Liverpool, Manchester United and Manchester City have all slipped down the rankings in the latest Deloitte Football Money League as clubs from continental Europe gained ground.

Liverpool have had the biggest fall of any club in the top 20, from third place down to seventh, after Deloitte found their revenue had dropped slightly from £594.3million to £593.8m.

Deloitte attributed that fall to the Reds’ on-field performance, with the club finishing fifth in the Premier League last season and bowing out in the Champions League last 16.

Manchester United dropped one place to fifth despite a healthier revenue figure than the season before, while treble winners City were leapfrogged by Real Madrid and now sit second, despite posting a record Premier League revenue figure in their most recent accounts.

The Money League looks at revenue figures reported in clubs’ annual accounts for the 2022-23 season and does not look at operating costs.

Tottenham and Chelsea switched places compared to last year, with Spurs up one place to eighth, while Arsenal held on to 10th position.

Real led the way with revenue of £723m in 2022-23, demonstrating the club are doing well out of European football’s current ecosystem, despite their president Florentino Perez being arguably the most staunch advocate for a Super League.

Paris St Germain enter the top three for the first time, while Barcelona moved up three places to seventh with a revenue figure of £696m.

Tim Bridge, the lead partner in Deloitte’s Sports Business Group, told the PA news agency: “There is a point in time, a moment here, where you’ve got Real Madrid and Barcelona redeveloping their stadiums, they have made moves towards controlling much more of their operations, particularly merchandising and licensing, so those revenue figures are a result of direct changes they have made to their business model.

“When we look at the Premier League holistically we’re not 100 per cent certain the days of significant domestic growth in media rights is over, but what we can say is, without significant competition coming into that market, then single-figure percentage growth is the likely outcome in that domestic market. Therefore the focus is on what can be done in the international market.

“What has always underpinned the fact there have been 10 or 11 Premier League clubs in the Money League has been that the media rights growth has given them significant distributions. Other leagues have caught up and there has been a slight plateauing of Premier League rights.”

Deloitte said the top 20 clubs had earned 10.5billion euros (£9bn) collectively, a 14 per cent increase on the previous season.

Barcelona Femeni were the top-earning women’s club in the world, with revenue rising by 74 per cent to £11.6m.

Modernising Old Trafford and improving the matchday experience could help Manchester United achieve “revolutionary” growth in revenue, a football finance expert has said.

The Red Devils may have gone a decade without a Premier League title and 15 years without winning the Champions League, but commercially they remain a success story.

They dropped one place to fifth in the Deloitte Football Money League but earned a club record £648m for 2022-23, which briefly stood as a Premier League record before Manchester City announced their results for the same period in November last year.

Tim Bridge, the lead partner in Deloitte’s Sports Business Group, hailed their enduring ability to generate revenue despite their on-field struggles, but believes upgrading Old Trafford could elevate them above their Premier League and European peers in commercial terms.

“What is so impressive (about United) is that resilience, that ability to continue to generate significant commercial return in the market, to find new (commercial) partners,” Bridge told the PA news agency.

“They have this way to engage with commercial partners in a way that few other clubs can.

“But you could also flip it around and also talk about what is the scale of the opportunity if they got it right. There have been a lot of reports around the current conditions at Old Trafford, there has been a lot of comparison to other football stadiums and the overall offering.

“I genuinely believe that if they had a genuine matchday offering that kept the fans in and around the stadium in the way that you have at somewhere like Tottenham, the results from a revenue perspective could be revolutionary and really outplay the rest of the competition.

“Because they still generate £100million-plus from Old Trafford and yet in experience terms, compared to what is also available on the market, or what may be available on the market from a Real Madrid or a Barcelona in the future, then the two are probably not comparable.

“So the strength of their brand, the strength of their fanbase, the loyalty is absolutely incredible and is extremely resilient and impressive.”

Ineos is set to invest 300 million US dollars (£235m) on club infrastructure after securing a 25 per cent stake in United.

Supporters have issued a number of complaints about the stadium, highlighting in particular leaks in its roof.

Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich say they have ended their pursuit of Newcastle full-back Kieran Trippier.

Bayern saw a series of approaches, including an initial loan bid and a £13million cash offer for the 33-year-old England international, rebuffed by the Magpies, who insisted they were not prepared to let one of their key players leave this month.

