely that these wage bills for Premier League clubs will only increase – but of the 20 teams starting next season, which clubs have the largest amount in expenditure for wages in the league?

Information provided by Spotrac is subject to change. All information provided is correct at time of publishing…

20. Leeds United – £2,652,000

After their long-awaited return to the Premier League, Leeds United find themselves at the bottom of the wage bill pile. Granted, this may be due to not all of the club’s wage bills being listed in Spotrac, but nevertheless we can at least see the wages for one of their forwards – Jack Harrison. The winger’s weekly wage at the club this season is £51,000, having joined on another season-long loan from Manchester City this summer.

19. Sheffield United – £3,640,000

The Blades finished off a terrific season last time out, finishing in 9th place after promotion to the Premier League just the season before. Going into this season, however, the club currently sits 19th in the league with their wage bill. Again, not all of the club’s players’ wage bills are present on Spotrac, but almost half are, with the highest visible earner being striker, Lys Mousset – who has a weekly salary of £25,000. The 24-year-old played 30 games for the club last season, scoring 6 goals in the process – but his wages appear to take up a large chunk of the club’s outgoings, and moving the player on elsewhere might work out beneficial given that Ollie McBurnie is the club’s first-choice striker.

18. West Bromwich Albion – £12,012,000

The Baggies are another newly-promoted Premier League club that features low down on the list, not to anyone’s surprise, however. The club has an annual wage bill this season of £12,012,000 so far, due to only five players weekly wages being available on Spotrac. The highest earner from the information provided is striker Charlie Austin – who earns £70,000 a week. The 31-year-old is likely one of the highest earners at the club, making a total of £3,640,000 a year. The club could look to offload the striker, due to his age and high earnings, and the fact that last season Hal Robson-Kanu was the preferred starter over Austin, with the Welsh international only earning £30,000 a week – more than half of Austin’s weekly earning’s. I would imagine now, however, that the permanent signing of Matheus Pereira would make the Brazilian the highest-earning player at the club – but this information is as of yet unavailable.

17. Aston Villa F.C. – £17,377,000

The Villans sit in 17th on the list, and to my surprise, the club’s top earner this season is not Jack Grealish. I had expected the 24-year-old to top the table as Villa’s highest earner, but Grealish is currently on £35,000 a week, making his yearly earnings £1,820,000. The highest earner at Villa is actually Henri Lansbury, earning £40,000 a week according to Spotrac. That gives the 29-year-old an annual salary of £2,080,000. Lansbury was one of the club’s worst performers last year and only started two Premier League games, without a single goal or assist in the process – meaning Villa would free up more than £2 million a year in wages if they were to send Lansbury packing elsewhere. That would leave a sizeable chunk in their outgoing wages for a younger and more talented addition to the squad.

16. Burnley F.C. – £21,632,000

The Claret and Blue are 16th, with a reported wage bill of £21,632,000 via Spotrac – albeit 7 players’ wages are missing. The highest earner at the club next season is defender Ben Mee, earning a weekly wage of £55,000. Interestingly, the club’s top three earners are all defenders according to Spotrac, with a total yearly wage outgoing of £7,540,000 for Mee, James Tarkowski, and Ben Gibson. The club could free up £1,300,000 in annual wages if they were to offload one particular player – Phil Bardsley. The 35-year-old Scotsman has been a great servant for the club, having played 21 games for Burnley last season. Despite this though, Bardsley takes up a big chunk of the reported outgoing wages for the club, and will likely be looking at retirement soon due to his age – meaning the club should use the leftover wages for a younger predecessor for the right-back.

15. Newcastle United – £22,465,000

Next up on the list is Newcastle United, who’s annual wage bill totals to £22,465,000 according to Spotrac, although again not all players’ wages are available. The highest reported earner from the information available is surprisingly Yoshinori Muto, who is currently on £54,000 a week. The Japanese forward annual salary totals to £2,808,000, a sizeable amount given the Muto’s lack of form and appearances last season. Brazilian forward Joelinton and French winger Allan Saint-Maximin are likely the two highest earners at the club, but their wages are not reported on the website. Offloading Muto may seem like a plausable option to free up wages for new signings ahead of the new season, with the player failing to score a single league goal last campaign.

