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Chelsea’s Loan Policy Shows All That’s Wrong in Football’s Money-Driven World
- Updated: September 10, 2016
Never one to have his voice heard in the media during his playing days, Paul Scholes has taken on an entirely new persona now that he’s retired.
Whether it’s views on the state of the Premier League and English football, he pulls no punches with his critiques. And it was this week that he suggested non-league football is better to watch than the top flight.
With more than £1 billion spent in transfer fees this summer, you have to ask why that is. Across the Premier League, the standard of player has gone up. Even Bournemouth are making new signings for £15 million when not too long ago they were heading out of business.
As a competition, there’s an element of parity in the Premier League that makes it the spectacle it is. Add in the fact it’s well-marketed and ahead of its rivals with building the whole brand of the league, and it’s no wonder TV broadcasters are flocking to get a slice of the pie. It’s exciting; well, apparently.
That commercial success is as much the Premier League’s weakness as it is a strength.
“It’s all about money and sponsorship in England these days rather than football, rather than entertainment,” Scholes writes in a new book Class of 92: Out of our League (per the Guardian). “And I don’t think that’s just from the top teams either. I think it goes right down through the league.”
Scholes’ point is valid. Across English football, we’re seeing clubs squeeze every penny they can from every aspect of the way they operate. They’re not just football clubs any more, they’ve become corporations, and with that comes an expectancy to make money. A lot of money.
Chelsea have tapped into a market few had considered. The Blues aren’t just reaping the rewards from endorsements and those TV deals, they’re profiting from a loan policy that is allowing them to buy players at low prices and sell them high.
The number of players Chelsea have out on loan
