10 years ago, the idea of Manchester City or Tottenham Hotspur getting relegated was about as ridiculous as, well, Leicester City winning the Premier League. Today, it’s no longer an impossibility that they go down within a year of each other.
With Man City’s fate in the air as a punishment is decided for 115 financial breaches, and Spurs being themselves, there’s a real chance that both teams lose their Premier League spots and must contest in the Championship. It’s a scary proposition for fans of either team, but for the Championship this is an extremely interesting scenario.
The Championship is a shockingly unprofitable league. Of the 24 teams in the 24/25 season, only three reported a profit without turning to loans. That profit? £19.9m. Brighton made more money selling Carl Rushworth to Brighton. Now imagine what would happen if either Man City or Spurs got relegated. The millions of social media impressions, the thousands of news pieces scrutinising their performances, the hundreds of remaining fans filling up away stadiums each week. The Championship could suddenly turn a tidy profit.
“But Man City and Spurs would cruise past the competition” you can argue. And I agree. But this assumes either team will be at their full strength. How would they fund the player wages or stadiums without being in the elite competitions? They can’t. Like John Lewis on Christmas Eve, expect a fire sale from both teams. Do you think Haaland will be okay pausing his chase for the all-time Premier League scoring record? Will Phil Foden feel secure about his spot in the England squad when he’s now playing QPR and Portsmouth? Will Andy Robertson stomach the existential quandary that moving back to Hull City would be a step up for his career? Don’t be shocked if after a few months they start rocking up to games with the likes of Kalvin Phillips, a man who avoids Manchester more than a Leeds fan, and Dejan Kulusevski, a man who Robertson would probably confuse for Winston Ingram.
So, should Championship pundits look forward to Man City and Spurs joining the league next year? I would say so. While in seriousness it is a long shot proposition that they both go down, as a thought experiment it begs you to ask how much of a house of cards has been built.
“Tottenham Hotspur Stadium South Stand” by Bluejam is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