14. Fulham F.C. – £24,336,000

The final newly-promoted club on the list, Fulham FC have a reported annual salary bill of £24,336,000, but again not all players’ wages are available. The highest reported weekly earner is Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa, with the 24-year-old earning £67,000 a week. Jean Michael Seri is one of the highest earners at the club with a weekly wage of £65,000, despite being on loan last season at Turkish outfit Galatasaray. If the club were to let the Ivorian leave, it would free up £3,380,000 a year in wages for any new players that may come in ahead of the new season – a sizeable amount of cash for a more dedicated, talented, and younger player. To no surprise, Aleksandar Mitrovic is one of the highest earners at the club and rightly so – the Serbian scored 26 goals last season, helping the club to reach the Premier League via the playoffs, making his £60,000 a week wage well worth it.

13. Brighton and Hove Albion – £29,122,666

Brighton & Hove Albion have an annual wage bill of just under £30 million – and surprisingly when looking at the highest earners on Spotrac, don’t appear to have any players not making their worth. The three joint highest earners are Pascal Groß, Alireza Jahanbakhsh, and Martin Montoya – who all earn £50,000 a week. The club’s wage structure is actually very impressive – with the wages available on Spotrac, the total annual wages may seem high but are well distributed between the players at the club, and no one player seems to be outearning many of the others unfairly. Overall, Brighton has a great squad and have managed to control their finances well ahead of the new season. It would be interesting to see, however, all players’ wages at the club, but I can’t imagine much of a difference from the current information provided.

12. Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C. – £29,501,000

Wolves’ current annual salary bill is £29,501,000, with two players currently on 6 figure salaries each week in Joao Moutinho and Rui Patricio, earning £100,00 a week each. Both players are currently 33 and 32 respectively, and will soon be making way for the younger generation to come through – this means that Wolves may likely look within the next couple of seasons on either reducing their wages or letting them leave the club. One current player, Patrick Cutrone, had been on loan at AFC Fiorentina last season and hasn’t enjoyed his start to life at Wolves. The Italian currently earns £62,923 a week, and could easily free up a nice amount of the wage bill to make way for another striker alongside first choice Raul Jimenez.

11. Southampton F.C. – £45,240,000

The south coast club comes in at 11th in the Premier League, with an annual wage bill of £45, 240,000 – a large number of outgoings, and a big jump from the other 10 clubs before them on the list. The club’s highest earner is undoubtedly striker Danny Ings, who is currently on £75,000 a week, an annual income of £3,900,000. Goalkeeper Fraser Forster had been on loan at Celtic last season, with current shot-stoppers James McCarthy and Angus Gunn to main ‘keepers at the club. Forster currently earns £70,000 a week and is the club’s third-highest earner – making his yearly salary £3,640,000. If Southampton were to look to move Forster on permanently, it would free up a nice amount in the club’s wage bill for better players to come into St Mary’s.

10. West Ham United – £51,064,000

According to Spotrac, Wet Ham’s current annual salary totals to just over £51 million. The highest reported earner at the London club is Ukrainian winger Andriy Yarmolenko, which is surprising. The 30-year-olds yearly salary totals to £5,980,000, which is £115,000 a week – but there is one player in particular that the club is paying way too much, and should look to seel as soon as possible. Jack Wilshere is currently on £100,000 a week, and the departure of the 28-year-old would give a great amount in the wage bill free for a better and younger player – given that Wilshere only played 8 games in the league last campaign. Moving the midfielder on would leave a £5,200,000 a year for wages to other players, something that shouldn’t be sniffed at.

9. Tottenham Hotspur – £68,978,000

The London club’s current wage bill totals to just under £69 million a year, although not all players’ wages are available on Spotrac. The highest earners at the club are joint. Harry Kane is top, with the English striker earning a salary of £200,00 a week, a total of £10,400,00 a year – this is matched by last seasons record club signing Tanguy Ndombélé, and the Frenchman’s reported move away could free up a hefty amount of the annual wage bill for the club. Many of the players at the club appear to be earning within their means, but it is Ndombélé who is earning way out of his worth from last season. If a transfer is completed and the Frenchman does leave the club, it will we a welcome relief to the club’s annual outgoings.

