I have been trawling the fine print of the new Deloitte Annual Review of Football Finance (so you don’t have to).
Since football fans like league tables, I have used the data to put together 26 top-threes ranking English Premier League clubs according to different financial parameters.
I wouldn’t read too much into them without scrutinising the big picture.
However, Arsenal supporters, starved of real on-field success, may have mixed feelings about the north London club’s top ranking for most cash, biggest net profit from sale of players and biggest pre-tax profit.
Meanwhile, Aston Villa fans may draw their own conclusions regarding the Birmingham club’s position at the head of tables for the biggest year-on-year revenue decrease, the biggest year-on-year cut in wage costs and the biggest operating loss before player trading.
It is also worthy of comment that Chelsea’s wage bill has barely increased over a four-year period.
The rankings are based on the clubs’ performance over the financial year ending between May and July 2012 – so they do not reflect the season just ended.
For what it is worth, Arsenal, Manchester City and Swansea City each top four tables.
Two clubs, Everton and Fulham, don’t make the top three in any category.
Most revenue Least revenue
1. Manchester United £320.3 million 1. Wigan Athletic £52.6 million
2. Chelsea £261.0 million 2. Blackburn Rovers £54.2 million
3. Arsenal £234.9 million 3. Swansea City £60.2 million
Biggest year-on-year revenue increase Biggest year-on-year revenue decrease
1. Swansea City 419 percent 1. Aston Villa 13 percent
2. Queens Park Rangers 294 percent 2. Tottenham Hotspur 12 percent
3. Norwich City 219 percent 3. Blackburn/Wolves 6 percent
Highest wage costs Lowest wage costs
1. Manchester City £201.8 million 1. Swansea City £34.6 million
2. Chelsea £172.9 million 2. Norwich City £36.8 million
3. Manchester United £161.7 million 3. Wigan Athletic £37.7 million
Biggest year-on-year increase in wage costs Biggest year-on-year cut in wage costs
1. Norwich City 99 percent 1. Aston Villa 21 percent
2. Swansea City 99 percent 2. Chelsea 10 percent
3. Queens Park Rangers 97 percent 3. Wigan Athletic 6 percent
Biggest operating profit before player trading Biggest operating loss before player trading
1. Manchester United £84.2 million 1. Aston Villa £33 million
2. Norwich City £23.7 million 2. Manchester City £21.1 million
3. Swansea City £22.7 million 3. Queens Park Rangers £15 million
Biggest net profit from sale of players Biggest net loss from sale of players
1. Arsenal £65.5 million 1. Sunderland £3.1 million
2. Chelsea £28.8 million 2. Liverpool £671,000
3. Aston Villa £26.9 million No other club made a net loss
Biggest pre-tax profit Biggest pre-tax loss
1. Arsenal £36.6 million 1. Manchester City £98.7 million
2. Swansea City £17.4 million 2. Liverpool £54.7 million
3. Norwich City £16.3 million 3. Sunderland £32.3 million
Biggest tax charge Biggest tax credit
1. Arsenal £7 million 1. Manchester United £28 million
2. Norwich City £2.9 million 2. Tottenham Hotspur £3 million
3. Swansea City £2.8 million 3. Manchester City £848,000
Highest net assets Highest net liabilities
1. Manchester City £326.4 million 1. Chelsea £622.4 million
2. Arsenal £297.5 million 2. Bolton Wanderers £104.4 million
3. Manchester United £235.1 million 3. Queens Park Rangers £62.4 million
Highest net book value player registrations Lowest net book value player registrations
1. Manchester City £226.2 million 1. West Bromwich Albion £ 5.5 million
2. Chelsea £200.5 million 2. Swansea City £10.1 million
3. Liverpool £139.1 million 3. Norwich City £11.3 million
Most cash Highest bank loans/overdrafts
1. Arsenal £153.6 million 1. Liverpool £64.7 million
2. Manchester United £ 63.8 million 2. Tottenham Hotspur £46.5 million
3. Chelsea £ 17 million 3. Sunderland £43.4 million
Revenue – highest 4-year growth* Revenue – lowest 4-year growth*
1. Swansea City 78 percent 1. Newcastle United minus 2 percent
2. Queens Park Rangers 62 percent 2. Blackburn Rovers minus 1 percent
3. Stoke City 59 percent 3. Aston Villa plus 1 percent
Wage costs – highest 4-year growth* Wage costs – lowest 4-year growth*
1. Swansea City 66 percent 1. Newcastle United minus 5 percent
2. Queens Park Rangers 54 percent 2. Wigan Athletic zero
3. Stoke City 46 percent 3. Chelsea zero
* compound annual growth rate
David Owen worked for 20 years for the Financial Times in the United States, Canada, France and the UK. He ended his FT career as sports editor after the 2006 World Cup and is now freelancing, including covering the 2008 Beijing Olympics, the 2010 World Cup and London 2012. Owen’s Twitter feed can be accessed at www.twitter.com/dodo938