Deloitte says top-flight clubs can ‘look forward with optimism’ after Covid-19

Premier League clubs can “look forward with optimism” after new figures from Deloitte revealed combined revenues rose to £4.9billion in the first full season following the coronavirus outbreak.

Key findings from the financial company’s 31st Annual Review of Football Finance show the figure increased by eight per cent for the 2020-21 campaign, having plummeted from £5.2bn to £4.5bn the previous year in the immediate aftermath of the pandemic.

Revenues for English top-flight sides are predicted to hit £5.5bn for the 2021-22 season and £6bn 12 months later, surpassing pre-Covid levels.

According to the report, published on Thursday, there was recovery across the combined European football market, with overall revenues increasing by 10 per cent to 27.6bn euros (£23.3bn), despite an almost complete absence of fans from stadia during that period.

The uplift was largely driven by deferred broadcast revenues and the success of the rearranged Euro 2020 tournament.

The ‘big five’ European leagues – the Premier League, Germany’s Bundesliga, Spain’s LaLiga, Italy’s Serie A and Ligue 1 in France – grew by three per cent to 15.6bn euros (£13.2bn).

Yet the Premier League, which generated just £31million in matchday revenue, was the only one of the five divisions to see clubs improve total operating profits, which cumulatively increased from £49m to £479m.

When excluding the Premier League, total operating losses for the ‘big five’, were up from 461m euros (£389.2m) to 901m euros (£760.7m).

While there are still going to be challenges ahead, all those Premier League clubs I think they can now look forward with optimism for what's to come- Tim Bridge

Tim Bridge, lead partner in Deloitte’s sports business group, believes Premier League