Liverpool have announced record revenues of £594m and a pre-tax profit of £7.5m - but the figures underline the importance of Champions League football.
The club published their latest financial accounts, up to May 2022, this morning and it showed that almost 45% of their revenue had come from TV money, significantly boosted by their run to last season’s Champions League final.
Liverpool will have also received in the region of £100m in UEFA prize money, placing further emphasis on how damaging it will be if they fail to qualify for next season’s Champions League.
Jurgen Klopp’s team currently sit seventh in the Premier League table and are nine points behind Tottenham Hotspur in fourth. They also trail Real Madrid 5-2 at the midway point of their round of 16 tie with the second leg at the Bernabeu to come.
They have also been knocked out of the FA Cup at the fourth-round stage and Saturday's drab draw away to Crystal Palace in the league brought a fresh wave of scrutiny on a squad struggling for consistency.
Matchday revenue was recorded as £86m as Anfield, which is undergoing further enhancement with a new stand being built, returned to hosting capacity crowds post-pandemic, while commercial revenue was £247m thanks to a series of new sponsorship agreements.
But the wage bill increased by 17% from £314m to £366m after a number of players, including goalkeeper Alisson Becker and captain Jordan Henderson, signed new contracts. That figure will have increased again in the nine months since following the additions of Darwin Nunez and Cody Gakpo.
“The underlying strength of our financial position remains strong and we continue to operate a sustainable club which is our main objective from a financial perspective,” Liverpool managing director Andy Hughes said.
“The cost of running a football club does continue to rise. But we maintain our position of growing this club with significant investment with new and existing players signing contracts and the construction of the new Anfield Road Stand which we look forward to coming on stream in the summer.
“In the last five years we have invested over £250m in infrastructure and created world-class facilities for our players, staff and supporters.
“What’s important now is to finish this season as strong as possible, both on and off the pitch, while we continue to manage costs and explore opportunities for growth in our commercial operations so we can continue to reinvest revenues in players and infrastructure.”