8. Crystal Palace – £69,862,000

The Eagles sit eighth on the list and have a surprisingly high annual wage bill compared to the rest of the clubs in the Premier League. To no surprise, Wilfried Zaha is the club’s highest earner, making £130,000 a week, totaling to £6,760,000 a year. Belgian striker Christian Benteke currently earns £120,000 a week and takes up £6,240,000 a year on the annual salaries at Palace – a big payout for a striker who only scored 2 league goals last season. If the club were to move Benteke on, it would provide a great amount of annual salary for a player that could come in and make a real difference – or maybe even use it to try and keep Alexander Sörloth at the club after a great season on loan at Trabzonspor, with the Norwegian currently only earning £20,00 a week from the London club.

7. Leicester City – £75,480,000

The Foxes have the seventh highest wage bill in the Premier League – totaling a yearly outgoing of £75,480,000. The club currently pay star-man Jamie Vardy £140,000 a week – just over £7 million a year, which was expected given his influence for the team, finishing last season as the top goalscorer in the league. One player that appears to earn well beyond his means is fellow striker Islam Slimani – with the Algerian earning £80,000 a week, despite not having played a game for the club since 2018. If the Foxes were to sell the player, it would give the club an extra £4,160,000 a year for wages to go towards other players.

6. Everton F.C. – £76,252,000

The Merseyside outfit has an annual wage bill of just over £76 million, despite not all of the players’ wages being available on Spotrac. A big name missing from the list is Dominic Calvert Lewin’s weekly salary, but the reported joint-highest earners at the club are Bernard and Yerry Mina. The Brazilian forward and Colombian defender currently earn an impressive £120,000 a week each. The club also has 6 reported players on six-figure weekly salaries, but one player has surprised me with his weekly earnings, and that is midfielder Tom Davies. Having played 30 league games for the club last season and becoming one of the regular players in Ancelotti’s starting XI, the 22-year-old earns £25,000 a week, a figure that I felt would have been higher. Congolese winger has been earning £75,000 a week despite being on loan the past few seasons, and the club should look to offload the player to free up money on the wage bill for other deserving players and/or new signings.

5. Liverpool F.C. – £87,880,000

First up in the top five is current Premier League champions Liverpool – who have a surprisingly low annual salary considering the star players and market value of the squad – paying out £87,880,000 a year in wages. To no-one’s surprise, Mohamed Salah is the club’s highest earner, raking in £200,00 a week – a total of £10,400,000 a year. There are many other surprises in the club’s wage bill though, with Sadio Mané earning £100,000 a week despite his importance and value, as well as defender Joe Gomez only earning £28,000 a week, again despite his importance as first-choice centre-back alongside Virgil Van Dijk. Benchwarmer Xherdan Shaqiri is currently earning £80,00 a week despite his lack of game time. The Swiss international has bags of talent but is not warranting his salary intake as of yet, and moving the player on would free up £4,160,000 a year in wages.

4. Arsenal F.C. – £106,966,273

The first club on the list with a 9-figure annual salary – Arsenal’s current outgoings on wages totals to just under £107 million a year, a staggering amount to pay out on player wages. The club’s highest earner is German midfielder Mesut Özil. The 31-year-old currently earns a stomach-churning £350,000 a week – a total of £18,200,00 a year, which is nowhere near warranted by the player who refused to take a wage cut during the Coronavirus outbreak. The club’s newest signing Willian is set to earn £192, 308 a week, making him the club’s second-highest earner. Arsenal should take a serious look at their situation with Özil, however, and force a move for the midfielder to leave the club, as £350,000 a week is an astronomical amount for a player that has been virtually invisible over the past two seasons. Mesut, you should be ashamed of yourself.

