Man United and Tottenham set to trigger huge £1bn windfall, it’s never happened in Premier League before

The Europa League final between Tottenham and Manchester United is already rich with narrative – and the finances behind the clash in Bilbao are far, far bigger than just UEFA prize money.

For Tottenham, who have the chance to end a 17-year silverware drought, it could turn a season which has been historic for all the wrong reasons into one that will be cherished by fans forever.

For Manchester United, finals are usually about glory, but this one is more about saving face.

It’s a remarkable lifeline for both clubs, who have each failed to reach the 40-point mark in the Premier League that has historically been the benchmark for avoiding relegation.

Position	Team	Played MP	Won W	Drawn D	Lost L	For GF	Against GA	Diff GD	Points Pts
16	Man UtdManchester United	37	10	9	18	42	54	-12	39
17	TottenhamTottenham	37	11	5	21	63	61	2	38

Europa League final: Champions League qualification cash is just the start for Spurs and Man United

By now, readers will be well aware of what is at stake financially in terms of Champions League qualification, which winning the Europa League delivers.

Before a ball is kicked in next season’s Champions League, whoever wins the 2024-25 Europa League final will have earned more than £50m from UEFA, with performance-related bonuses taking potential winnings north of £100m. The new 36-team format is extraordinarily lucrative.

Incidentally, UEFA introduced the NEW model to placate former Super League clubs, including Spurs and the Red Devils, who have consistently lobbied for more money-spinning European fixtures even if for Ruben Amorim and Ange Postecoglou the rigours of a bloated matchday calendar are a fitness headache.

This is the reality of football finance, however. It’s the same system that allowed Tottenham and Manchester United to spend a combined £922m on their squads last season.

Winning the Europa League would carve out precious headroom under Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR), which Sir Jim Ratcliffe needs to rebuild the club and justify his brutal programme of job cuts and price rises since INEOS became United’s largest individual shareholder last year.

For Daniel Levy and ENIC, the final at San Mames is as much about their legacy in North London as it is about finance.

But while Spurs have no PSR issues, real-world cash is another matter.

Under their self-sufficient ownership model, the guarantee of Champions League revenue next season would be a game-changer in respect of their ability to compete in the transfer market.

And, as the latest analysis from TBR Football shows, the ripple effect from the Europa League final will be felt well beyond San Mames, the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and Old Trafford.

• READ MORE: Harry Redknapp says whether he thinks Tottenham or Man United will win the Europa League final

Manchester United and Tottenham set to see Premier League smash £1bn financial record

Matchday income is cool again.

For years, the narrative among fans – and indeed in some boardrooms – was that the money that clubs generated through the turnstiles was insignificant compared to TV revenue.

However, Tottenham were ahead of the curve when they built their new stadium in N17 as Premier League clubs are turning to matchday income once more to give them a competitive financial edge.

Manchester United, of course, are planning perhaps the most ambitious stadium build in football history, with a new build near the existing Old Trafford expected to accommodate 100,000 fans.

Last season, Premier League clubs generated £922m through the turnstiles.

Given that the Man United vs Tottenham Europa League final guarantees that there will be six teams in the Champions League next season and, after Crystal Palace’s FA Cup triumph over Man City, at least nine teams in Europe in total, that figure will rise again next season.

Both Tottenham and Man United would expect to break their single-season matchday income records of £137m and £118m respectively.

Everton meanwhile are expected to almost triple their matchday income at their new stadium, while Leeds United’s promotion means there is another big-ticket club in the Premier League.

Combined with dozens of extra matches for Premier League clubs in Europe, total matchday income across the division will surpass £1bn for the very first time.

• READ MORE: Ruben Amorim says what he really thinks of Tottenham as a team ahead of facing Man United in Europa League final

Europa League triumph will transform summer transfer window for Spurs or Red Devils

Given that either Spurs or Man United will get £50m-plus in extra revenue next season, the winner of the Europa League final will go into the summer transfer window on much surer footing.

After woeful seasons, both clubs need funds to strengthen. Without the guaranteed UEFA money, that would likely mean far more player trading, as opposed to concentrating on incoming transfers.

Spurs are 100 per cent guaranteed to pass both the Premier League and UEFA’s PSR assessments for the current campaign.

Man United will be closer to the line but are also expected to be ultimately okay.

But with liquid cash at a premium in both N17 and M16, the security of Champions League income would change everything ahead of a crucial window.

This post was originally published on this site