Fewer Premier League Clubs Running at a Loss, but Wages Continue to Rise

Fewer Premier League clubs are operating at a loss, price order but the total wage bill in the League has risen by over 6% year-on-year for the past three seasons.

The accounts for the clubs released earlier this week showed that the total wage bill stood at £1.6bn, rising by £0.1bn each season from 2009-10, however additional TV revenues means this shows a level of stability.

£77m was also spent on agent fees between October 2011 and September 2012.

Despite the spending, overall debt fell from £484m to £205m, with champions and big spenders Manchester City reducing their losses of £197m in 2011 to £99m.

Twelve of the 20 Premier League clubs are still operating at a loss according to The Guardian’s report, but this is an improvement on the 16 who were in the red during the 2009-10 season.

Manchester City and Chelsea are unsurprisingly at the top of the wage bill list, with City paying £202m a year to players and staff, whilst Chelsea pay out £173m. City striker Carlos Tevez who infamously went on strike last season reportedly earns £198,000 a week.

In contrast Capital One Cup winners Swansea City spend approximately £35m on wages and have reported a £15m profit.

The proportion of wages to turnover has remained at just over two thirds, from 68% in 2009-10 to 69% in 2010-11, before dropping to 67% in 2011-12.