3. Chelsea F.C. – £114,940,000

Chelsea finishes up third in the list with an annual wage bill of just under £115 million a season – with the club also having the largest squad in the Premier League with 36 players. The highest-earning player at the club is USA winger Christian Pulisic, who currently takes home £158,654 a week, closely followed by the world’s most expensive goalkeeper, Kepa, earning £150,000 a week. One player taking up a large chunk of the wage bill is Tiemoué Bakayoko, who earns £110,000 a week – which is £5,720,000 a year. The player has been on loan to numerous clubs over the past few seasons, and the London club should look to move the Frenchman on permanently to provide wages for more deserving players. One surprise in my eyes was to see midfield maestro Mateo Kovacic earning just £38,462 a week compared to his other high earning teammates.

2. Manchester City – £129,987,000

It was no surprise that the Citizens would be near the top of the table – with the club’s total annual salaries costing just under £130 million. It is no doubt that the club’s highest earner is Kevin De Bruyne – the Belgian midfielder currently takes home £350,00 a week, an eye-watering amount of money. Man City youngster Phil Foden currently earns £12,000 a week, but the surprise is 35-year-old Fernandinho’s take-home of £150,000 a week, which is far too much for a player at the back-end of his career. In addition, City currently has 11 first-team players on 6-figure salaries each week, the joint-most amount in the Premier League – with defender John Stones being one of them, a player the club should look to move on elsewhere, which would free up £5,200,000 a year.

1. Manchester United – £153,395,000

Just as I had expected in all honesty – Manchester United finish top of the Premier League wage bill table, with total outgoing in yearly salaries of £153,395,000. The many United fans frustrations, Spanish goalkeeper David De Gea is the club’s highest earner, taking home a staggering £375,000 a week – which is £19,500,000 a year. The club should look to send the Spaniard packing after his poor form this season, especially given the amount spent on his wages each year. The same goes for Inter Milan loanee Alexis Sanchez, who earns £350,000 a week from the club. Just the removal of these two players would give the club an extra £37,700,000 a year in salaries – a staggering amount for two players that have failed to turn up in a United shirt as of late.

Speaking exclusively to talkSPORT, Daily Mirror writer Darren Lewis believes Tottenham and club chairman Daniel Levy will be ‘crying every night’ over their failure to land Man United star Bruno Fernandes – with the pundit going on to suggest he was in the ‘palm’ of Spurs’ hands. 

Fernandes, who excelled last season in all competitions for both Sporting Lisbon and United, scoring a combined 27 goals from midfield for both clubs, was bordering on a north London move before the Red Devils eventually sealed his transfer.

The Portuguese ace even admitted himself that Levy and co were ‘closer’ at one stage in the race, but Tottenham’s ultimate failure to land Fernandes has debatably resulted in United acquiring a superstar.

After selling playmaker Christian Eriksen in January to Inter Milan for just £16.9 million, it was arguably imperative for Spurs to replace him with an adept creative asset who could mimic the Dane’s influence.

Fernandes, who averaged a highly impressive 3.7 key passes per 90 in the Primeira Liga before his January switch (WhoScored), making his initial £47 million fee seem fairly reasonable, appeared to be the optimal target.

However, as Spurs contemplated a move, United leapfrogged them in the race for his signature and eventually secured a blockbuster deal – with the 26-year-old going on to score eight goals whilst assisting seven others in the Premier League under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

Now, Mirror journalist Lewis believes Tottenham will be distraught over missing out on a world class asset – taking aim at the club and, by extension, Levy.

“Spurs can dither,” explained the writer on Monday’s talkSPORT Breakfast.

“I think they will cry every night over losing Bruno Fernandes when they had him in the palm of their hands and dithered over how much he would cost.

“They dither, ‘it’s got to be this, it’s got to be that’ – they can’t seem to get the players in to move the team on.

“Other clubs have made far more progress because they moved far more quickly.”

Given the current lack of creativity in midfield under Jose Mourinho, Spurs could have arguably done with a signing like Fernandes to give them that cutting edge as the 2020/2021 season gets underway.

Spurs fans, do you highly regret missing out on Fernandes? Have your say in the comment section below…

Tottenham Hotspur’s pursuit of a new centre-back before this evening’s transfer deadline has taken an interesting fresh twist, according to The Athletic.

What’s the word?

Stuart James claims that Spurs are weighing up an offer for Swansea City centre-back Joe Rodon, who has been the subject of interest from Premier League rivals West Ham United this summer.

