Comparison of Manchester City’s wage bill with Manchester United and Liverpool FC supports Pep Guardiola’s argument.
Manchester City's financial situation is compared to those of other top European teams in the Deloitte Money League report.
Comparison of Manchester City’s wage bill with Manchester United and Liverpool FC supports Pep Guardiola’s argument.
Manchester City’s financial situation is compared to those of other top European teams in the Deloitte Money League report.
Nowadays, it would be disappointing if Manchester City came in sixth in any league.
One graphic created this month, however, shows that City are falling behind five regional and European rivals in terms of investment, contradicting one of the most prevalent criticisms levied at the Blues and supporting a key claim made by Pep Guardiola.
With £619.1 million generated, including a Premier League record of approximately £330 million in commercial revenue, City won the Deloitte Money League for the second consecutive year. It represented a sizable increase over the £571.1m in income from the prior year, illustrating both growth off the field and continued success on it.
Competition will search for any stick to beat City with as it continues to rule the local scene and contend for European honors. Money is typically an easy winner in these situations. Expect their transfer prices to be added up and used against the Blues if Guardiola ever makes a lineup change and leaves some well-known players on the bench.
The problem of elite teams utilizing their financial clout to either recruit or hoard the best young players affects the entire football pyramid, of course. Every player has a market value, though, and City has backed out of many deals when they felt the valuation was too high. Recent TV deals that have increased the value of players and top-tier clubs’ bank accounts are not City’s responsibility.
The club generated a profit overall in 2022 thanks to the sales of players like Gabriel Jesus, Raheem Sterling, and Aleks Zinchenko, as Guardiola has often said unprompted. City’s net spending in recent seasons has been far lower than that of many of its rivals.
The manager’s message has been that, although City clearly spends money, they make an effort to do so responsibly – and they are not the only team that does this. Consider Chelsea’s spending this month or the fact that Manchester United has recently spent comparably to City but hasn’t succeeded in capturing a major championship since 2017. For instance, Liverpool spent £120 million for Cody Gakpo and Darwin Nunez.
A closer examination of the Deloitte Money League data, provided by Swiss Ramble, supports Guardiola’s assertion regarding City’s spending relative to other teams.
City’s payroll is sixth in Europe, and they are the second-highest paid team in the Premier League behind only Manchester United and Liverpool. With a salary of £615 million, Paris Saint-Germain is the most expensive Premier League team, while Real Madrid and Barcelona are both more expensive with costs of £441 million and £395 million, respectively.
United spent £385 million on salaries in 2021–2022, while Liverpool paid out £368 million in wages the previous year. The final figure, £353 million, puts City barely ahead of Chelsea’s £342 million. However, City defeated Liverpool to win the league last season, along with Chelsea and United.
Juve, Atletico Madrid, Inter Milan, Arsenal, Tottenham, Bayern Munich, and Juventus all paid their employees between £200 and £300 million in salaries.
Even while City’s matchday and television revenues lagged Liverpool’s, the Blues’ overall revenues were greater because to a sizeable amount of commercial revenue (£316m vs. £233m). The importance of City’s commercial operation is highlighted by the fact that their television revenue was actually lower than that of Liverpool and Real Madrid yet their matchday revenue was the tenth-highest in Europe.
It’s important to note that City’s payroll has increased over the previous campaign as a result of the signing of Erling Haaland and the extension of Phil Foden’s contract. Despite the departure of stars like Sterling, Jesus, and Fernandinho, the sum for the following season might potentially increase.
In the summer and in January, for instance, Chelsea purchased a lot of high-paid athletes, including Sterling, Marc Cucurella, Kalidou Koulibly, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, and Mykhailo Mudryk, among many others. While Liverpool and Manchester United have been active in the transfer market and may still be ahead of City, they might easily overtake the Blues.
The Money League standings show that most of City’s top competitors have also made significant financial investments. City has undoubtedly spent a lot of money. When their recent victories are compared to other expensive teams, Guardiola may have been trying to emphasize the point that success is not simply based on a team’s financial resources.
