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# HOT TAKES FOR THE WEEK- Week II
- URL: https://the-overrated-player.ghost.io/hot-takes-for-the-week-week-ii/
- Published: 2026-09-07T10:55:27.000Z
- Updated: 2026-09-07T10:55:27.000Z
- Author: The Overrated Player

# 

Where we call out the hype, the history, and the headlines you probably missed while arguing about VAR.

### **How Does The Premier League Afford £300k-A-Week? It Is Not What You Think**

Erling Haaland will earn more during 90 minutes against Coventry on Saturday than most fans in the stadium will earn all year.

£525,000 a week. £75,000 a day. And he is not alone. Walk through the dressing rooms at City, Liverpool and Arsenal right now and you will find a dozen players who would not get out of bed for less than £250,000.

Fans see greed. Accountants see something else entirely.

### **The £125m guarantee you get for losing**

In 2023, while everyone thought the TV bubble would burst, the Premier League did the opposite. It sold four more years to Sky and TNT for £6.7bn. Add the rest of the world and the total pot is £3.81bn every single season.

The league then hands £3.04bn of that straight back to the 20 clubs. That means before a ball is kicked in August, the team that will finish 20th in May already has £125m in the bank. The champions get close to £195m. 

You have not sold a shirt. You have not opened the turnstiles. You are already richer than most clubs in Europe.

### **This is why 25% feels like nothing** 

That TV guarantee is just the floor. For the big clubs, it becomes a launchpad. 

Liverpool turned £269m in TV money into £702m total revenue last year. Arsenal turned £272m into £690m. Manchester City turned £278m into £696m. United, even in a season without Champions League football, still made £666m.

### **Now look at the wage bills that terrify fans:**

City: £222m total wages - 32% of revenue

Liverpool: £174m - 25% of revenue

Arsenal: £189m - 27% of revenue

 One star at £250,000 a week is £13m a year. That is less than 2% of what Liverpool bring in. For context, Liverpool's entire first-choice back four last season cost less in wages combined than Haaland alone.

You can afford eight £250k-a-week superstars and still be spending a smaller share of your income than a Championship club spends on its squad.

### **Why Champions League is now a financial drug**

This is why everyone is desperate for a top-four finish - and why Manchester United being back in the Champions League this season changes everything for them. Last year they got £172m in broadcast money. This year, with Europe back, that jumps by £80m-£100m overnight.

And under the Premier League's new rules from next season, that matters even more. Forget the old £105m loss limit. The new system is simple: you can spend 85% of your football income on your squad. In Europe, UEFA makes it 70%.

More TV money equals a higher wage cap. More wage cap equals more £250k players. It is a loop.

So £300k a week is not clubs being reckless. With £125m guaranteed just for showing up and £700m possible if you win and market yourself right, it is exactly the business model the TV companies paid for.