Financial rules have made it ‘much harder’ for clubs like Newcastle, Aston Villa and Everton to challenge the Premier League Big Six, Ian Ladyman has argued.
Speaking on the Daily Mail’s Whistleblowers podcast, the Football Editor explained how the media landscape also favours the biggest clubs, making it harder for smaller teams to build their profile and challenge the established hierarchy.
Arsenal, Liverpool, Chelsea, Manchester United, Manchester City and Tottenham make up the Premier League’s traditional Big Six, clubs that have typically accounted for at least half of the league’s total annual revenue.
This summer’s transfer window reinforced the Big Six’s pull, with top European talents still opting to move to these clubs despite poor recent form and the inability to offer Champions League football.
Financial rules have made it ‘much harder’ for clubs like Newcastle, Aston Villa and Everton to challenge the Premier League Big Six, Ian Ladyman has argued
PSR rules have worsened the imbalance, forcing clubs outside the Big Six to regularly sell their best players
Ian Ladyman: ‘For Newcastle, Villa, Everton – it’s so much harder now. They can’t spend like that anymore.’ Listen here
PSR rules have worsened the imbalance, forcing clubs outside the Big Six to regularly sell their best players to meet financial regulations while the established elite can keep their squads intact.
‘It has taken Manchester City fifteen years to get where they are now’, Ladyman told co-host Mark Clattenburg.
‘The first half of that rise was almost unlimited, unregulated spending. Through that, they eventually got to where they needed to be.
‘For Newcastle, Villa, Everton – it’s so much harder now. They can’t spend like that anymore.
‘It’s no coincidence that Everton are playing in a new stadium. It’s no coincidence that Newcastle are talking about building a new stadium, and that Villa want to expand theirs.
‘The only way to be a Manchester City now is to make more money. You also have to spend that money well and then start to win trophies.
Ian Ladyman: ‘It took City endless Premier Leagues, FA Cups, League Cups to get them to a point where they could claim to be a part of the Big Six.’ Listen now
‘As soon as you start putting trophies on your CV, then you start to be considered big.
‘It took City endless Premier Leagues, FA Cups, League Cups to get them to a point where they could claim to be a part of the Big Six.
‘It’s going to take Newcastle, Everton, Villa a lot longer than fifteen years to do it because of the environment they now exist in.’
Beyond financial muscle, Ladyman highlighted how the digital media landscape also favours established clubs.
He explained that media outlets depend on views and engagement, driving more coverage towards clubs with larger global fanbases.
‘Look at us at the Daily Mail’, Ladyman said.
‘When we run stories about Manchester United, Chelsea or Liverpool, they will do massive numbers for us in terms of page views.
‘The eyeballs on those stories are still enormous when you compare them to clubs like Aston Villa. That’s something we continue to wrestle with.
‘At the moment, we are still stuck in a holding pattern where those big clubs have an enormous influence over the way the Premier League is viewed and perceived.’
To hear the full debate about the current state of the Premier League, search for Whistleblowers now – wherever you get your podcasts.
