Championship clubs’ spending on wages exceeded revenue for a fifth successive season in 2021/22, according to a new report, which reveals why Sunderland and their rivals are so desperate for promotion. The Black Cats came so close to achieving back-to-back promotions, having been denied a place in the play-off final with a narrow 3-2 semi-final defeat to Luton Town.
The Hatters would go on to book their place in the top-flight while Tony Mowbray's Black Cats regroup for another push. They have already signed Jobe Bellingham and Nectarios Triantis and are set for another busy summer.
However, Deloitte’s Annual Review of Football Finance found second-tier teams’ combined wages-to-revenue ratio was an astonishing 108 per cent, as clubs continued to chase the dream of reaching the Premier League.
