A Premier League spending cap? It has been voted for, in principle, by top-flight clubs. Not all were in favour, with Manchester United said to be one of only three teams to reject the proposal.
Known as ‘anchoring’, the proposed new scheme will limit clubs from excessive transfer and agent fees, as well as wages. United, Manchester City and Aston Villa voted against a spending cap to be introduced. Chelsea abstained from the voting process.
A statement from the PFA read:
“We’ll wait to see details of the proposals. But we would oppose any measure that would place a ‘hard’ cap on player wages. There is an established process in place to ensure proposals like this, which would directly impact our members, have to be properly consulted on.”
It is believed that a meeting will take place in June to discuss the specific details of the spending cap. The new proposal will be determined by how much the lowest earning club in the top-flight has earned in television rights.
Should the scheme be approved in the upcoming Annual General Meeting, then it would replace the current Profit and Sustainability Regulations from the 2025/26 campaign.
Southampton, who finished bottom of the table last season, raked in £103.6m last term through television and commercial revenues.That figure would then be multiplied by an agreed multiple between the Premier League clubs. If that figure was 4.5, as previously suggested, clubs would then be capped at spending £466.2m.
Still an eye-watering amount, that would have seen Chelsea exceed the cap, as their total squad cost from last season was around £539m.
The Premier League is the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football League. Seasons typically run from August to May, with each team playing 38 matches: two against each other team, one home and one away.
A Premier League spending cap?
