11-05-1972, Rotterdam Ajax - Ado 3-2 vlnr: Wim Suurbier, Gerrie Muhren, Piet Keizer (op de schouders), Barry Hulshof en Horst Blankenburg

SURPRISINGLY, only eight teams have managed to win a comparable trio of competitions, although many have gone close. Some of this select group have been built around outstanding individuals, such as Lionel Messi and Ajax’s Johan Cruyff, while others – like Celtic in 1967 – were founded on the team ethic. Inevitable comparisons will be made about “who is the greatest?”, but it’s an impossible exercise. A team can only beat the opposition in front of it and in all cases, the treble winners have done just that. This season, only two teams, Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain could join this illustrious list.

Celtic 1967

Jock Stein’s team actually won five cups in 1966-67: the European Cup; the Scottish League; the Scottish League Cup; the Scottish FA Cup; and the Glasgow Cup. Critics will look at Scotland today and say, “so what?”, but in 1967, the best Scotland had to offer was every bit as competitive as south of the border. Celtic in 1967, including the excellent Jimmy Johnstone, beat Inter Milan, the dark princes of catenaccio, to become the first British side to win the European Cup. Back at home, Celtic lost just twice in 34 league games and beat Aberdeen 2-0 in the Scottish Cup at Hampden Park in front of 126,000 people. For good measure, they disposed of Rangers in the Scottish League Cup final. Some might say that in the European Cup, they had an easy run to the final, beating Zurich, Nantes, Vojvodinia and Dukla Prague, but Inter Milan, coached by the godfather of defensive football, Helenio Herrera, were a tough nut to crack. Sandro Mazzola gave Inter the lead after seven minutes from the penalty spot. Tommy Gemmell levelled just after the hour mark and six minutes from the end, Steve Chalmers scored the winner. Legend will tell you that Celtic fans are still arriving back from Lisbon after celebrating this unlikely triumph.
Games played: 49 (Lge, Cup, Europe) – win percentage 77.55%
Team: Ronnie Simpson, Jim Craig, Tommy Gemmell, Bobby Murdoch, Billy McNeill, John Clark, Jimmy Johnstone, Willie Wallace, Steve Chalmers, Bertie Auld, Bobby Lennox

Ajax Amsterdam 1972

Ajax provided the perfect antidote to catenaccio, “total football” – a fluid system that called on any member of the team to play anywhere at any time during the game. An emerging Ajax reached the final of the European Cup in 1969 and were cruelly exposed by AC Milan, but a year later, Ajax’s rivals, Feyenoord, won the competition. In 1971, Johan Cruyff and his team-mates won the cup and a year later, they retained it by beating Inter Milan. Dutch football was in the ascendancy and Cruyff was becoming Europe’s – if not the world’s – top player. Ajax scored 104 and conceded 20 goals in 34 Dutch league games, and Cruyff scored a quarter of them. On May 11 1972, they made it “Double Dutch” as they won the KNVB Cup, beating Den Haag in Rotterdam. Twenty days later, they returned to the Dutch port to beat Inter Milan 2-0, both goals scored by the irrepressible Cruyff. On the way to winning the competition for the second time, Ajax beat Dynamo Dresden, Marseille, Arsenal and Benfica. There was a wonderful liberated feel about the way Ajax played, in many ways, they were highly representative of the era itself, all long-haired, bead-wearing and trendily-dressed. If ever a football team was “cool”, it was Ajax. Games played: 48 – win percentage 87.5%
Team: Heinz Stuy, Wim Suurbier, Barry Hulshoff, Horst Blankenburg, Ruud Krol, Johan Neeskens, Arie Haan, Gerrie Muehren, Sjaak Swart, Johan Cruyff, Piet Keizer

PSV Eindhoven 1988

PSV Eindhoven, the team linked to electronic giant Philips, became Holland’s top side as Ajax declined. They were not as glamorous as the Amsterdamers, and they relied a lot on the Danish national side that threatened to steal the show at the 1986 World Cup finals in Mexico. Four of that squad – Ivan Nielsen, Jan Heintze, Soren Lerby and Frank Arnesen – were in the PSV team that reached the European Cup final. PSV beat Benfica on penalties in the final after a goalless draw. Also in the team was Ronald Koeman and Wim Kieft. They comfortably won the Dutch league, finishing nine points ahead of Ajax. And they beat Roda JC in the KNVB final.
Games played: 49 – win percentage 73.47%
Team: Hans van Breukelen, Eric Gerets, Ivan Nielsen, Ronald Koeman, Jan Heintze, Søren Lerby, Berry van Aerle, Gerald Vanenburg, Edward Linskens, Wim Kreft, Hans Gillhaus, Willy van de Kerkhof, Anton Janssen

