New study ranks Sheffield United academy more profitable than Manchester United and Spurs

Sheffield United’s academy has proven to be more profitable than the likes of Man Utd’s and Spurs’ over the last seven years.

New data analysed by the CIES Football Observatory ranked the Blades’ youth setup as the 37th best in Europe, with Monaco claiming the top spot.

The study reports United have made £50million in sales from players who came through the academy. Aaron Ramsdale’s departure to Arsenal last summer carries the bulk of that figure as the Gunners paid around £30million for the goalkeeper.

Spurs made £2million less than Sheff Utd during that time, with Andros Townsend’s sale to Newcastle in 2016 (£12million) the highest fee Daniel Levy managed to rake in.

Man Utd were surprisingly low on the list but that can be attributed to their best youngsters still being at the club rather than a lack of talent coming through.

Both clubs’ revenue dwarfs in comparison to Liverpool - who were the highest-ranked English team on the list.

The Reds have received a staggering £131million from homegrown players since 2015, making their academy the ninth most profitable on the list.

Leading the pack are Monaco - who have produced some of the continent’s elite like Kylian Mbappe in recent years - and European giants Real Madrid, who generated £236million.

Unsurprisingly, Ajax were ranked fourth on the list after unleashing another conveyor belt of talent from their youth system in recent years.