Columnists

* ARSENE Wenger has helped to transform English football, on and off the pitch, since his arrival at Arsenal from Japan in 1996. Silverware and plaudits followed but since 2005, when the ‘big money era’ of Roman Abramovich’s Chelsea and Sheikh Mansour’s Manchester City have led to increased competition in the Premier League, the Gunners […]

By Jonnie Baker 13 September 2013 On a good day, I reckon I could probably manage nearly 20 keepie-uppies – which is four times the number Gareth Bale managed when presented to the salivating hordes at the Bernabeu. I am, therefore, worth some £344 million on the open market. You may start the bidding at […]

By Nick Harris 9 September 2013 When the summer 2013 transfer window closed a week ago, the 20 clubs of the Premier League had collectively spent £631,369,000 buying or hiring new players on a permanent basis, not including any players on loan or youth contracts. Sportingintelligence has assessed each club’s total spend and net spend […]

By Nick Harris 24 June 2013 As tennis’s most prestigious grass court tournament begins at Wimbledon today, the presence of one particular American qualifier in the men’s singles draw highlights the sport’s deeply complex relationship with match-fixing, doping and whistle-blowing. Wayne Odesnik, 27, is the world No107 and has previously been ranked inside the world’s […]

By Nick Harris 17 June 2013 There are 60 footballers in the ‘Big 5’ leagues of Europe who each carry a market value of £20m-plus this summer. The world’s best and most expensive player is Barcelona’s Lionel Messi, whose ‘guide price’ is between €217m and €253m (£185m-£215m). Next comes Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo (£87m-£101m), then […]

By Nick Harris 11 June 2013 Manchester City are the best paid team in global sport according to Sportingintelligence’s Global Sports Salaries Survey (GSSS) for 2013, compiled in association with ESPN The Magazine and published this week to coincide with The Magazine’s ‘Money Issue’ (cover below). The average first-team pay at City, who have been transformed […]

. TOM BURROWS is a sports lawyer and an associate in the Sports Group at Sheridans. He advises on all areas of commercial matters related to the sports industry, including the sale and acquisition of media rights to sports properties, sponsorship programmes and licensing agreements. He has experience acting for international governing bodies, broadcasters, sports […]

. ANDREW NIXON is a sports lawyer, a partner in the sports group at Sheridans. He is a specialist in the regulatory framework of football and has advised clubs and individual players on regulatory disputes. In the first of a series of new columns for Sportingintelligence, Nixon explores whether a challenge to Uefa’s FFP regulations by a Belgian agent, Daniel Striani, […]

* Wembley, the national stadium and spiritual home of English football, will host the 2013 Champions League final later this month when Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund face each other. The German clubs come from a footballing nation where tickets are cheap, travel to matches is free or subsidised – and the average supporter isn’t […]

* English football has been a soap opera for years, an unending pantomime of drama, chaos, money, more money, haves and never-will-haves, millionaires, billionaires, plutocrats and conmen. The demise of Leeds was shocking, the demise of Portsmouth shameful. But one story now well into its third year that continues to be simply extraordinary is that […]