When the European Super League idea was floated earlier in the year, football fans united as a whole to protest against it and successfully stopped it from going through.
However, when one looks at the finance-driven motivation behind the move, it makes a lot more sense.
In the last decade, all 12 clubs that signed up for the ESL barring 2 have seen their wage bill rise to nearly twice what it was.
Some of it can be accounted for by inflation but a near 100% increase is significantly more than the rate of inflation.
These clubs have given out endlessly growing wages, especially the Spanish giants, with Barcelona crossing the €500m mark in 2019.
Chelsea sit in 6th when it comes to highest wage bill, having stabilized their structure at around the same level, for both 2019 and 2020.
This could rise from €323m following the CL win, as success generally tends to lead to players asking for improved contracts.
Manchester City currently pay the most wages in England, sitting at a whopping €401m a year and Liverpool and Man United are both above Chelsea as well, paying €371m and €324m respectively.
One way or the other, these clubs must figure out how to slow their rapid rate of growth if they want to avoid being forced into another corner like the Super League.