It’s claimed that the north London outfit are very much in the picture to sign him, though it’s thought that the Championship side would want £18m for his signature.

Daniel Levy would potentially try to negotiate this down but the Swans’ owners are insistent that he will not leave on the cheap.

Mourinho’s next Terry?

James goes onto describe the 22-year-old as “one of the brightest prospects in the Championship” having made huge progress for the club during their playoff campaign last season.

Per WhoScored, the Welsh international is averaging a whopping 7.8 clearances, 5.3 aerial duels won, 2.3 interceptions and one tackle per game this season already.

His manager Steve Cooper believes Rodon is destined for the top, claiming he’s a “good young player” whilst the player himself is said to be inspired by new Spurs addition Gareth Bale.

The links to the club do not just stop there either with the 6 foot 4 colossus drawing comparisons to John Terry, who was an integral figure during Mourinho’s successful reigns at Chelsea.

EFL pundit Andy Hinchcliffe told Sky Sports: “You look at Ferdinand and Terry and there are elements of both in Rodon’s game – maybe John Stones as well. What I want from a centre-half is someone who loves to defend. Yes, they can play, but they don’t just like defending, they really want to defend – they want to get in the line of fire, they want to stop the opposition scoring. That’s what we see with Rodon.”

Could Levy secure his manager another Terry? It’s certainly possible as the young defender clearly has all the attributes needed to be a modern defender in the system deployed at Spurs.

His towering presence at the back would be a most welcome threat alongside Eric Dier or Toby Alderweireld.

Terry was an aggressive leader, who could also play out from the back and Mourinho would undoubtedly mould the deceptively quick central defender into the next star.

AND in other news, Levy could work his magic to secure sensational Spurs return

One Premier League agent has tipped Southampton to be a no-brainer move for Manchester United youngster Brandon Williams.

The left-back has been linked with a loan move to the south coast following Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s signing of Alex Telles. Speaking to The Athletic, the unnamed agent has stated that the 20-year-old would be “absolutely mental” not to join a side like Ralph Hasenhuttl’s.

“Younger lads that didn’t go on loan will force a move,” the agent said. “Brandon Williams doesn’t want to be No.3 left-back at United. He would be absolutely mental to not go somewhere like Leeds or Southampton. Or a top-half Championship club.”

Could Williams join Southampton?

Although the transfer window has now closed, Southampton would benefit from snapping up the United defender in January, who may become unhappy with his lack of game time. With a loan move not coming to fruition so far and Telles now challenging Luke Shaw, it’s likely Williams will becoming frustrated very quickly as he slips down the pecking order.

The Man United Academy graduate is now at the age where he needs to showcase his abilities with regular game time. Solskjaer certainly values the Englishman, branding him an “outstanding” player in a recent interview. However, with senior personnel to compete with, big chances for Williams will now be few and far between.

The 20-year-old’s hunger to play would inject the Saints squad with energy moving forwards as well as across the backline.

Putting pressure on Walker-Peters and Bertrand

Southampton would hugely benefit from adding a player like Williams to their ranks. Hasenhuttl currently has just two fit left-backs, with one being 20-year-old Jake Vokins, who has played just one game of Premier League football so far.

Not only will the England youth international challenge Ryan Bertrand on the left, but he could also put pressure on new addition Kyle Walker-Peters. As highlighted by Transfermarkt, Williams can play on either side of the defence, which makes him a double threat for Southampton’s current wing-backs.

The friendly competition could healthily stack Hasenhuttl’s squad, with the Saints looking to gradually climb the table as each season goes on.

In other news, Southampton target Kristoffer Ajer can be Salisu’s long-term partner…

The Telegraph’s John Percy has prompted a large reaction from West Bromwich Albion fans after claiming that the Baggies are set to sign Karlan Grant from Huddersfield this week.

Gaining promotion to the Premier League this summer, Slaven Bilic’s side have had a sluggish start to the season, losing on opening day to Leicester City before failing to beat Everton, Chelsea and Southampton.

With Bilic spending £22.3m this summer bringing in the likes of Grady Diangana, Matheus Pereira and Callum Robinson on permanent deals, the Croatian tactician has failed to seal a deal for a star striker.

