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- 😋 A tasty transfer
😋 A tasty transfer
Plus: the business of football stadiums
GM football fans. Route One here, the only football newsletter that wraps you up in a warm blanket of content during the winter break.
The winter break is doing what it does best… dragging its feet.
But we’re here to get you through the week so sit tight. We have you covered.
Today’s briefing is a ~3 min read:
The business of football stadiums 💰
Quick hits: a legend of the game Franz Beckenbauer 🐐
Football’s tastiest transfer 🌭
Morning Brief 🗞️
German legend Franz Beckenbauer passed away yesterday aged 78. The icon had 104 caps for West Germany, captaining them to glory at the 1974 World Cup.
FA Cup fourth-round draw: Spurs host Man City, Aston Villa go to Chelsea, and Newcastle visit Fulham. This round will be played across the weekend of January 27.
Manchester United won 2 - 0 versus Wigan last night to go through to the next round.
Real Madrid are keeping an eye on Everton centre back Jarrad Branthwaite.
Micky van de Ven could return to Tottenham’s starting XI when they face Manchester United on Sunday, according to Teamtalk.
777 Partners inject an additional $50m into Everton, taking their total amount of funding to above $180m. The U.S. investment firm is still awaiting Premier League approval for its proposed takeover.
THE BUSINESS OF FOOTBALL STADIUMS 💰
Can Taylor Swift do it on a rainy night in Stoke?
We’re not sure… but we might find out soon.
Why? Because European football clubs are racing to transform their stadiums into entertainment destinations, according to the Financial Times.
And they ain’t wrong…
Real Madrid has spent - gulp - €1.2bn on renovations.
Barcelona raised - bigger gulp - €1.5bn from the US bond market to update the Camp Nou.
Inter Milan, AC Milan and Roma are all finalising designs for new facilities.
And it was Spurs who paved the way…
… their €1bn stadium investment has paid off big time.
It has meant that they hosted NFL matches, heavyweight boxing bouts and the likes of Beyoncé for five nights on her global Renaissance tour.
Not that you’d know anything about that… right?
Apart from becoming an entertainment super venue, the renovation focused on the fan experience on matchdays.
The result? They exceeded £100m in matchday revenue in 2021/22, meaning they’re competing with the Premier League’s big boys.
Source: Financial Times / Football Benchmark
So, other clubs around the world are following suit - understandably.
But there’s one problem
The price of construction has been soaring since you know what. Starts with a C and ends with 19.
Everton has fallen victim to this with a reported £150m price hike on their original estimations.
Eesh.
They better hope Taylor Swift has a big fan base in Merseyside…
In short: expect an upgrade to your matchday experience with…
Larger gift shops.
Skywalks with views across the city.
Fine dining that even Marco Pierre White would be pleased with.
But, keep that wallet under wraps, Router.
QUICK HITS 💉
🏟️ On this day: in 1965, Manchester City recorded their lowest-ever League attendance at Maine Road with just 8,015 turning up for their fixture with Swindon Town. That season, they won the Second Division title and hosted a crowd topping 63,000 for a cup tie.
📼 Video: Ivan Toney admits that he has “a lot to repay [Brentford]” after helping him through his eight-month betting ban in his interview with Sky Sports.
📊 Stat: only Erling Haaland (19) and Mo Salah (18) have scored more goals in all competitions among Premier League players this season than Brighton’s João Pedro (15), via Opta.
🌍 International…
The Asia Cup starts on Friday with Qatar versus Lebanon.
The African Cup of Nations starts on Saturday with Ivory Coast vs Guinea-Bissau. All of AFCON’s games will be shown on Sky Sports.
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A TASTY TRANSFER DEAL 🌭
The January transfer window is kicking into gear…
But, no matter what happens, nothing beats the transfer of Marius Cioara in 2006.
Who?
Brushes up on Romanian fourth-division history - ahem…
Well, he was the footballer who was sold for a ‘transfer fee’ that embarrassed him to the point of retirement.
The fee? 15 kilograms of pork sausages.
You’ll be pleased to know he wasn’t the first player to be transferred with food.
In 2001, Norwegian player Kenneth Kristiansen was sold for 75kg - the equivalent of his body weight - worth of shrimp!
75kg of shrimp? Must’ve had a good season…
EXTRA-TIME ⏱️
Following Franz Beckenbauer’s passing, here’s a showing of the legend in action. Simply a one-of-a-kind player.
The worst debut in football history? Maybe. Pasquale Mazzochhi was introduced for Napoli at half-time but he was shown a red card after four minutes for a dangerously high tackle.
When two worlds collide... Ryan Reynolds's documentary ‘Welcome to Wrexham’ was awarded five Emmys.
A free kick so good that the stadium lights cut out. Unbelievable swerve from Wolfsburg’s Maximilian Arnold.
MEME 😆