However, Thomas Tuchel’s side have now admitted defeat in their attempts to lure him away from Tyneside.

Sporting director Christoph Freund told Sky Germany: “The Kieran Trippier issue is over. We only do what we are 100 per cent convinced of.”

Newcastle have also rejected a loan bid for striker Callum Wilson from Atletico Madrid, while Saudi Arabian club Al-Shabab have expressed an interest in fellow front Miguel Almiron.

None of the three players are understood to be agitating for a move.

Potential buyers have set their sights on the Magpies since chief executive Darren Eales admitted that they may have to sell players to buy in order to comply with profit and sustainability and financial fair play rules after a embarking upon £400million spending spree since their Saudi-backed owners took over in October 2021.

The billionaire former owner of Tottenham Hotspur, Joe Lewis, has pleaded guilty in an insider trading case in the US, prosecutors have confirmed.

Lewis, 86, pleaded guilty in front of US District Judge Jessica Clarke on Wednesday to charges alleging he had committed securities fraud and conspired to commit securities fraud by insider trading.

“Today’s guilty pleas once again confirm – as I said in announcing the charges against Joseph Lewis just six months ago – the law applies to everyone, no matter who you are or how much wealth you have,” said US Attorney Damian Williams.

“Billionaire Lewis abused inside information he gained through his access to corporate boardrooms to tip off his friends, employees and romantic interests.

“Now, he will pay the price with a federal conviction, the prospect of time in prison and the largest financial penalty for insider trading in a decade.”

Separately, Broad Bay Ltd, a company which is owned by Lewis, pleaded guilty and accepted its participation in hiding the billionaire’s stake in a pharmaceutical company. It will pay more than 50 million dollars (£39 million) in financial penalties.

Lewis’s lawyer David Zornow said that his client still has the right to appeal if he is sentenced to time in prison, according to Reuters.

The billionaire had in July denied the 16 charges of securities fraud and three charges of conspiracy that he was faced with. He will be sentenced on March 28.

According to prosecutors, he allegedly orchestrated “a brazen insider trading scheme” and passed secrets to romantic partners, personal assistants, friends and two co-conspirators.

The information allowed them to bet on companies which he had invested in, using information only those with access to the business could have known. It helped them earn millions of dollars, the case claimed.

Lewis built his wealth through the investment company, Tavistock Group, and bought a controlling stake in Tottenham Hotspur in 2001.

In 2022 he ceded control of the club and formally handed his stake to a family trust and has no day-to-day involvement with the club. Spurs declined to comment.

He was worth more than £5 billion according to the 2023 Sunday Times Rich List, being ranked as the 39th richest person in the country.

The 1958 fan group believe there is “more hope for a brighter future” with Sir Jim Ratcliffe at Manchester United but vowed to continue their “fight until the Glazers have been removed”.

The Premier League club announced on Christmas Eve that the British billionaire had agreed to acquire a 25 per cent shareholding in the Old Trafford giants.

The £1.3billion deal includes Ratcliffe purchasing 25 per cent of Class B shares held by the Glazer family, whose majority ownership has been subject of fan protests since their controversial takeover in 2005.

The 1958 have led that fight in recent years and, a month to the day after the Ineos chairman’s deal was announced, commented on the ownership changes.

“When change is upon us, we think it’s prudent to assess the situation before reacting,” a spokesman for the group said in a statement.

“With the impending investment into the club by Sir Jim Ratcliffe and the announcement our club will be appointing a new CEO (Omar Berrada), we feel the right decision is to keep monitoring progress and let the new structure and strategy play out.

“We believe the Ratcliffe investment and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filing gives us more hope for a brighter future and a potential clearer pathway towards majority ownership further down the line.

“This doesn’t mean we rest on our laurels. The aftermath of the European Super League is proof sitting back and doing nothing is not an option. We are working towards a next phase, strategy and plan.”

Ratcliffe expects the deal to be given the green light by mid-February, when he will officially take control of football operations as part of his minority ownership of the club.

The 71-year-old has the first option should the Glazers decide to sell more Class B shares and The 1958 say they will continue their call for them to sell up entirely.

“A generation of supporters have fought and battled to rid our club of these owners,” said a spokesperson for the group, who say they have more than 52,000 supporters signed up to their ‘Claim Back United’ website.