Manchester United 1999

There have been fewer more dramatic European finals than United’s 2-1 win over Bayern Munich, with two goals in a matter of seconds – from Teddy Sheringham and Ole Gunar Solksjaer – breaking the hearts of Bayern. United’s team, including the home-grown talent of David Beckham, Nicky Butt, Paul Scholes, the Neville brothers and of course, the evergreen Ryan Giggs, was one of the most successful in the history of the British game. They finished one point ahead of reigning Premier champions Arsenal, thanks to a 20-game unbeaten run to the end of the campaign, and beat Newcastle United in the FA Cup final. In Europe, they beat Juventus and Inter Milan and had earlier played Bayern and Barcelona in the group stages. If ever anyone had it hard on the way to the final, it was United.
Games played: 59 – win percentage 57.63%
Team: Peter Schmeichel, Gary Neville, Denis Irwin, David Beckham, Nicky Butt, Andy Cole, Teddy Sheringham, Ryan Giggs, Phil Neville, Jesper Blomqvist, Roy Keane, Paul Scholes, Dwight Yorke, Ole Gunnar Solksjaer, Henning Berg, Jaap Stam

Barcelona 2009

You would be forgiven for believing that Barcelona have won everything for the past few years, but they’ve only achieved the treble twice – in 2008-09 and 2014-15. In 2008-09, they won 27 of their 38 goals in La Liga, scoring 107 goals in the process. In the Copa Del Rey, they thrashed Atletico Madrid 4-1 in the final. Meanwhile, in Europe, they beat Manchester United 2-0 in Rome with goals from Samuel Eto’o and the rising talent of Lionel Messi. Games played: 62 – win percentage 67.74%
Team: Victor Valdés, Gerard Piqué, Yaya Touré, Carles Puyol, Sergio Busquets, Sylvinho, Xavi, Andrés Iniesta, Lionel Messi, Samuel Eto’o, Thierry Henry, Rafael Márquez, Dani Alves, Éric Abidal, Seydou Keita, Bojan

Inter Milan 2010

Jose Mourinho picks up prizes wherever he manages, and in his two-year stint with Inter, he won everything in his second season. Inter won Serie A in his first season by a street mile, but in 2009-10, they were run close by Roma, who finished just two points behind. Inter also beat Roma in the Coppa Italia, with Diego Milito netting the only goal. The Argentine striker was the matchwinner in the Champions League final, scoring both goals as Inter beat Bayern Munich 2-0. It provided Mourinho with the perfect farewell.
Games played: 56 – win percentage 66.07%
Team: Júlio César, Maicon, Lúcio, Walter Samuel, Christian Chivu, Javier Zanetti, Esteban Cambiasso, Wesley Sneijder, Samiel Eto’o, Diego Milito, Goran Pandev, Dejan Stanković, Thiago Motta, Suleyman Muntari, Mario Balotelli

Bayern Munich 2013

Bayern have been an emerging force for the past few years – beaten Champions League finalists in 2010 and 2012, so their dominance of European football in 2012-13 was no great surprise. Only Bayer Leverkusen beat them this season, 1-2 at the Allianz Arena. They finished a massive 25 points ahead of second-placed Dortmund and scored 98 goals. VFB Stuttgart were beaten 3-2 in the DFB Pokal final. The Champions League saw some stunning performances – a double over both Juventus and Barcelona, and a memorable display in London as they put Arsenal in their place. This Bayern side had flair – Robben and Ribery – as well as the traditional German qualities of power and strength in Schweinsteiger.
Games played: 53 – win percentage 84.91% Team: Manuel Neuer, Philipp Lahm, Jérôme Boateng, Dante, David Alaba, Javi Martinez, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Arjen Robben, Thomas Müller, Franck Ribéry, Mario Mandžukić, Mario Gómez

