Manchester United are set to announce a
massive increase in turnover to £245million later this
week.
The Red Devils have cashed in on an outstanding season, during
which they ended a four-year drought by lifting the Premier League
title, only lost out to AC Milan in the Champions League
semi-finals and were beaten by Chelsea in the FA Cup
final.
Slightly irritated by Arsenal's bullish claim to be the richest
club in England when they reported turnover of £201million in
September, United have also factored in revenue from the long-term
contract with shirt manufacturers Nike, which has never previously
been included.
It leaves United as unquestioned number one in England, slightly
behind only Real Madrid in the global arena. Confirmation of the
£245million figure for overall business will come from Old Trafford
overnight on Thursday, with the club itself reporting turnover in
excess of £200million for its core football activities. It is also
expected United will continue to buck the Premier League trend of
not disclosing agents' fees by releasing the overall figure it has
spent on agents.
Although this is a step back from previous policy of detailing the
fees involved in each transaction, United chief executive David
Gill had warned the club may no longer detail payments to agents at
all if the club's top flight rivals did not follow suit. Gill will
certainly be satisfied with the overall results, which are expected
to confirm the highest profit figure ever recorded by an English
club, which may go some way to easing the widespread concerns of
many fans over the debt incurred during Malcolm Glazer's
controversial takeover in 2005.
It has also allowed the club to reduce its wages-turnover ratio to
43.6%, well within the 50% limit set by the Glazer family as a
long-term aim. With a new TV deal currently in place and United
going well in both the Premier League and Europe, plus securing a
place in the FA Cup fourth round at Aston Villa on Saturday, there
is even scope for improvement this season, especially if new
commercial director Richard Arnold can capitalise on a fan base now
estimated at 333 million according to market research company TNS
Sport.