“We never wanted them at the start and we don’t want them now.

“We owe it to ourselves and the legacy of these efforts to ensure they are removed. We hope Sir Jim is an ally and vehicle in making this happen.

“Do not forgive and do not forget the damage the Glazers have done to our club and fan base.

“We will be watching developments closely and will continue our fight until the Glazers have been removed.

“This has always been one of our primary objectives. We will update more soon.”

Clubs’ desire to avoid tough sanctions for financial rule breaches could be a big factor in the spectacular drop in Premier League transfer spending this month, a football finance expert has said.

Financial services firm Deloitte has told the PA news agency that by January 23 last year £435million had been spent by the 20 top-flight clubs – 10 times more than by the same date this year.

Spending reached a record £815m by the end of the January 2023 window, but so far this month Tottenham’s purchase of Romania defender Radu Dragusin from Genoa for a reported £26.7m is one of a small number of permanent deals to have been completed, with loan moves dominating.

The relative quiet comes following a 10-point deduction imposed on Everton in November by an independent commission for breaching the Premier League’s profitability and sustainability rules (PSR). The commission found the club had acted “irresponsibly” and concluded they “overspent”, largely on the purchase of new players.

Everton expect to learn the outcome of their appeal against that sanction by the end of next month, but were referred to an independent commission again earlier this month, along with Nottingham Forest this time, for breaching PSR in the period ending last season. Those cases should be resolved before the end of this season under a new fast-track process agreed by the clubs.

Tim Bridge, lead partner in Deloitte’s Sports Business Group, told PA: “It would be remiss not to talk about the impact (on transfer spending) of some of the regulatory moves that the Premier League has made and the independent bodies that work with the Premier League have made to really focus on how the Premier League is governed.

“You look at what’s happened with Everton, you look at what’s happened with Nottingham Forest, obviously there are ongoing investigations with other clubs as well.

“That will, I expect, have driven an underlying caution and also a real need to ensure that any value in the transfer market is as good as it possibly can be.”

Bridge did not rule out a “late flurry” of activity in the final week of the window but added: “I do think that some of those deals that maybe we’re used to seeing earlier in the window are either not being considered because of the regulatory challenge and the need to be compliant, which is a good thing, but also that element of the selling club really wanting to make sure that it drives the absolute value (of their players).”

Manchester United forward Anthony Martial has been ruled out until April after undergoing surgery on a groin injury.

The 28-year-old is out of contract this summer and has managed just 19 appearances and two goals in another disrupted campaign at Old Trafford.

Martial has not featured since United fans cheered his substitution in the 3-0 home loss to Bournemouth on December 9 and the club have now revealed he is facing an extended spell on the sidelines.

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“Manchester United striker Anthony Martial has completed successful surgery to address a groin complaint and will be out of action for about 10 weeks as he rehabilitates,” the Premier League outfit said in a statement.

“We wish Anthony a speedy recovery and look forward to his return.”

This is the latest in a long line of setbacks for a player who looks set to leave Old Trafford in the summer after the club decided against triggering the option to extend his contract by a further year.

Martial began his United career with a bang after joining from Monaco in 2015 but has failed to fully reach his potential, scoring 90 goals in 317 appearances in all competitions.

The Frenchman’s confirmed 10-week absence will perhaps lead to a change in approach to the January transfer window at Old Trafford.

United have been more focused on streamlining than making signings this month, but Martial’s absence leaves Rasmus Hojlund and Marcus Rashford as the only options through the middle.

This time last year, United bolstered their striking options by signing Wout Weghorst on loan from Burnley for the remainder of the season, having done similar in 2020 with Odion Ighalo.

The club will have to run any change to their January transfer strategy past Sir Jim Ratcliffe as the British billionaire prepares to take control of football operations as part of his minority ownership.

Mauricio Pochettino endured a rocky start to life as Chelsea boss but has now guided the Blues to the Carabao Cup final as he looks to end his wait for a first trophy in English football.

The Argentinian has managed almost 400 games in England across spells with Southampton, Tottenham and now Chelsea but has yet to lift silverware in this country.

Here, the PA news agency looks at how Pochettino has fared in his quest for trophies.

