‘It’s very serious’ – Liverpool could lose ‘relegation-style money’ after devastating twist
Liverpool are facing the prospect of missing out on a Champions League place following their recent form.
Following Liverpool’s 4-1 defeat to PSV in the Champions League last week, the Reds were on their worst run in 70 years, having lost nine out of 12 games.
However, Liverpool beat West Ham 2-0 in the Premier League on Sunday (30 November) to lift their fans’ spirits, with Alexander Isak and Cody Gakpo grabbing the goals.
Arne Slot’s side now sit eighth in the Premier League, nine points behind league leaders Arsenal after 13 games.
Meanwhile, Liverpool sit 13th in the Champions League table, with the top eight qualifying automatically for the last 16.
Liverpool face £80m blow if they miss out on Champions League
Former Man City financial adviser Stefan Borson exclusively told Football Insider Liverpool could lose out on up to £80million of revenue if they fail to qualify for the Champions League this season.
Five Premier League clubs qualified for the Champions League through their league position in 2024-25, while Tottenham secured their place in the competition after beating Man United in the Europa League final.
Speaking exclusively to Football Insider, Borson said: “When you look at it, United, Liverpool, Arsenal and Chelsea have all missed out on the Champions League in recent years.
“It’s kind of like a relegation in terms of the revenue loss. It’s that cliff edge. If your whole budget is set up to be in the Champions League and then one season you’re not in the Champions League, you’ve lost relegation-style money. It’s £50m, £60m, £70m or £80m difference, and it’s getting more.
“Remember, the deals now with the new Swiss model and everything else is an even bigger drop from the Champions League down into the other competitions, so it’s very serious.”
Liverpool recorded a bumper financial year last season following their Premier League title success under Slot, with records expected to have been broken at Anfield.
The Reds posted a record-breaking revenue in their latest published accounts for 2023-24 after their turnover improved from £594m in 2022-23 to £614m.
Liverpool face ‘challenging situation’ after spending spree
Borson insisted Liverpool’s heavy spending in the recent transfer window will make things more challenging if they miss out on a Champions League place.
“In Liverpool’s case, it’s particularly challenging because they’ve gone through this sort of quite different approach to the transfer market,” said Borson.
“I don’t know what the number is, but they’ve added let’s say £70m on amortisation in one window. That’s very significant straight away because that obviously stays there for the next five years.
“The wage bill is very high because they signed all those players but also gave new contracts to Van Dijk and to Salah. They took a small loss on Darwin Nunez. They made a good profit on Luis Diaz, so that’s fine.
“But the numbers are not going to look good, put it that way. Liverpool have got a lot of capacity. They’ve not got any issues with the last season of PSR, which is this current season, but it’s obviously a very challenging situation.”
Liverpool’s next fixture sees them take on Sunderland at Anfield on Wednesday (3 December).
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