Abramovich pumps £247m into Chelsea as Conte walks away with £26m
January 8 – Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich poured £247 million into the club last season as the club recorded an overall loss of £96.6 million according to latest accounts.
Finance
Mbappé and Sterling top player value ranking at over €220m. Neymar plummets to €100m
January 8 – A player valuation ranking by the CIES Football Observatory makes Kylian Mbappé (France and Paris St-Germain) the world’s most valuable player at €265.2 million, with Man City and England’s Raheem Sterling at €223.7 million.
Sunderland board says owner Donald has ‘no option’ other than sell the club
January 8 – Sunderland owner Stewart Donald (pictured) has confirmed via a statement on the club website that he will sell the League One club after mounting pressure from supporters over the holiday period demanding he leave. Donald has been in ownership charge for 18-months.
A Hazardous business? Chelsea singing financial blues but should rebound next year
By David Owen
January 2 – Chelsea, the West London club whose new young team has surprised many this season with the spirit and consistency of their play under former talisman Frank Lampard, has reported a hefty loss for the year to end-June 2019.
Pallotta poised to complete €780m Roma sale to Friedkin Group
January 3 – Serie A’s Roma looks set to change hands between American owners with James Pallotta (pictured) reportedly having agreed a €780 million deal with the Texas-based Friedkin Group run by billionaire Dan Freidkin.
Abu Dhabi-based ESI takes control of Charlton Athletic
January 3 – Belgian Roland Duchatelet’s foray into English club ownership is over with the sale of English Championship side Charlton Athletic to Abu Dhabi-based consortium East Street Investments (ESI) for an undisclosed amount.
OL Groupe move into US soccer with $3.1m Reign acquisition
December 30 – US investors buying European clubs has become commonplace but European investors moving into the US to acquire a stake in club soccer is not.
Lagardère Sports agrees sale to H.I.G. Capital but CAF cancellation cuts €210m+ off price
Sobaclieu.com
December 16 – The loss of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) contract has knocked between €210-€240 million off the sales price of the Lagardère Sports.
Euro 2020 and Saudi Super Cup deal boost Spanish FA revenue forecasts
December 12 – The Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) in its new budget for 2020 is predicting a 41% growth in revenues to €316 million, primarily fuelled by the new money from the estimated €120 million deal with Saudi Arabia to stage its revamped Super Cup competition.
Former CAF finance chair Patel warns of tough times ahead after LS cancellation
By Osasu Obayiuwana
December 11 – Suketu Patel, a former leading official of the Confederation of African Football (CAF), who was at the centre of negotiations for the 12-year $1 billion marketing deal with French company Lagardere Sports (LS), is predicting that the contract’s recent cancellation will lead to “a very difficult period” for CAF.
Oyarzabal and Sterling top list player transfer growth values ahead of Winter window
December 11 – With the winter transfer window looming, KPMG Football Benchmark has updated its players’ value estimates and ranked players by most increased value since the start of the season.
Arsenal fall £23.5m into red after bumper 2017-18 transfer profits not repeated
By David Owen
December 8 – Struggling Arsenal have slumped into the red after the bumper profits on player sales that substantially boosted the bottom line in 2017-18 were not replicated in the most recent season.
Brighton swoop back into the red as staff costs jump
By David Owen
December 5 – Brighton and Hove Albion, the south coast club winning plaudits for their adventurous style under new head coach Graham Potter, slipped back into loss in their second season in the Premier League.
Juve and Socios.com launch $JUV fan token with a song
December 4 – Juventus fans are being given the opportunity to vote on the new goal celebration song that will be played when their team score at the Allianz Stadium in Turin.
Interview: Former CAF finance boss lifts lid on Africa’s money pit
Life has certainly not been peaches and cream for former CAF finance director Mohamed El Sherei over the last seven months. In a one-hour exclusive conversation, at the Heliopolis Sports Club in Cairo in November, El Sherei, who has been without an income for several months, spoke frankly, to Insideworldfootball’s Osasu Obayiuwana, on what he says has been a tumultuous period, for him and the organisation to which he once belonged.