Southampton

2013/14

Having taken over during the previous campaign with Saints already out of both domestic competitions, Pochettino’s early involvement in the League Cup and FA Cup was brought to a close by Sunderland. The Black Cats won 2-1 in a fourth-round League Cup tie at the Stadium of Light before claiming a 1-0 victory in the FA Cup fifth round.

Tottenham

2014/15

While a 2-1 fourth-round FA cup defeat at home to Leicester and a 3-1 aggregate loss to Fiorentina in the last 32 of the Europa League hardly set the pulses racing in Pochettino’s first season at Spurs, he did almost start life in north London with a trophy. Home wins over Nottingham Forest, Brighton and Newcastle took Tottenham into a League Cup semi-final against Sheffield United, with a 3-2 aggregate success setting up a Wembley final against Chelsea, who ran out 2-0 winners.

2015/16

Pochettino suffered from second-season syndrome in the cup competitions, losing 2-1 to neighbours Arsenal in the third round of the League Cup and slipping to a fifth-round exit in the FA Cup courtesy of a 1-0 loss to Crystal Palace. Achieving European qualification in his first campaign at the helm also led to little as Spurs were thrashed 5-1 on aggregate by Borussia Dortmund in the Europa League last 16.

2016/17

A 2-1 loss to Liverpool in the fourth round of the League Cup was forgivable, but, having ensured a return to Champions League football, Pochettino’s Spurs were knocked out in the group stage and then slumped to a 3-2 aggregate loss to Gent in the Europa League last 32. There was some comfort from an FA Cup run that included wins over Aston Villa, Wycombe, Fulham and Millwall before Chelsea ran out 4-2 victors in a semi-final clash at Wembley.

2017/18

There was another fourth-round League Cup exit – this time in a 3-2 loss to West Ham – but this season saw Spurs top their Champions League group before agonisingly losing 4-3 on aggregate to Juventus in the last 16. There was more Wembley misery in the FA Cup as Spurs reached the semi-final for a second successive season, only to lose 2-1 to Manchester United, having taken the lead through Dele Alli.

2018/19

A forgettable FA Cup campaign ended with a 2-0 loss to Crystal Palace in round four, but even a penalty shootout loss to Chelsea in the League Cup semi-final was not the heartbreaking moment of Pochettino’s final full season in charge. Having secured memorable late wins over Manchester City and Ajax to reach the Champions League final, Spurs were second best as an early Mohamed Salah penalty and a Divock Origi goal saw Liverpool win 2-0 in Madrid.

Chelsea

2023/24

Having won Ligue 1 and the Coupe de France at Paris St Germain, Pochettino returned to England when he was appointed Chelsea boss last summer. While results in the Premier League have been mixed, the 51-year-old saw his side beat AFC Wimbledon, Brighton, Blackburn and Newcastle in the Carabao Cup before recovering from a 1-0 loss at Middlesbrough in the semi-final first leg to thrash the Sky Bet Championship side 6-1 on Tuesday night and reach Wembley – where either Fulham or Liverpool await.

Mauricio Pochettino is looking to “build a team that can match the mentality” of Chelsea after his side reached the Carabao Cup final with a 6-1 semi-final second-leg victory over Middlesbrough.

Jonny Howson’s own goal settled the Blues’ early nerves as further strikes from Enzo Fernandez, Axel Disasi, Noni Madueke and a Cole Palmer brace booked their place at Wembley on February 25 against either Liverpool or Fulham.

Boss Pochettino said: “The most important thing is keeping the focus, seeing reality in the way we need to see the reality and see the difference between what is Chelsea and what is the team we are building.

“They are two different things. Our challenge is the history of Chelsea, the capacity to win titles and build a team that can match the mentality of this club.”

Pochettino emphasised the difference in the scale of the challenge facing him at Chelsea to when he arrived at former club Tottenham in 2014.

Then, he intimated the Carabao Cup might not be a competition that could help Spurs reach their objectives.

At Chelsea, he reflects differently on the competition’s value to the team.

“When we arrived at Tottenham in 2014, the plan was to build a new stadium and to finish the training ground,” he said. “We had a season playing at Milton Keynes and Wembley, (before that) we played with a corner missing from White Hart Lane.

“The principal objective was to be in the top four and play Champions League. The club was fifth, sixth, seventh. That was the challenge. We put everything to try and play the Champions League because it was the way to help the club to achieve the objective of building a new stadium.

