Skip to main content

Debt not so problematic for top English clubs

Cautioning that there are many problems in measuring debt, the authoritative Swiss Ramble looks at the top clubs in the Deloitte Money League (other than Zenit St. Petersburg).

While it is important to be able to ultimately pay off debt, the ability to service the debt via interest expenses is absolutely crucial. The highest interest payments (in cash terms) in 2020/21 were FC Barcelona £29m, Atleti £23m, Manchester United £21m, Spurs £18m and Inter £15m.

Three English clubs have the largest gross debt: Chelsea £1.5 bln (Abramovich funding, soon to disappear), Spurs  £854m (new stadium) and Man United £530m (Glazers’ leveraged buy-out). Then come the Spanish giants: Real Madrid £515m and FC Barcelona £472m. Bayern Munich have zero financial debt.

As you work your way down the leagues, it is often the case that the majority of a club’s debt is provided by the owner. A good example is the EFL Championship, where over 80% of the financial debt has come from generous owners.

Leading clubs that have benefited from debt largely being provided by their owner are mainly in England, the poster child being Chelsea (£1.5 bn). Other clubs with owners that have provided more than £200k loans: Everton £250m, Leicester City £218m and Arsenal £202m.

Spurs have highest external debt of £854m, though their new stadium will be a major revenue generator and it’s a long-term loan at a low interest rate. Next highest are Manchester United £530m, Real Madrid £515m and FC Barcelona £472m.

Unlike Tottenham Hotspur’s debt, which was used to invest in a state-of-the-art stadium, Man United debt is a very different story, being used to fund the Glazers’ purchase of the club. Incredibly, the debt is virtually unchanged since the LBO in 2006– despite paying nearly £750m interest.

One reason why FC Barcelona have more problems with debt than English clubs is that so much of it is short-term, i.e. needs to be repaid within the next 12 months. £269m of Barca’s £676m is short-term, while for Chelsea it is only £94m of £1.5 bn, and for Spurs £57m of £1.0 bn.

With an alternative UEFA definition, seven clubs have over half a billion of gross debt: Chelsea £1.7 bn, Spurs £1.0 bn, FC Barcelona £676m, Man United £667m, Juventus £589m, Real Madrid £586m and Inter £552m. The lowest amounts owed are at the two German clubs: Borussia Dortmund £147m and Bayern Munich £48m.

The reason that debt is not so immediately problematic for the leading English clubs is that so much of it is structured via long-term financing, e.g. Spurs owe just over a billion in financial/transfer debt, but £966m is long-term with bank loans only maturing in 22 years.

Both Spanish giants have seen significant debt growth, but there are different drivers, Real Madrid debt has risen £466m to £586m since 2018, mainly due to £375m stadium debt. FC Barcelona debt is up £575m to £676m in just 4 years, largely spent on players (transfers and wages).

 

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Fulham requires big funding from owner

After lengthy delays, Fulham’s shiny, new Riverside Stand has finally opened, creating “a unique Thameside destination with first class facilities for supporters and partners on match days, as well as for the wider community year-round”. This ambitious project has increased Craven Cottage’s capacity by around 4,000 to 29,600, while it has also taken advantage of the club’s fantastic location and wealthy catchment area by including two Michelin star restaurants, a rooftop swimming pool, corporate hospitality and event space, all benefiting from views of the Thames. Chief executive Alistair Mackintosh observed, “Fulham is the sort of club that can have a business class or first class and have fans that turn left on a plane.” Indeed, there is also an exclusive members club – with a football season ticket as an optional extra. It’s fair to say that “the times they are a-changing”, as this is a long way from the traditional pie and a pint. However, in a world where clubs face the tw...

Threat of financial calamity removed from Baggies

West Bromwich Albion had effectively been in decline ever since the club was sold to a Chinese consortium in August 2016, paying a figure north of £200m to buy former owner Jeremy Peace’s stake. Controlling shareholder Guochuan Lai’s ownership was fairly disastrous for the club, but his unloved tenure finally came to an end after Bilkul Football WBA, a company ultimately owned by Florida-based entrepreneur Shilen Patel and his father Dr Kiran Patel, acquired an 87.8% shareholding in West Bromwich Albion Group Limited, the parent company of West Bromwich Albion Football Club. This change in ownership was urgently required, due to the numerous financial problems facing West Brom, including growing high-interest debt and serious cash flow concerns, following years of no investment from the former owner. Indeed, West Brom’s auditors had already rung the alarm bell in the 2021/22 accounts when they cast doubt on the club’s ability to continue as a going concern without making player s...

A poor financial record, but new hope at Everton

I recently saw an amusing video online in which a group of Everton fans were rebuked in jest for being hopeful.  Football fans in general tend to swing between excessive optimism and excessive pessimism, but for many it seems that moaning is in their bloodstream (Spurs fans probably take the trophy).  However, Everton fans have had plenty to moan about on and off the pitch.   Let’s hope that a new era is about to begin for this grand old club. Everton’s 2023/24 financial results covered a fairly momentous season, when they ended up 15th in the Premier League, though they would finished three places higher if they had not received an 8-point deduction for breaching the Premier League’s Profitability and Sustainability Regulations (PSR). It was a worrying time for Everton fans, as the club faced a “perfect storm” of issues, including large financial losses, an ever increasing debt burden, a challenging stadium build and the tortuous sale of the club. There were eve...