Besiktas reveals €232m debt mountain as directors call for unity and a change of direction
September 20 – Turkey’s Besiktas have announced colossal debts amounting to amounted to TL 6.7 billion (€232 million) for the year to May 31, 2023.
Finance
PSG face FFP questions over sale of players to Qatari clubs
September 19 – Just as they start their latest quest to land the elusive Champions League, Paris St. Germain are alleged to be under scrutiny yet again by UEFA – this time over their summer sales to Qatar.
Brazil’s Fortaleza to vote on opening up ‘commercial’ ownership model
September 19 – Fortaleza might become the next Brazilian club to adopt the SAF model (that allows for private investment and ownership) with a vote among members scheduled at this weekend’s extraordinary general assembly.
Moshiri agrees sale of Everton to 777 Partners
September 15 – Troubled Premier League club Everton, one of the sleeping giants of English football but punching well below their weight for years, are about to enter a new era after controversial majority shareholder Farhad Moshiri agreed to sell his 94% stake in the club to American investment fund 777 Partners.
Global leaders: Man Utd top highest value squad ranking, four clubs beat €1bn mark
September 14 – Manchester United, Chelsea and Manchester City have been revealed as having the most expensive squads in world football, rounding out an exclusive billion-euro club with PSG, according to the latest report by the CIES football observatory.
777 Partners close in on Everton deal as Moshiri runs for exit and questions asked of Wander
September 13 – Premier League Everton are close to finalising a sale to Miami-based investment firm 777 Partners for a sum understood to be about £100-150 million.
FIFA confirms transfer records and another bumper window for player agents
September 11 – FIFA has published its International Transfer Snapshot for the 2023 mid-year window showing an all-time high of $7.36 billion spent on transfer fees, and a record volume of transfers at more than 10,000.
SPL clubs close transfer window with $957m spend, second only to Premier League
September 11 – Saudi Pro League’s transfer window closed at the end of last week showing club spending hitting a record $957 million and rocketing the Saudi clubs into being the second highest spending league in the world behind the English Premier League’s $1.39 billion spend in the summer window.
UEFA and ECA renew vows to 2030 as club payments shift towards performance rather than ‘entitlement’
By Paul Nicholson
September 6 – UEFA and the European Club Association (ECA) have renewed their co-operation agreement that recognises UEFA as the governing body of football in Europe but has seen the ECA’s increased involvement in both calendar and competition change, as well as its joint venture position in UEFA Club Competitions SA, the commercial entity tasked with developing club competition revenues.
Man Utd top ranking of decade of club transfer spending, Benfica lead way as player traders
September 7 – Portugal’s Benfica top a ranking of 100 clubs transfer balances over the past decade with a net positive return of +€764million in trading since 2013.
Saints, Leeds and Leicester cash in during transfer window but stay favourites for EPL return
September 6 – Player transfer spending in England’s second tier EFL Championship witnessed a surge in gross spending in the summer window just closed, reaching £140 million. This represents a substantial increase of 63% compared to summer 2022, but it remains below the pre-pandemic levels of the 2017-2019 three-year average, which stood at £170 million.
Chelsea’s record-breaking transfer window loads team up with new faces and great expectations
September 6 – Chelsea have spent the most of any team in world football for the third straight transfer window and enter the Premier League season with a completely new-look squad. They have shipped out 11 superstar names and brought in 10 fresh faces, some of them very fresh.
Botev Plovdiv to raise €5m via share issue to repay Russian owner Zingarevich, who says he is staying
September 5 – Bulgaria’s Botev Plovdiv is to increase its capital by nearly BGN 10 million (€5 million) in order to clear some its loans from Russian owner Anton Zingarevich.
Liverpool reject £150m for Salah. But will turn down a £200m offer from Al Ittihad?
September 4 – With the Saudi transfer window still open until this Thursday, speculation is intensifying that Liverpool’s Egyptian super star Mohamed Salah may join the exodus and move to Al Ittihad for a staggering fee.
Premier League clubs smash summer transfer records with £2.36bn spend
September 4 – As the transfer window slammed shut last Friday night, the Premier League smashed its way through the £2 billion barrier with a gross spend of £2.36 billion, £440 million more than the £1.92 billion record set in last summer’s transfer window.