Kieran Maguire: Man City sparking Premier League infighting as £160m settlement proposed
Man City and their Big Six peers are at war with the rest of the Premier League about how increased solidarity payments to the EFL should be funded.
That is the view of finance guru Kieran Maguire, speaking exclusively to Football Insider about the latest from the talks between the two most powerful bodies in English football.
The Premier League and EFL have met for discussions regarding the English game’s financial distribution model, with the latter party angling for the abolition of parachute payments and a greater cut of top-flight revenues.
A source told Football Insider last Thursday (19 January) that there has been very little movement in the negotiations.
The Premier League has proposed to give an extra three per cent, roughly £160m, in annual payments to the EFL, who themselves want £300m.
Maguire claims that the crucial issue for City and the Premier League’s other elite teams is how the extra handouts will be costed.
“The big issue is where the three per cent comes from,” he told Football Insider’s Adam Williams.
“Is it coming from the equal division of centralised payments? The other 14 clubs want the three per cent to be taken from both Premier League and Uefa revenues.
“The Big Six on the other hand want it purely to come from Premier League revenues. That is the hill that they are on at the moment.
“There are as many arguments within the Premier League itself as there are between the Premier League and the EFL. Everyone is acting in self-interest.
“I suspect there will be pushback from Man City if this money comes from Uefa revenues but they will be relatively relaxed if it comes from the overall pot.“
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