“This young team (Chelsea), with this type of experience of going to Wembley, it’s going to build our trust, our confidence, and our mentality like a team – not like a club.

“The club, the mentality of Chelsea is amazing. But like a team, we are new. We need to build confidence and trust.”

Against Boro, Ben Chilwell started for the first time since recovering from a hamstring injury and impressed at left-back.

The manager felt Chilwell and goalscorer Disasi set a standard with their performances and now wants to see such displays consistently.

“They were important today but we need to be consistent,” he added.

“Players like Chilly could do 65 minutes but the objective is to arrive at 80 minutes, hopefully do the 90 minutes, and then be consistent playing every two or three days. That is the most important thing.

“Now we need to help players like him to get their best form, but at the same time we are competing. We can think we are going to play with Chilly or Reece (James), but we know then after 10 or 15 minutes of the second half we have players that we need to change.”

UEFA’s investigators were “right” to ban Manchester City from European competition after finding they had breached financial regulations, its president Aleksander Ceferin has said.

City were handed a two-year suspension in February 2020 by UEFA’s Club Financial Control Body (CFCB), but the penalty was overturned at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in July of that year.

CAS found some of the alleged breaches were “not established”, while others were time-barred. The club’s fine for failing to co-operate with CFCB investigators was reduced by CAS to 10 million euros (£8.6m).

Ceferin, however, has backed his organisation’s process.

“We know we were right. We wouldn’t decide if we didn’t think we were right,” Ceferin told the Daily Telegraph.

“As a trial lawyer for 25 years, I know that, sometimes, you win a case that you are sure you will lose,” he added.

“And, sometimes, you lose a case when you’re sure… You have to respect the decision of the court. I don’t want to speak about the case in England. But I trust that the decision of our independent body was correct.”

The case in England Ceferin mentioned was the decision of the Premier League in February last year to refer City to an independent commission, charged with more than 100 breaches of the competition’s financial rules.

City said they looked forward to presenting “irrefutable evidence” to the commission against the charges brought.

Premier League chief executive Richard Masters told the Culture, Media and Sport select committee last week that a date has been set for the commission hearing, but declined to say what that date was.

Defending the length of the City process when compared to other cases such as Everton’s brought under the league’s profitability and sustainability rules (PSR), Masters said the City case was different “in volume and character” to Everton’s case, or that involving Nottingham Forest.

Mauricio Pochettino is looking to “build a team that can match the mentality” of Chelsea after his side reached the Carabao Cup final with a 6-1 semi-final second-leg victory over Middlesbrough.

Jonny Howson’s own goal settled the Blues’ early nerves as further strikes from Enzo Fernandez, Axel Disasi, Noni Madueke and a Cole Palmer brace booked their place at Wembley on February 25 against either Liverpool or Fulham.

Boss Pochettino said: “The most important thing is keeping the focus, seeing reality in the way we need to see the reality and see the difference between what is Chelsea and what is the team we are building.

“They are two different things. Our challenge is the history of Chelsea, the capacity to win titles and build a team that can match the mentality of this club.”

Ben Chilwell started for the first time since recovering from a hamstring injury and impressed at left-back.

Pochettino felt Chilwell and goalscorer Disasi set a standard with their performances and now wants to see such displays consistently.

“They were important today but we need to be consistent,” Pochettino added.

“Players like Chilly could do 65 minutes but the objective is to arrive at 80 minutes, hopefully do the 90 minutes, and then be consistent playing every two or three days. That is the most important thing.

“Now we need to help players like him to get their best form, but at the same time we are competing. We can think we are going to play with Chilly or Reece (James), but we know then after 10 or 15 minutes of the second half we have players that we need to change.

“They were important but with Chilly it is after five months we couldn’t use him. We were using different players like Levi Colwill or Marc Cucurella, who is also injured. We have two right-backs that today we couldn’t count on in Reece James and Malo Gusto, so we are using Axel.”

Chelsea’s recent upturn in form has seen them pick up three successive Premier League wins and they now have a cup final to look forward to.

Pochettino has seen a marked improvement in his side since the beginning of the season and said reaching Wembley was an objective from the start.

“The results are good, we are improving since the beginning of the season,” Pochettino added. “In all the circumstances we need to be happy because we are competing with a lot of things going on again and to reach the final was the first objective from the beginning.”

