Spurs overtake City in money league but have ground for concerns

Real Madrid enjoy the highest revenue (GETTY IMAGES)

Tottenham's first season in the Champions League drove a dramatic increase in revenue that lifted them above Manchester City – the club they edged out of fourth spot in the Premier League two years ago – in the latest Deloitte European Football Money League. But the report also highlights the need for Spurs, Liverpool and Chelsea to resolve their stadium issues if they are to keep pace financially with the Manchester clubs and Arsenal.

Tottenham's run last year to the last eight of the Champions League helped boost their revenue by 36 per cent to a record £163.5m and their matchday revenue by 18 per cent. But at £47.9m it remains around half of the totals raised by Arsenal and Manchester United. Chelsea took £67.5m on matchdays and Liverpool £40.9m. Manchester City's was only £26.6m for the 2010-11 season but that will grow rapidly with Champions League football this season.

Like United and Arsenal, City have the security (aside from the small matter of a Qatari fortune) of having a ground ready for the future, unlike Tottenham, Liverpool and Chelsea. "[Resolving their ground issues] is hugely important," said Dan Jones, the editor of the report. "If you look at the relativities of different clubs, you can clearly see the advantage Manchester United and Arsenal are reaping from the investment they have made in their stadia, versus Chelsea, Liverpool and Tottenham, who are all capacity-restrained by where they are. It's no surprise they are looking carefully at their stadium options."

The table also underlines the importance of reaching the Champions League for those trying to close the gap on the top six in Europe, which remained the same for the fourth year in succession with Real Madrid and Barcelona leading Manchester United.

"Champions League qualification is the great differentiator," said Jones. "The benefits are pretty clear. Despite the growth of Manchester City, Tottenham managing to leapfrog them will probably surprise people. It is not the whole cake but it is a very, very significant icing on the top. Next season expect to see City in the top 10 and that will be in large part due to Champions League qualification."

Money league table

Rank/Club/Revenue (£m)

1 (1) Real Madrid 433.0

2 (2) Barcelona 407.0

3 (3) Manchester Utd 331.4

4 (4) Bayern Munich 290.3

5 (5) Arsenal 226.8

6 (6) Chelsea 225.6

7 (7) Milan 212.3

8 (9) Internazionale 190.9

9 (8) Liverpool 183.6

10 (16) Schalke 04 182.8

11 (12) Tottenham H 163.5

12 (11) Manchester City 153.2

13 (10) Juventus 139.0

14 (15) Marseilles 135.8

15 (18) Roma 129.6