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Man Utd showing poor value in performance and wage stakes

Image: David Moyes: Sacked last year for a disappointing campaign at Old Trafford

Manchester United were below par in the Premier League last season in terms of performance compared with player wages, figures show.

United could only finish seventh in the 2013/14 campaign yet were the highest payers with a wage bill of £215.8million, with neighbours and rivals City the second highest with £205m.

Chelsea, currently 10 points clear at the top of the table, were third in the top flight last season were only the third-highest payers with a wage bill of £192.7m. 

Another top performing side was Southampton who are only ranked 16th in the top flight in terms of their wage bill (£55.2m) and have continued to impress on the pitch this year - they are currently seventh in the Premier League. 

Liverpool over-achieved last season - finishing second despite having the fifth-highest wage bill, but have dropped down to fifth in the table this season - a position more representative of their spending on wages.

The biggest under-achievers were QPR whose salary bill was almost twice what the club earned in total last season.

A £75.3m wage bill - even from a season when they were in the Championship - made them the eighth-highest payers yet they are struggling in 19th place and facing relegation.

The wages costs and profits or losses of all top-flight clubs for 2013/14 have been revealed via annual accounts posted at Companies House and overall there is a close correlation between total salary bill and league position, with the current top four in the Premier League also the four biggest payers.

The combined accounts of the 20 clubs shows overall turnover rose to £3.07billion from £2.3bn in 2012/13 with wages increasing too but at a slower rate and totalling £1.84bn compared with £1.59bn.

The latest figure shows salaries account for 59.9 per cent of turnover compared with 71.7 per cent for the same 20 clubs a year before.

The increase in income is mainly down to the Premier League's lucrative TV deal that came into effect for the first time last season. The cash injection has led to six clubs who were in the red in 2012/13 now reporting a profit.

QPR's 2013/14 wage bill was the eighth highest in the Premier League, but they're currently languishing in 19th place.
Image: QPR's wage bill was the eighth highest

Apart from those clubs who were promoted from the Championship last season, only Manchester City, Aston Villa and Sunderland ended the 2013/14 season having made a financial loss.

Premier League director of communications Dan Johnson said the clubs' decision in 2013 to introduce spending controls had also contributed to a positive financial outlook.

Johnson said: "There are two reasons for this. The first is increasing revenues and the second is the financial criteria the clubs have voted in two seasons ago which put financial sustainability at the heart of how they want to go forward."

The measures introduced by the clubs capped the amount they could use TV money to pay for player costs. It also put a long-term limit on a club's overall losses.


Premier League clubs' financial figures for 2013/14 (2012/13 in brackets), in order of wage bills (£):

1. Man Utd (finished 7th in Premier League): wages 215.8m (180.5m); turnover 433.2m (363.1m); wages to turnover ratio 50% (50%); profit after tax 23.8m (146.4m)

2. Man City (1st): wages 205m (233.1m); turnover 346.5m (271m); wages to turnover ratio 59% (86%); loss after tax -22.9m (-51.6m loss)

3. Chelsea (3rd): wages 192.7m (172.6m); turnover 319.8m (255.8); wages to turnover ratio 60% (67%); profit after tax 18.4m (-49.4m loss)

4. Arsenal (4th): wages 166.4m (154.5m); turnover 298.7m (242.8m); wages to turnover ratio 56% (64%); profit after tax 7.3m (5.8m)

5. Liverpool (2nd): wages 144m (131m); turnover 256m (206m); wages to turnover ratio 56% (63%); profit after tax 0.4m (-49.9m loss)

6. Tottenham (6th): wages 100.4m (96.1m); turnover 180.5m (147.4m); wages to turnover ratio 56% (65%); profit after tax 65.3m (1.5m)

7. Newcastle (10th): wages 78.3m (61.7m); turnover 129.7m (66.5m); wages to turnover ratio 62% (91%); profit after tax 18.7m (9.9m)

8. QPR (4th in Championship): wages 75.3m (78m); turnover 38.7m (60.6m) ; wages to turnover ratio 195% (129%); loss after tax -9.7m (operating loss 65.3m but £60m debt write off as one-off income injection) (-65.4m loss)

9. Sunderland (14th): wages 69.5m (57.9m); turnover 104.4m (75.5m); wages to turnover ratio 67% (77%); loss after tax -17.1m (-13m)

10. Everton (5th): wages 69.3m (63m); turnover 120.5m (86.4m); wages to turnover ratio 58% (73%); profit after tax 28.2m (1.6m)

11. Aston Villa (15th): wages 69.3m (71.9m); turnover 116.9m (83.7.m); wages to turnover ratio 59% (86%); loss after tax -3.9m (-51.8m).

12.  West Brom (17th): wages 65.4m (not available); turnover 86.8m (69.7m); wages to turnover ratio 75% (not available); profit after tax 9m (8,000)

13. West Ham (13th): wages 63.9m (56.2m); turnover 114.9m (89.8); wages to turnover ratio 56% (63%); profit after tax 10.3m (-3.5m loss)

14. Swansea (12th): wages 62.3m (48.1m); turnover 98.7 (67.1); wages to turnover ratio 64% (72%) profit after tax 1.7m (15.3m)

15. Stoke (9th): wages 60.6m (60.3m); turnover 98.3m (75.5m); wages to turnover ratio 67% (77%); profit after tax 3.8m (-31.1m loss)

16. Southampton (8th): wages 55.2m (41.4m); turnover 106m (71.8m); wages to turnover ratio 59.3% (65.5%); profit after tax 33.4m (-7.1m loss)

17. Crystal Palace (11th): wages 45.7m (18.7m); turnover 90.4m (14.5m); wages to turnover ratio 50.5% (124%) profit after tax 17.2m (3.6m)

18. Hull (16th): wages 43.3m (25.9m); turnover 84.5m (11.1m); wages to turnover ratio 64% (72%); profit after tax 9.4m (-25.6m loss)

19. Leicester (1st in Championship): wages 36.3m (26.8m); turnover 31.2m (19.6m); wages to turnover ratio 116% (136%); loss after tax -20.8m (-34m)

20. Burnley (2nd in Championship): wages 21.5m (15.3m); turnover 19.6m (15.2m); wages to turnover ratio 110% (100.6%); loss after tax -4.2m (-7.8m)

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