But this chart suggests the Premier League has created a model where financial loss is normalised — and sometimes unavoidable.
If clubs are incentivised to:
- spend now to survive
- chase short-term success
- prioritise transfer markets over development
Then sustainability becomes an afterthought, not a goal.
It makes you wonder:
What would change if long-term development — players, people, pathways — was rewarded as much as short-term results?
Systems shape behaviour.