Barcelona 2015

With a spectacular forward line that included Lionel Messi, Neymar and new signing Luis Suárez, who scored 122 goals between them in all competitions, Barcelona were a fearsome attacking force in 2014-15. They were pushed all the way by rivals Real Madrid in La Liga, but finished two points clear at the top. In the Copa Del Rey, they beat Athletic Bilbao 3-1. In Europe, they disposed of Manchester City, Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich in the knockout stages before meeting Juventus in the final. In Berlin, Barca won 3-1, thanks to two goals in the last 20 minutes.
Games played: 60 – win percentage 83.33% Team: Marc-André ter Stegen, Dani Alves, Gerard Piqué, Javier Mascherano, Jordi Alba, Ivan Rakitić, Sergio Busquets, Andrés Iniesta, Lionel Messi, Luis Suárez, Neymar, Xavi, Rafinha, Pedro.

Other clubs have won a European prize and completed the double at home: IFK Göteborg (1982), Porto (2003 and 2011), Galatasaray (2000) and CSKA Moscow (2005).

So, according to our data, Ajax 1972, with a win rate of 87.5% were the most impressive champions!

Categories: Europe

Tagged: Ajax Amsterdam, Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Celtic, featured, Inter Milan, Manchester United, PSV Eindhoven

Crisis breeds consolidation – but would football allow it?

GOTP Editorial Team

Posted on July 6, 2020

THERE ARE simply too many professional football clubs, that was the view of advertising guru Sir Martin Sorrell, the former head of WPP and head of S4 Capital, speaking at the World Football Summit’s online conference.

In many industries, a crisis like coronavirus would spark off a chain of mergers as companies come together to strengthen their financial base, expand customer bases and improve competitiveness. Sorrell said football, in the current climate, is ripe for consolidation.

Sport doesn’t lend itself very easily to mergers, even though some clubs are the result of consolidation – any team with “United” in its name is invariably the result of two clubs combining forces. In fact, 20 of the 92 clubs that were due to start the 2019-20 season in Britain had a merger tucked away in their history.

But football is a game of emotions and irrational behaviour and any attempt to merge clubs is met with resistance and obstacles. It is a brave chairman that announces his or her club is about to join-up with another entity, mostly because the public reaction would be negative and undoubtedly trigger-off protest, suspicion, hatred and denial.

Sorrell called for football to be run more efficiently and professionally and predicted that the possibility of a world club championship or European Super League has an air of inevitability about it. “The ramifications of both would be huge and would send ripples through football,” he said.

In a subsequent session involving officials from Bari, Brighton, Orlando City and Emilio Butragueño from Real Madrid, Paul Barber of Brighton felt club failures are inevitable in the coronavirus crisis.

Heading off crisis?

If consolidation is a way to stave-off the threat of financial disaster in football, would the fans embrace it, or would historic ties, family traditions and local bias prevent steps being taken to keep the eco-system intact?

Not that mergers and acquisitions in the business world are always successful. In financial services, they are rarely profitable and often expensive and laden with irritation. Although football’s history is littered with amalgamations, most were created to provide substance and the critical mass needed to make a club more relevant. Any football merger today would be in response to a financial crisis and therefore be founded on business grounds.

As broadcasting becomes more and more influential in the game, the pressure to merge crippled clubs would come from multiple directions, with TV one of the drivers. If that was the case, what mergers would make sense and would create a better product? It is doubtful if any transaction would be seen as acceptable by supporters of the clubs involved, especially if the two parties happened to be fierce rivals.

In London, consolidation would certainly be championed by those wanting to reduce numbers and build a set of “super clubs”. For example, a south London club could be constructed that brought together Crystal Palace, Charlton Athletic and Millwall and create something that could look Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham in the eye. London actually has more professional clubs than virtually every major European capital city and south London has a huge population.

Further north, you could see consolidation in the midlands, perhaps a Birmingham club that could really leverage the “second city” status. And Bristol – how would a combination of City and Rovers fare – arguably better than the clubs would independently?

There are other possibilities – Leeds & Bradford; the East Midlands, Sheffield, the North-West and East Anglia. While the marketing men might salivate at the prospect of consolidation in the big cities, the truth is, the real problem of under-funded institutions is found in smaller, off-radar communities that are in earshot of larger, more successful football clubs.