Recognised front men Hal-Robson Kanu, Charlie Austin and Kenneth Zohore have all struggled to feature and Bilic now faces a race against time to bring in Grant before the domestic transfer window closes on Friday, with Percy claiming the Huddersfield ace is Bilic’s priority target and a £15m deal is close.

With the deadline fast approaching, the Baggies need to get this one over the line or they risk relying on the old guard in what is sure to be a gruelling league campaign.

The Terriers striker has experience of playing in the Premier League, making 12 appearances for Huddersfield during their time in England’s top flight, which saw him net four goals.

Valued at £5.85m by Transfermarkt, the price quoted by Percy may be a little steep but at just 23 years of age Grant could yet prove to be an absolute bargain if he develops at the top level.

Reacting to the potential arrival of Grant, some fans called on the club to make some other signings before deadline day.

Matching Percy’s claim was The Athletic journalist Steve Madeley and fans also reacted to his latest tweet, with one supporter worrying about his match fitness given that the youngster has not played yet this season.

Do you think Karlan Grant will be a good signing for West Brom? Let us know in the comments section below…

Southampton are currently keeping their eye on Accrington Stanley shot-stopper Toby Savin as they head into the January window. According to Football Insider, the Saints are keen on the rising star and have already planned to line up an offer for his services.

The England youth international only recently penned a new three-year deal with the League One side, but there’s no doubt that he would be extremely tempted by Premier League football. Indeed, moving to the south coast would also do wonders for Savin’s growth, learning from first choice goalkeeper Alex McCarthy and veteran Fraser Forster.

With no Transfermarkt value yet, the Saints could strike a very cheap deal for the 20-year-old who could become one for the future at St Mary’s. However, it would likely spell the end of Angus Gunn’s time with the club.

Bad news for Gunn

The Norwich-born ‘keeper signed for Southampton two years ago for a fee of £13.5million, an amount the club will be wishing they hadn’t spent.

Gunn has had far from the dream start with the Saints, making just 22 Premier League appearances since 2018 and conceding a worrying 43 goals in those games (via Transfermarkt). It seems already as though he is not part of Ralph Hasenhuttl’s plans moving forward, after he was shipped out on loan to Stoke City this summer.

He made his Potters debut on Tuesday against Swansea City and was hauled off the pitch at half-time after conceding their first goal of the day. His start to life in the Championship is also not exactly how he had planned.

Contrastingly, 20-year-old Savin has proven himself to be a strong character in between the sticks. The 6 ft 3 powerhouse has an average of 3.7 saves per match so far after his most recent display against Fleetwood Town saw him make an impressive six.

The youngster has also made four high claims in his last three appearances and has shown he is comfortable making important saves from inside the box (via Sofascore). Having already proved his ability to work under pressure, he could be a very fine signing for Hasenhuttl, who is looking to keep Southampton on their winning streak.

Adding a young goalkeeper to the ranks as someone to build and rely on in the future would be very smart January business for the Saints, but it would likely spell the end of the disappointing Gunn.

In other news, Southampton missed out on potential Che Adams upgrade in Darwin Nunez…

Celtic will be looking to correct their recent form after being dealt another loss in their Europa League run. Sparta Prague hit the Hoops for four in yet another poor defensive display from Neil Lennon’s side. Leigh Griffiths struck back with a late consolation goal, but their European form is now something to be worried about.

Similarly, they have fallen out of favour in the Premiership and must ensure that they win their two games in-hand if they’re to close the gap on rivals Rangers. Motherwell is their first stop as Celtic try to regain some ground.

Football FanCast has predicted how Lennon might set up this afternoon…

Shane Duffy continues to disappoint after dropping yet another poor performance across the backline. Lennon’s defence is arguably the most worrying area of the Celtic squad at the moment and the manager must be looking at what he can do to fix this.

Hatem Abd Elhamed could be given the nod ahead of the Brighton loanee who will partner Nir Bitton at centre-back. The full-backs will remain unchanged, along with Scott Bain who has usurped Vasilis Barkas in between the sticks.

