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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Sport
Ed Aarons

‘Everyone is chasing dreams’: as wages soar will EFL lose appeal for foreign investors?

View inside the ground before the match between Gillingham and Milton Keynes Dons at Priestfield
Brad Galinson bought a majority share in League Two Gillingham in 2022, providing an interest-free loan to help cover losses. Photograph: Simon Dael/Shutterstock

Brad Galinson has a warning for anyone looking to invest in English football’s lower leagues. “Almost every single club in the EFL is about seven days away from suffering the same fate as Sheffield Wednesday,” the Gillingham owner says. “Everyone is chasing dreams.”

Many have blamed the “Wrexham effect” for spiralling costs as investors from all over the world have flocked to buy clubs down the pyramid. Only two in League One have a playing budget of less than £3.5m this season compared with 13 two years ago, and several are thought to be operating on more than £10m.

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