Impossible

Frankly, it would be a near-impossible task in normal circumstances, prompting something close to civil unrest in Britain’s towns and cities. But what if it meant survival, a change to the normal diet of soldiering on, the drudgery of just scraping by, punctuated by periodical financial crises? “I’d sooner be dead than red,” a supporter with a blue scarf might say.

But what would happen if football’s lower orders ran out of willing benefactors, the type of philanthropic people who prop-up league one and two – folk who are not oligarchs, oil barons or Asian retail billionaires? In other words, people who might be drastically and mortally affected by a financial crisis? There are signs that the generous, ask few questions sugar daddy may be a thing of the past, but who can blame anyone not wanting to pour money down a dark hole?

This past year, for various reasons, the UK has seen Bury drop out of the league, Wigan Athletic go into administration and growing fears for the future of Oldham Athletic, Bolton Wanderers and Southend United – among others. And let’s not forget that only Wigan can be considered a coronavirus victim, the wheels were starting to come off the wagon long before anyone had heard of Wuhan.

In reality, mergers would be an act of last resort. They would be risky and, for example, if it was suggested that club A (a healthy club), merge with club B (a club on its knees), the fans of A would probably not welcome the move, let alone club B’s loyal band. If you remember back to the days when comics amalgamated, the name of the inferior product was included as part of the masthead for a while, before gently drifting away. The fear for fans, the emotional stakeholders, would be that their club might do likewise. Once more, we have to acknowledge that mergers won’t make sense, because football is like no other business when it comes to pragmatism. In fact, some fans would probably be happier that their club hit the wall rather than merge, because at least they could launch a phoenix club, retain their identity, and rise from the ashes.

@GameofthePeople
Photo: PA

Categories: Finance & Business

Tagged: financial crisis, football crisis, Lead, Mergers, top slot, World Football Summit

The case for Liverpool (and City) domination

GOTP Editorial Team

Posted on July 6, 2020

LIVERPOOL’s 2-0 win against Aston Villa gave the newly-crowned Premier champions 89 points from 33 games, a record win rate of 87.88% and points per game of 2.7 – all astonishing figures. While Manchester City have slipped a little from their highs of 2018 and 2019, other members of the so-called “big six” have certainly lost ground on the front two. The gap between second-placed City and Leicester City in third is now 31 points, underlining that Liverpool and City really are the dominant forces at present.

Over the past three seasons, City have accumulated 264 points from 109 games in the Premier, while Liverpool have notched-up 261. The nearest to the top duo are Manchester United on 202 and Chelsea on 199. That’s some way behind.

The big six – past three seasons

	Pts	Win rate	Trophies
Man.City	264	78.0%	6
Liverpool	261	73.4%	2
Man.Utd	202	54.1%	0
Chelsea	199	54.1%	2
Tottenham	193	53.7%	0
Arsenal	182	47.7%	0

Source: GOTP

Difference

At a seminar held within University of London at the back end of 2019, a well-known football journalist forecast that City and Liverpool would stand astride the game over the coming three to five years due to their financial advantages and business acumen. Given these clubs have managed to acquire not only top class squads, but also, the best managers in the business, it is no surprise they are flourishing at the moment.

It is important to understand that Liverpool are very different to City in terms of the money that underpins the club. City’s backing, as we all know, comes from Abu Dhabi, but Liverpool are owned by the Fenway Sports Group, who took the club over in 2010 for £ 300 million.

US investors are different from the type of owner that throws large sums of money into a club in order to fast-track success. Clubs like Paris Saint-Germain, City and Chelsea all fall into this category. US owners want success, but they also want a solid business model that delivers good returns.

It was somewhat revealing that Liverpool missed out on Leipzig’s Timo Werner because they couldn’t justify the outlay when they had asked players and staff to take pay cuts during the coronavirus crisis.

The US approach always make owners popular with the fans – an example would be Stan Kroenke at Arsenal and, to some extent, the Glazers at Manchester United.

Liverpool, however, appear to hit on the right approach and a Champions League win followed by their first league title since 1990 will undoubtedly have done FSG no harm with the fans.

Growth

In 2009-10, Liverpool’s revenues totalled £ 184 million and their wage bill was £ 121 million (66% wage-to-income ratio). In 2018-19, turnover had broken the half billion barrier for the first time (£ 533 million) and wages had risen to £ 310 million (58% wage-income ratio). This was the third highest in the Premier League after Manchester United (£ 332 million) and Manchester City (£315 million).

