The West London club is still ranked eighth in Deloitte’s Money League, but a new report emphasizes the importance of stadium infrastructure in shaping the club’s future.
According to Deloitte’s annual Money League report, Chelsea remains the world’s eighth largest club in terms of revenue, as the club moves closer to a change of ownership.
Last season, the West Londoners earned £436.6 million in revenue, keeping them as the capital’s most profitable club. However, the figures only cover last season, and with an update on the club’s sale expected later today, Deloitte says one of the key trends to future growth is in the one area where they lag behind many of their competitors.
Following a process in which several interested parties discussed the need to redevelop Stamford Bridge, several bidding groups are expected to receive confirmation that their offers have been rejected by the Raine Group later today.
While the pandemic reduced matchday revenue across the board last season, clubs such as Tottenham Hotspur are better positioned to profit now that crowds have returned to full capacity. One of the seven areas to shape the future of Money League clubs is “investment in stadia infrastructure to enhance and facilitate a greater matchday and non-matchday experience.”
Chelsea, who finished eighth in four of the previous five seasons, earned the third highest broadcast revenue (£273.6 million) and the ninth highest commercial income (£155.4 million) in a season that saw them crowned European champions for the second time.
According to the report, wages account for an above-average 77 percent of the club’s revenue. Deloitte also stated that there is no ethnic minority representation on the club’s board, but that women make up 20% of the board.
In the top 20, there are 11 Premier League clubs, four of which are London clubs. Tottenham has dropped one position to tenth, with Arsenal in eleventh. West Ham United is one of four new entrants, finishing 16th overall, demonstrating English football’s financial strength in comparison to continental rivals.
Three more Premier League teams are ranked between 21st and 30th.
Manchester City’s ascension to the summit is the most notable development, with the league leaders becoming only the fourth club to top a list published since 2006. That is the result of a startling increase in commercial revenue, which has raised serious concerns, as well as a surge in broadcast revenue, which is partly due to the season before last being cancelled.
Real Madrid and Bayern Munich are still second and third, respectively, while last year’s champion, Barcelona, has dropped to fourth place. Manchester United has dropped one spot to fifth, while Liverpool is seventh.
“Despite an ever-changing economic environment, the top 14 clubs in this year’s Money League are consistent, but in a slightly rearranged order for the fourth consecutive year,” according to the report. “Notably, this includes 11 of the 12 proposed European Super League founders (excluding AC Milan), with Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, and Paris Saint-Germain not among the original participants.”
