Three Premier League clubs among 'most profitable academies in Europe' as top 10 confirmed

A study has revealed that three Premier League cubs are among the ten most profitable academies in the world.

Over the last decade the Premier League has left football's other major divisions behind in terms of transfer spending and financial muscle.

Premier League clubs spent over £2.59 billion on new signings during the 2023 summer transfer window, more than the total laid out by all Bundesliga, Serie A, La Liga and Ligue 1 clubs combined. A ranking of the the world's most valuable players produced by CIES was dominated by Premier League stars.

The power of England's top flight is a point of major concern for European clubs, and one of the reasons why Real Madrid, Barcelona and Juventus support the European Super League project.

While the Premier League's financial dominance isn't in the interests of the game as a whole, it should be noted that Premier League clubs aren't just spending money without recouping it. In fact, Premier League clubs have some of the best academies in world football that are producing talents that fetch hefty fees.

The CIES Football Observatory has revealed the 100 most profitable academies in the world. The values were calculated using the revenues generated over the last ten years by the transfer of players who spent at least three seasons there between the ages of 15 and 21.

Benfica top the rankings having generated €516 million (£444m) from academy player sales over the past decade, while Ajax and Lyon make up the top three.

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Chelsea have the most profitable English academy, having raised £298.7 million through the sale of 28 players of the last 10 years. In recent times the Premier League giants have sold Mason Mount (£60 million), Tammy Abraham (£34 million) and Fikayo Tomori (£25 million).

Tottenham Hotspur are eighth in the rankings with a total of £220.5 million in academy player sales, while Manchester City are just behind them with £218.7 million.

The Premier League champions sold Cole Palmer to Chelsea for £40 million last summer, taking their income from academy sales since 2019 to £205 million.

Premier League clubs are among the biggest spenders in world football, but nobody can ever say that they don't produce quality youngsters too.