Interestingly, while the current narrative around football wages says players are paid too much, it is worth noting that in 1990, Liverpool’s last title pre-Premier, their wage-to-income ratio was 72% and in 1988, the first year of the Barnes-Beardsley-Aldridge team, the ratio was a surprisingly high 85%.

Liverpool’s revenue growth rate over the decade has been 289% and over the last five years, the club’s 79% increase in revenues is the highest among Europe’s top clubs – City, for example, saw a 52% rise, while Manchester United grew by 59%.

Arsenal, the straggler among the “big six” English clubs, only rose by 19%. Tottenham and Barcelona are the only clubs to come close to Liverpool, a rise of 78% and 74% respectively.

Liverpool lost money on an annual basis between 2010 and 2013, peaking at £ 50 million in 2012-13. But in four of the past five seasons, they have made impressive profits, notably the £ 124 million pre-tax generated in 2017-18.

Key to Liverpool’s growth has been the rise of TV monies, with an increase from £ 86 million to £ 261 million. The club has also enjoyed a near trebling of commercial income, climbing from £ 62 million in 2010 to £ 188 million in 2019. Matchday revenues, undoubtedly boosted by an 11,000 increase in average gates at Anfield, have gone from £ 43 million in 2010 to £ 84 million in 2019.

The redevelopment of the stadium accounted for much of the £ 30 million injected into the club by the owners, a relatively modest figure compared to some rivals.

Liverpool key figures

Year	Turnover £m	Pre-Tax Profit £m	Wage-to-income ratio
2019	533.0	33.4	58%
2018	455.1	124	58%
2017	364.5	39	57%
2016	301.8	(21.4)	69%
2015	297.9	58.6	56%

Source: LFC Financial Statements

Market activity

Liverpool have not been afraid to spend on new talent in the Jürgen Klopp era, but they’ve also been exceptional at trying to keep net expenditure down. Over the past five years, their net spend has been £ 108 million, which places them very low in the Premier League and represents only a fraction of the net spend of most of their peer group. Manchester City’s net outlay has been £ 601 million, Manchester United £ 485 million, Paris Saint-Germain

£ 368 million and Barcelona £ 319 million. Even local rivals, Everton, have a higher net spend (£ 225 million). In five seasons, Liverpool have made around £ 300 million in player sales, notably the huge profit made on Philippe Coutinho in 2018.

Big six transfer activity (2015-16 to 2019-20)

	Spent £m	Recouped £m
Man.City	887.49	285.51
Man.Utd	752.49	267.62
Chelsea	663.84	550.16
Liverpool	515.59	408.02
Arsenal	479.65	209.16
Tottenham	382.05	275.43

Source: TransferMarkt

There was talk that Liverpool may not be tempted to bolster their squad this summer, but they would be foolish to be complacent, however good their core squad might be, as six members of their team are 28 or older. In theory, the first choice side is arguably at its very peak – like City, the average age is over 27.

But Liverpool could benefit from what could happen to Manchester City if their appeal against a two-year European ban is unsuccessful. The impact of being excluded from the UEFA Champions League may compromise the club’s ability to add fresh talent to their squad. Money talks at the end of the day, but if a player is in his late 20s and cannot play in the Champions League, it may deter them from joining City. Regardless, you have to fancy that 2020-21, when it does eventually arrive, will be Liverpool versus Manchester City part three.

How the Liverpool and City squads compare

	Liverpool	Man.City
Av. Age	27.2	27.6
home grown	9%	2.9%
expats	72.1%	81.9%
Av. months per player	39.2	42.7

Source: CIES Football Observatory

It’s clear that Liverpool have established the optimal set-up around their playing resources – the unsung heroes of the club right now are people like Michael Edwards and Mike Gordon, who are influential in the acquisition of new players. But they’ve also got a genuinely charismatic and people-orientated manager in Klopp, a man that will surely be on every major club’s shopping list over the next couple of years. When you add that to sound financial management and a long-term perspective, Liverpool have clearly developed a model that will not only mean regular visits to the trophy cabinet, but also show other clubs that a move towards balancing the books can yield spectacular results.

