Wolves bring in new US shareholder with PEAK6 acquiring minority stake
October 20 – US finance and technology firm PEAK6 has bought a minority stake in Premier League Wolverhampton Wanderers via Wolves holding company Fosun Sports.
Finance
Premier League hit Newcastle United in the wallet with block on Saudi sponsorships
October 18 – Premier League clubs have voted to block new Newcastle sponsorship deals with companies linked to the club’s new owners.
Haaland overtakes Mbappe as world’s most valuable player
October 15 – Borussia Dortmund striker Erling Haaland has overtaken PSG’s Kylian Mbappé as the most valuable player in the world with a market value of €144 million, according to new analysis by the KPMG Football Benchmark.
Financial mess(i). Qatar owners put €171m into PSG to cover pandemic losses
October 15 – The Qatari owners of Paris Saint-Germain have injected another €171 million into the club to help ease the financial burden created by the global health crisis.
Belgians close tax loophole and target €30m in player social security payments
October 14 – The Belgian government has revised the fiscal regime for domestic clubs, targeting capped social security contributions with the aim of bringing in €30 million.
Lazio join Italian crypto club revolution with €30m+ Binance deal
October 14 – Serie A’s Lazio has struck a €30 million deal with Binance that will see the cryptocurrency exchange giant become the club’s main shirt sponsor as well as launch the $LAZIO fan token.
LFP’s Labrune says sale of stake in commercial subsidiary could raise €1bn
October 12 – France’s Ligue de Football Professionnel (LFP) president Vincent Labrune has said the league’s new commercial subsidiary could raise €1 billion with an investment partner that will be key to the survival of French professional football.
New toon on Tyneside. Saudis take control of Newcastle United
By Andrew Warshaw
October 8 – Newcastle United, one of the English game’s proverbial sleeping giants, look set to become European football’s latest superpower after the long-drawn-out £300 million+ takeover of the club by a Saudi Arabian-backed consortium was finally completed.
Man City and United squads top Euro club transfer value ranking at €1.2bn+, Barca still 4th
October 8 – Manchester’s two Premier League giants top a European ranking of highest squad transfer values, with both United and City worth more than €1.2 billion. Their nearest rival is Chelsea who are more than €200m behind them with an estimated squad value of €946 million.
Barca CEO says ESL was a move against state-backed clubs to find a better money model
October 7 – FC Barcelona have formally reported their mammoth loss of €481 million for the 2020-21 season, with CEO Ferran Reverter going on the record saying that the Catalans backed the breakaway Super League as their life raft to a more sustainable financial model in the long run.
Glazers put 9.5m Man Utd shares on sale, valued at $186.6m
October 6 – The Glazer family, Manchester United’s owners, have put up another 9.5 million shares, with a value of $186.86 million for sale.
Premier League clubs discuss a central loan fund to access cheaper interest rates
October 6 – Premier League clubs are reportedly calling on the league to establish a central loan fund of at least £1 billion to allow them to access cheaper loans than are currently being made available.
ALK makes hybrid cash/credit offer for Burnley fan shares
October 6 – Burnley’s owner ALK Capital has offered to buy the remaining shares owned by the club’s supporters.
Ajax losses hit €8.1m for covid season without fans
October 5 – Ajax Amsterdam has reported an €8.1 million loss for the 2020/21 season, a deficit the Dutch club attributed to the Covid-19 pandemic and a season where most of the matches were played without fans.
Pandora Papers: Guardiola paid his 2012 Qatari wages into a tax-avoiding Andorra account
October 5 – Manchester City coach Pep Guardiola has been named in the Pandora Papers, with accusations that he held money in an offshore account in Andorra to avoid paying tax.