The financial aspect of running a football club is never simple, is it? That is especially the case in the Premier League, the most-watched league in world football, as teams often rely on money to compete in one of the toughest divisions on the planet. Those teams who get promoted from the Championship, in particular, require a windfall of cash if they have any chance of surviving among the very best in the country.

But how much has each team that have played in the Premier League era – from the likes of Oldham Athletic and Wimbledon, two sides who participated in its maiden campaign, to those who currently ply their trade in England’s primary division – earned in that period?

Football finance expert Kieran Maguire has taken to X (formerly Twitter) to reveal that, since the Premier League’s inception in 1992, clubs have lost just shy of £5 billion – £4.99bn, to be precise – and there are ten clubs, including Chelsea and Aston Villa, who are responsible for 90% of that significant loss. But who have lost the most money and which teams have been the best at handling their finances?

Premier League Teams, Since 1992, Who Have Made Money

Let’s kick things off with the shrewd money-makers who have plied their trade in the Premier League since its inception in 1992 and Swindon Town and Oldham Athletic, two sides now in League Two, kick things off with £0.1 million made, which is just bettered by that of Barnsley in League One – £0.7m.

Kieran McKenna’s Ipswich Town are hoping to return to the Premier League after being relegated (by virtue of their 19th-placed finish) at the end of 2024/25 but, as of now, their net gain is sitting at £1.3m.

Fellow Championship side Birmingham City, who have plans to build one of the biggest stadiums, worth £3 billion, in England, have added a total of £5.6m to their kitty, according to Maguire. Reading of League One have made a figure of £10.8m across the last 34 years or so – and that is bettered by Liverpool, who are one of six teams to never be relegated from the Premier League.

The Reds may have enjoyed a ton of seasons in England’s top flight post-1992 but their spending, especially under Jurgen Klopp, never reached the levels of Manchester United and Manchester City; and that could be a large factor behind the fact they’ve earned £12m in the allotted time frame.

Blackpool of League One, Norwich City of the Championship and Brentford of the Premier League all follow. As do Huddersfield Town, who have pocketed £33.5m, and Championship outfit Swansea City – who have benefitted from being one of the biggest sides in Wales alongside Cardiff City.

Brighton & Hove Albion and Burnley, two sides in the Premier League, are among the biggest money-makers, too, having earned respective figures of £46.1m and £131m.

Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur, two halves of one of the biggest derbies in British football, are the two sides that have chalked up the most money since the Premier League was made in 1992. The Gunners, thanks to their global influence, are a money-making side – and that’s evidenced by their figure of £132.4m, which is just less than Spurs, who have earned £183.2m in that time.

Premier League Teams, Since 1992, Who Have Lost Money

There are, however, teams that aren’t as trusty with their money. Wimbledon, now in League One, have lost a mere (in hindsight) £1.4 million, and they are quickly followed by Bradford City and Cardiff City – two teams that also ply their trade in England’s third tier. Respectively, they’ve lost £5.6m and £9.5m since 1992.

Charlton Athletic, now managed by Nathan Jones, used to be a regular fixture in the promised land of English football, but they are now in the Championship after winning the play-off final against Leyton Orient. The likes of League One’s Wigan Athletic (£21.8m) are also among those to have lost money.

As are the Championship sextet: Coventry City, Sheffield Wednesday, Queens Park Rangers, Watford, Portsmouth and Derby County, who are widely regarded as one of the worst teams in Premier League history.

Nottingham Forest have not been afraid to splash the cash since they’ve established themselves as a regular in the Premier League era and that’s been reflected in the fact they’ve lost £61.1 million since 1992, which is when Division One transformed into the Premier League.

Albeit now in League One, there was a time when Bolton Wanderers were involved in proceedings at the summit of English football – and many believe they contributed to the golden era of top flight action. All in all, they’ve lost £107.1 million in that time and that is just less than Leeds United and Wolverhampton Wanderers (£109.1m and £121.4m, respectively).

Nearing the top of the list, of course, are a heap of sides who have been playing in the Premier League for a while, thus allowing them to spend big and sometimes beyond their means. West Ham United (£135.1m), Newcastle United (£148.1m) and Crystal Palace (£171.6m) have all recorded losses.

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Every Premier League Club Ranked on How Much They Are Worth – Liverpool Only 3rd

Six clubs are priced at over one billion pound.

Two teams on either side of the Manchester derby, Manchester United (£244.1m) and Manchester City (£569.7m), have not been afraid to spend big on new players. The latter, however, have managed to outlay their billions’ worth of new recruits with outgoings.

This should come as little to no surprise, but the club who have lost an eye-watering £1.26 billion between 1992 and the present day are Chelsea, who have become one of Europe’s talent hoarders. Partial to over-spending on players that are not up to scratch (think Mykhailo Mudryk and Alvaro Morata both spring to mind), the Blues are only set to spend more and more under the ownership of Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital.

All figures per football finance expert Kieran Maguire – correct as of 22/01/2026