Chief executive says spending ‘breathes life’ into rivals
‘I don’t see how it’s suffocating [the European game]’
Richard Masters, the Premier League’s chief executive, has denied that the English top flight’s transfer spending is damaging European football, arguing instead that it “breathes life” into rival competitions.
Masters made the claim as he took stock of the Premier League’s global position and laid out plans for its growth. Noting that England’s elite clubs had a “bigger share of the world’s best players” from this summer’s record-breaking £3bn spending, Masters said: “Seven of our clubs were net recipients in lots of inter-Premier League transfers. But a lot of that money does percolate out of the big European leagues, a substantial portion of that, and breathes life into their own transfer markets. So I don’t see how it’s suffocating [the European game].
“I think there is a clear juxtaposition between the amounts of money being spent on the Premier League and the other leagues. But I think that’s a good thing. Provided it’s within the rules, it’s a good thing. It shapes our competition. And it’s an indication that our clubs want to drive supporter interest, and it’s the interest in the audience which drives our media values.”