@GameofthePeople

Categories: Football politics

Tagged: English Premier League, finance and business, Lead, Liverpool, Manchester City, rivalry, top slot

Barcelona really cannot afford to get messy with Lionel

GOTP Editorial Team

Posted on July 6, 2020

IT LOOKS as though Real Madrid are going to lift their first La Liga title since 2017 and Barcelona, the reigning champions, will go into the close season resembling a family in conflict and misunderstanding.

Amid this turmoil, Lionel Messi is one year away from the end of his contract and Barca officials’ nervousness continue to grow. The “will he, won’t he” discussions are gathering pace and Messi is clearly resembling an unhappy man who wishes he was somewhere else. His body language isn’t good and he hasn’t looked a player at the very top of his game since La Liga resumed in June.

Guillem Balague, writing for the BBC website, suggested many of the rumours around Messi are untrue and although they come with the territory for a player of his profile, the little Argentinian is fed-up at the moment. But, adds Balague, Messi is not unhappy with his team-mate Antoine Griezmann and, along with Luis Suarez, regularly socialises with the Frenchman. Marca notes, however, that Griezmann and Messi are both discontent at the moment, the former displeased about his lack of game time and Messi because the season seems to slipping away from Barca.

With the ongoing political situation at the club, Messi – who has a leave clause in his current contract – may be persuaded to stay if Xavi was appointed as coach, says Eurosport. The former Barca midfielder has renewed his contract at Qatar’s Al-Saad, but he has a release clause should Barca come looking for him.

Messi is very influential at Barca and critics say he has too much involvement in events at the club. Some people have said he was instrumental in Ernesto Valverde getting sacked in January. Messi himself has said the incident was badly handled by the club. He also wants the club elections, which take place next year, fast-tracked to 2020 – probably to make his last year more harmonious.

Is there a club that could handle Messi if he does decide to leave? Eurosport reported that Zinedine Zidane, Real Madrid’s coach, has urged him not to leave Barca and La Liga. The Indian Express suggested that Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City could afford him. There’s talk of him returning to Argentina with Newell’s Old Boys.

Graham Hunter, on TalkSport, believed Manchester City would go “hell for leather” to sign Messi but cautioned that Guardiola might not necessarily be as keen as the club. “I think Pep has doubts about how well Messi will work in the system because of the level of pressure and work off the ball,” says Hunter. At Barca, Messi is allowed to do exactly what he wants to do.

AS says Messi has halted contract talks, according to radio station Cadena Seri even though they were proceeding well. “Messi has told his inner circle of his frustration, complaining he does not want to be held responsible for anything than his performances on the pitch.”

Messi has been criticised for the way he deals with the coaching staff at the club. His disagreement with director of football Eric Abidal was well documented and recently, he has had problems with coach Quique Setién and Eder Sarabia. AS pointed to Messi’s out burst a few months ago when he said Barca didn’t have enough quality to win the Champions League. Setién disagreed but Messi’s response implied the Barca coach didn’t have enough experience of the competition. The Spanish newspaper believes that Messi is coming to the end of his career with Barcelona and wants to leave the club in June 2021.

What is Messi worth in the market, personal terms aside? CIES Football Observatory values the 33 year-old at around € 70 – 90 million, while KPMG Football Benchmark goes considerably higher at € 127- 134 million.

Sources: Independent, AS, Marca, BBC, TalkSport, Eurosport, Indian Express

@GameofthePeople

Categories: Football Media Watch

Tagged: Barcelona, Football Media, La Liga, Lead, Lionel Messi, Media, Real Madrid, Spain, top slot

Can Bayern or PSG join the list of treble winners this season?

GOTP Editorial Team

Posted on July 7, 2020

Celtic 1967

Ajax Amsterdam 1972

PSV Eindhoven 1988

Manchester United 1999

Barcelona 2009

Inter Milan 2010

Bayern Munich 2013

Barcelona 2015

Crisis breeds consolidation – but would football allow it?

GOTP Editorial Team

Posted on July 6, 2020

Heading off crisis?

Impossible

The case for Liverpool (and City) domination

GOTP Editorial Team

Posted on July 6, 2020

The big six – past three seasons

Source: GOTP

Difference

Growth

Liverpool key figures

Source: LFC Financial Statements

Market activity

Big six transfer activity (2015-16 to 2019-20)

Source: TransferMarkt

How the Liverpool and City squads compare

Source: CIES Football Observatory

Barcelona really cannot afford to get messy with Lionel

GOTP Editorial Team

Posted on July 6, 2020