What the papers say

Al-Nassr are planning to offer Manchester United a pair of “audacious” bids for midfielder Casemiro and defender Aaron Wan-Bissaka, the Daily Mail reports, in the wake of the Tottenham’s refusal to offload Emerson Royal to the Saudi league outfit.

Also from the Mail, Lyon are said to be targeting winger Arnaut Danjuma in the transfer window, as apparently the 26-year-old’s parent club Villarreal have become frustrated at his lack of game time while on loan at Everton.

According to the Sun, Manchester Untied are leading the race to sign Bologna’s Dutch forward Joshua Zirkzee despite interest from Arsenal.

Social media round-upPlayers to watch

Victor Osimhen: The 25-year-old has hinted that he is ready to leave Napoli, with Chelsea, Manchester United, and Real Madrid keen on the Nigerian, 90 Min reports.

Antonio Nusa: Newcastle are considering hijacking Tottenham’s proposed move for Club Bruges’ teenage forward, with Football Insider claiming he is seen as a direct replacement for Miguel Almiron who may leave Tyneside for Saudi side Al-Shabab.

Karim Benzema: Chelsea are interested in signing the 36-year-old French forward from Al-Ittihad, claims the Guardian.

Newcastle midfielder Joelinton will miss most of the rest of the season after undergoing thigh surgery, the club have confirmed.

The Brazilian was forced off during the Magpies’ FA Cup victory over rivals Sunderland on January 6.

Manager Eddie Howe had previously suggested the 27-year-old could be out for around six weeks but the decision to operate now means the player will be sidelined until at least May.

A statement from the club read: “Newcastle United can confirm that Joelinton has successfully undergone surgery on a thigh injury sustained earlier this month.

“The midfielder will now commence a period of rehabilitation overseen by the club’s medical team and is expected to return to action in May 2024.”

The news is a further blow for Howe, who currently has a lengthy injury list to contend with.

Jacob Murphy, Callum Wilson, Harvey Barnes, Joe Willock, Matt Targett and Nick Pope are among the players currently out of action.

Newcastle have turned down a 15million euros bid from Bayern Munich for full-back Kieran Trippier.

The England international was the subject of a rejected loan offer from the Bundesliga giants at the weekend, but have returned with a cash bid which amounts to around £13million for the 33-year-old.

However, the PA news agency understands the Magpies have no intention of selling Trippier, who joined the club in a £12million switch from Atletico Madrid in January 2022, during the current transfer window.

They have also rebuffed an approach from Atletico for striker Callum Wilson on loan and signalled that they want to keep him at St James’ Park for at least the remainder of the season as well.

Al-Shabab – not one of the four clubs in which Saudia Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, which holds an 80 per cent stake in Newcastle, has a controlling interest – are also chasing Paraguay frontman Miguel Almiron, but are yet to reach a point where his current employers would even have cause to think about a deal.

The knowledge that the Tyneside club is close to its spending limit after a £400million-plus, two-year recruitment drive appears to have prompted suitors to test the water this month.

While chief executive Darren Eales has admitted that player trading is something the club will have to do in the longer term, there is no great willingness to start now with injuries continuing to deplete head coach Eddie Howe’s squad, and none of the players in question are agitating for a move.

Bayern, who have other targets, now face a decision over whether or not to consider their pursuit of Trippier before the February 1 deadline, knowing that they may have to go significantly higher than their valuation if they are to spark a rethink.

West Ham have agreed a loan deal with Manchester City for England midfielder Kalvin Phillips, the PA news agency understands.

Neither club have commented but it is understood, if completed, the 28-year-old would join the Hammers for the remainder of the season.

Phillips has been linked with a move away from the Etihad Stadium this month after struggling for game time with the treble winners.

After an injury-hit first campaign at City following a £45million move from Leeds in 2022, Phillips has started just two first-team games this term.

The loan switch could enhance the player’s chances of retaining his place in the England squad ahead of Euro 2024 this summer.

There was reported interest from Newcastle and Juventus but West Ham have emerged as the most likely destination.

Phillips is now expected to discuss personal terms after returning from Abu Dhabi, where he has been warm-weather training with City.

If talks progress, he could undergo a medical and complete the move before the end of the week.