Tottenham Only Premier League Club to Turn Profit this Year

Tottenham Hotspur were the only Premier League club to make a profit this past year when you include the players they sold and the ones that they bought during the summer and winter transfer windows.

The Guardian’s Simon Burnton took a look at this past season in the Premier League and constructed a line graph to see how much all 20 teams spent and in what relation did it impact each club’s finish.

But, generally speaking, spending money and where a team finishes should have no correlation with one another, which is something that Simon Burnton made a note of in the middle of his article: “The figures show there is no correlation between spending on transfers and sporting achievement.”

That being said, in order to achieve some form of success, clubs must spend in order to keep up with the rest of the Premier League.

Whether teams buy a lot of players or just a few. Whether clubs decide to spend as much as Manchester City typically spends or as low as what Leicester spent before winning the league title.

In the end though, the only club who managed to make a profit was Tottenham.

LONDON, ENGLAND – JANUARY 23: Dele Alli (obscured) of Tottenham Hotspur celebrates scoring his team’s second goal with his team mates and Mauricio Pochettino (1st L) during the Barclays Premier League match between Crystal Palace and Tottenham Hotspur at Selhurst Park on January 23, 2016 in London, England. (Photo by Ian Walton/Getty Images) /

With the sales of Étienne Capoue, Vlad Chiricheș, Lewis Holtby, Younès Kaboul, Aaron Lennon, Paulinho, Roberto Soldado and Benjamin Stambouli in the summer, and Andros Townsend in the winter.

Plus summer signings such as Toby Alderweireld, Clinton N’Jie, Son Heung-min, Kieran Trippier and Kevin Wimmer, plus Shilow Tracey in the winter, it’s quite obvious that Spurs would make a profit.

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Now according to Simon Burnton, while his article is interesting and informative, it’s quite difficult to understand a major talking point. And that’s how much money a club earns based on the amount of points they win.

For example, based on Tottenham’s season, in which they won 70 points, Spurs made just £96,000 for each point that they won. Burnton didn’t fully explain why this is worth noting (or he did but it’s hard to figure out) but regardless, the bottom line is that Spurs have made a profit.

And with their brand new stadium going to cost £400 million, Tottenham’s five-man transfer committee has to be smart about their spending ways, in order to compete with the other 19 Premier League clubs.

One way to do that is by cutting back on how much they spend. Which is what they have been doing recently and it was seen with the signings of Dele Alli, Eric Dier, Kieran Trippier and Kevin Wimmer; cheap and value signings.

Another option is to go with academy graduates while selling some players who don’t fit with Mauricio Pochettino’s philosophy moving forward. Even if they happen to be Tottenham through-and-through like Ryan Mason and Tom Carroll for example. Or somewhat productive like Nacer Chadli and plays a position of need.

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Pochettino has helped shaped his squad exactly the way that he wants to, and he will continue to do so for five more years. Now if it that means turning a profit by selling more players and buying less, then so be it.

So long as Tottenham can compete with everyone else and challenge for some silverware, it’s fine no matter how Spurs go about their business.

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