Celtic’s attack is another worry. Due to Mohamed Elyounoussi’s foolish behaviour against Sparta Prague, it’s hard to see a way back for the Southampton man. In order to make an example of him, Lennon must drop him completely. This could pave the way for Albian Ajeti to start just behind the striker, with in-form midfielders Ryan Christie and Tom Rogic pushing to the wider positions.

Odsonne Edouard has yet to get on the scoresheet since his return from self-isolating and Lennon cannot just assume he will miraculously find his form. Celtic are running out of time and must act fast.

Griffiths could be the man to start the match after his influential performances recently. His desire to reach the club’s top 20 all-time goal-scorers is enough to convince both fans and the team that he wants to fight for his team.

In other news, Shane Duffy was biggest Celtic disappointment against Sparta Prague…

With hundreds of million enthusiastic football fans worldwide, brands are very eager to become visible in the football world. Brand sponsorships of football teams is a symbiotic partnership that has worked well for many years. The entrance of gambling companies into football sponsorship raised the stakes. It is not uncommon to hear nowadays of a gambling brand sponsoring a football for tens of millions of dollars.

Shirt Sponsorships

Football teams have the most loyal fans in sports. Even local small-town teams trigger fervent support in their home fans when playing. Brands stand to gain a lot by associating with a football team and building brand loyalty and trust.

A shirt sponsorship will have a football team wearing football shirts decorated with a brand’s logos and trademarks. It is an endorsement of the brand by the team.  The team’s message to the team’s fans is that the brand is to be trusted.

Gambling Company Sponsorships

The trend for big gambling companies getting into team sponsorships started in the 2000s. The laws had been changed in the UK to allow betting companies to operate more freely. There was a big rush by gambling companies to get more customers. The most direct and effective way was to get into sponsorships with the big EPL teams.

The trend spread to other big football leagues. Nowadays, almost half the teams in major leagues wear logos of big gambling companies and online casinos. It has been a win-win arrangement. Customer numbers for gambling companies have risen, while football teams get much-needed cash for their operations.

For gambling companies and sportsbooks, the hope is that they can convince a team’s fans that this is the right betting platform. It is a way to gain trust. As a fan, you can judge this by looking at how the sponsor treats the team. You can also see what different pundits are saying. For example, read Aldo McNeal’s review of SkyCity Online Casino.

It is not hard to see that gambling companies have much to gain from football sponsorships. A report by Global Betting and Gaming Consultants showed huge revenue growth in the UK. The gross gambling yield for gambling companies operating in the UK grew from £908.5m in 2016 to £1.4bn in 2019.

Big online casinos have started offering sports betting markets.  For them, the logic is simple. If you can get football fans to use your betting platform, you can then lure them into making other bets. A football fan making a bet on his favourite team on the weekend will see an attractive promotion on the slots and decide to spin a few times.

Football Teams Gains

Big football teams are some of the most profitable entities in the world. But they also have huge expenditures.  Manchester United’s payroll in 2020 is $206 million. There are huge expenses in training, medical, nutrition, logistics, and the transfer market. Man Utd spent $79.7 million in 2020.

These huge costs must be offset somehow.  Gate tickets and merchandise sales cannot meet these expenses. It is where sponsorship deals come in. Man Utd received $223 million in sponsorships deals in 2020. The sponsorship is a huge cash inflow for a team.

While the top teams may not need gambling sponsorship that much, smaller teams without expanded revenue streams need it.  About half the teams in the EPL have gambling sponsorships. 17 out of 24 English Championship teams depend on shirt sponsorship deals with gambling companies.

Even the top six EPL teams that do not have shirt sponsorship deals have partnered with gambling companies in one way or another. The money is too much to ignore.  Shirt sponsorship deals in the EPL will be worth $349 million in the 2020/2021 season.

Apart from gambling companies logos appearing on team shirts, they will also be visible in playing venues.

Gambling companies are also targeting teams in Asia and Africa. These are the fastest-growing betting markets in the world. Big betting companies in these countries will sponsor multiple teams in the same league.

League sponsorships

Gambling companies have gone on to sponsor entire leagues in some countries. In Kenya, the national football federation is sponsored by a gambling company.  The gambling company gets visibility in all events organized by the federation.  League sponsorship is becoming more common outside Europe and the US.

