Premier League clubs recently voted in favour of squad spending caps. The proposals have included limiting expenditure on transfer fees, wages, and agent fees to a multiple of TV revenues generated by the bottom-ranked club in the top tier of English football.
New YouGov polling reveals that fans mostly support these measures. Some 64% would see a squad spending cap introduced, with just 11% opposed to the idea.
Fans of “Big Six” Premier League clubs are more likely to support squad spending caps
The majority of Premier League clubs recently voted to develop proposals for a squad spending cap. These proposals would reportedly limit spending on transfer fees, wages, and agent fees to a multiple of the TV revenue generated by the league’s bottom club. For example, last season Southampton were the bottom ranked club: if the multiple was 5x their TV revenue of £103.6m, the most any Premier League club could spend on their squad that season would be £518m.
Fans of clubs comprising the “Big Six” Premier League teams – Manchester United, Manchester City, Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, and Tottenham Hotspur – are more likely to support the measure, with 67% in favour and 10% against it. Fans of other clubs in the Premier League are less keen on spending caps, but with 58% in support and 12% opposed, a majority still endorse them. It might be that clubs who aren’t regularly in contention for European places are more likely to oppose measures that limit spending your way to the top; it could also be that clubs in the Big Six are more likely to support anything that entrenches their financial advantage.
Whatever the reasoning, most fans are in favour of spending caps.