Gambling sponsorships have become essential support for the football world. The importance of this support has been seen in 2020 when gate tickets dried up due to COVID-19 pandemic restrictions.  This win-win arrangement will likely become the dominant form of sponsorship in football for years to come.

After ten years progressing through the ranks at West Brom, Louie Barry couldn’t turn down the opportunity to sign for European heavyweights Barcelona, though the story since has been one massive nightmare for the Midlands side…

What’s been the saga?

The Baggies were entitled to compensation over the 17-year-old, which they subsequently never received, leading to the club’s hierarchy reporting the La Liga giants to FIFA.

As per the Express & Star, Barca were ordered to pay just £235k, though to this day, it is still yet to be resolved.

The Catalan outfit have even gone onto profit from his sale since as Albion’s arch-rivals Aston Villa successfully signed him in a €1m (£900k) deal last January.

And if that’s not enough, he’s hit the ground running in their youth team…

How is Barry getting on now?

The England U17 international has featured regularly for their U23 squad despite being just 17, scoring four goals in seven Premier League 2 matches this term so far.

Whilst he made his first appearance in the EFL Trophy earlier in the campaign, losing 3-0 to Fleetwood Town.

Barry’s latest outing was witnessed by Villa boss Dean Smith, who spoke glowingly after the match and said:

“I saw him for 20 minutes in a game last week for the under-23s. He has really good movement and is a bright young kid. I am sure he will be a hit at Aston Villa but we can’t forget he is only 16. I am excited by the potential he has got, that is for sure. That is why we have gone and got him.”

Whilst other reports claim that the former Baggies academy sensation has ‘clever’ movement – ‘He’s pacey, too, but it’s his close control and his bravery to dribble at his opponents – often beating them one-on-one – that makes him a joy to watch.’

You can’t help but feel that Albion chief Luke Dowling made a shockingly bad call to not offer the emerging prospect a contract package that would’ve been worth staying for at the Hawthorns.

At this rate, it’ll only be a matter of time before the teenage goal machine comes back to truly haunt his former club.

AND in other news, West Brom shouldn’t offer rarely-seen talent a new contract…

In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast’s Tom Ward, ex-Baggies midfielder Carlton Palmer has delivered his verdict on West Brom’s potential takeover, claiming that it’s unlikely to make much of a difference in their current predicament.

According to the ever-reliable John Percy at the Telegraph, investors from the United States are keen to purchase the Midlands outfit from current owner, Guochuan Lai, but are put off by the £150m price tag.

It’s claimed that negotiations are still ongoing between the two parties over either a full takeover or buying a minority stake of up to 15 per cent.

Lai bought Albion from Jeremy Peace in the summer of 2016 for £200m and has frequently been unwilling to fully invest in the playing squad, which has led to tensions between Slaven Bilic and the club’s hierarchy over their transfer strategy ever since the summer.

The Baggies recorded their first win of the season last week but there is still plenty of work to be done, something that a takeover could aid ahead of the January transfer window.

However, Palmer doesn’t see it this way.

He told FFC:

“With the takeover, it might make some difference with stability, but will it make any difference in terms of their spending power? I think not.

“When you’re in that position, you have to accept that you might be a yo-yo club for a season or two, rather than go for broke, break the bank and bring in six or seven players on ridiculous money and you get relegated.

“You have to be prepared to accept that and build the club stronger.”

Indeed, this has often been the case with some teams that have come up. You only have to go back to Fulham’s last stint in the top-flight to see the risk of throwing cash at staying up.

Cottagers chairman Shahid Khan splashed over £100m on a plethora of disastrous signings as they were sent back to the Championship after just one season, whilst the same nearly happened to arch-rivals Aston Villa last season.

Although, the Midlands outfit hold some pretty poor records in the Premier League right now as they are the division’s second-lowest goalscorers as well as having the second-worst defensive record.

A cash-injection could be exactly what they need to resolve some of their issues, but as Palmer says, the Baggies need stability above all right now.

AND in other news, Opinion: Luke Dowling must offload West Brom outcast Kieran Gibbs in January