PREMIER LEAGUE clubs are “trying to shift away from season tickets” and no longer want “people like me and you” attending.


The 2023/24 campaign drew to a close nine days ago as Manchester City claimed their fourth straight title.




It’s been another memorable season - but we all know that to witness the Premier League action live will cost you a fortune.

We are used to seeing the likes of celebrities Kim Kardashian at Arsenal and Hollywood mega star Tom Hanks watching Aston Villa.

And even sporting sensations such as darts teen Luke Littler have been spotted in with the prawn sandwich brigade.

But another thing becoming more and more common - annoyingly so for longer-term fans - is the sight of half-and-half scarves in the crowd - and don’t get us started on the shirt begging signs!

However, it seems that the tourist fan is what more and more clubs want to attract instead of the traditional season ticket holders.

That is according to finance expert Kieran Maguire, who has just completed a study into the staggering price of attending Premier League football truly is.

He worked, from the stats comparing the 2021/22 season to the 2022/23 one, that the average price for a ticket, including VAT, was £45.

That total price figure included the cost of corporate tickets and hospitality at each club.

There was an 11 per cent increase within the 12 month period with Chelsea being the most expensive ticket.

It worked out at a fee of £91 per fan per match at Stamford Bridge while Nottingham Forest were the lowest with an average cost of just over £21.

His study revealed that Tottenham were the second most-expensive to watch at a cost of just under £85 while Arsenal were close behind at £83.49.

It cost £71.53 per fan to go to Manchester United’s Old Trafford while Liverpool made up the top five with a £70.79 total.

Champions Man City was £54.02 while Leeds United, who suffered relegation last term, were the top dogs from the rest outside of the top six.

It was £44.63 on average to go and watch them at Elland Road.

Season ticket prices are always a controversial subject, especially with Arsenal’s lowest for next season priced at £1,072 with Man City also raising theirs by 10.4 per cent.

But Maguire told BBC Five Live that season ticket holders no longer hold the same importance to clubs - and they may soon be a thing of the past.

He said: “We are also trying to see some clubs shift away from season ticket holders because as private equity organisations, they are revenue maximers.”


Then speaking directly to the person interviewing him, he said: “They do not want people like and me at football.

“We have served our time. We did our bit in the 70s, 80s and 90s when nobody was interested in football.

“Now that football is the sexiest thing on the planet, let’s attract the more middle class, the tourist fans, the fans that will go to the mega store and the matches and so on.

“I think this is a direction of travel and it’s only going to continue to travel one way.”

Maguire then explained how he had been hired by the Spirit of Shankly fan group to do an analysis of Liverpool’s prices from 1992/93 to today.

And that led to another warning that will strike fear into supporters across the country.

He added: “We’ve had freezes but at the same time there’s been significant increases in the last couple of years.

“Once that becomes embedded then I think it will become part of the expectation of the owners.

“They will try to put up prices each year.”

Vincent Kompany's likely move to Bayern Munich was initially greeted with ridicule and disbelief. A more balanced view has since emerged but there is no escaping the incredulity when a coach relegated with Burnley is set to walk into one of Europe's biggest jobs.


The German giants did not come calling for Sean Dyche when he finished seventh in the Premier League. Their views on Stan Ternent and Steve Cotterill are unconfirmed. But Kompany is regarded as a gamble worth taking, a coach of vast potential.

There are many factors involved, not least Bayern's own fraught recruitment process. But choosing Kompany also highlights the changing view of what makes an elite coach, a growing willingness to look beyond results and towards a style that could transfer.

Kompany, it should be acknowledged, has plenty else going for him. As a player, he captained club and country, winning the Premier League with Manchester City under Pep Guardiola. That brings instant respect and a relationship that imbues a certain shine.

The trend in modern management is towards those disciples of Guardiola. Mikel Arteta has emerged as his biggest challenger in the Premier League, Xabi Alonso has just triumphed in the Bundesliga. Enzo Maresca has followed Kompany in winning the Championship.

The connection with Guardiola, widely regarded as the outstanding coach of his generation, is particularly significant at Bayern. Some frame his work there as unfinished without a Champions League win but he wowed with his ideas. There is a legacy there.

For Kompany, other intangibles include his own playing spell at Hamburg - he is a fluent German speaker - and his reputation for being articulate, intelligent and measured. But the top line in all this can hardly be avoided. There is the matter of that relegation.

Kompany came into the Premier League wedded to the approach that had helped garner 101 points in the Championship, winning Burnley praise for their enterprising play. They boasted the best attack and the best defence as they stormed to the title.

The swiftness with which he transformed the style, after a decade of doing things so differently under Dyche, caught the eye. It was a testament to his ability to manage change that their possession stats were the highest since Championship records began.

But despite significant investment in the summer, his team were unable to adapt to the Premier League. The passing game that had been too good for the Championship was undone by the speed and skill of those sides at the higher level, soon undermining confidence.

The inequality within the Premier League was viewed by some as a mitigating circumstance. But, in the aftermath of a 3-0 defeat at Crystal Palace that would be followed up with a 2-0 home reverse to Bournemouth, Roy Keane had less sympathy for Kompany's side.

"Do you know what, they have been dreadful. They have been dreadful," Keane told Sky Sports. "We talk about teams having a style of play in the Championship and trying to compare it to the Premiership, it is chalk and cheese. It is impossible.

"They look weak physically. The goals they are giving away, it is schoolboy stuff. I admire managers who have a philosophy and a style of play, but you have got to adapt. You have got to give yourself a chance of winning football matches."

Only two teams in the Premier League made more errors leading to shots than Burnley and the contrast with the risk-free football of the Dyche era became a stick with which to beat him. Thousands more passes brought little reward, only encouraging more mistakes.

It is worth noting that even in his first managerial role at Anderlecht, Kompany's methods had been questioned. The attempt to mimic Guardiola had been a concern for some in Belgium, one expressed in strong terms by the former Anderlecht manager Aad de Mos.

"In football, you do not have to copy another coach," said De Mos. "Kompany wants to do the same thing as Guardiola at City and that makes me sick. City have players like Sergio Aguero and Kevin De Bruyne. Anderlecht needs to get by with more modest players."

Bayern bosses might feasibly agree with that assessment while coming to the opposite conclusion. Perhaps they take the view that they do possess the quality of player capable of delivering this football - they just need someone who is willing and able to coach it.

With one of the weakest squads in the Premier League, Kompany floundered. But with one of the best squads in the Championship, he flourished. Bayern's status within the Bundesliga, relative to the rest, is much more akin to the latter than the former.

If Kompany struggles then Bayern will be criticised. If he thrives their imagination will be lauded. Whatever happens, Kompany has been vindicated in sticking to his principles. It raises intriguing questions about how coaches should approach their work.

Dyche is an obvious contrast but for him it feels more like ideology than compromise. Other examples are more pertinent. Julen Lopetegui and Thomas Frank are two that come to mind - coaches who opted to adapt but now find that could be a mark against them.

Lopetegui's appointment at West Ham was met with a lukewarm response. In part, that was because his rescue job with Wolves - lifting them from rock bottom to 13th in the table - was not achieved with the necessary swagger to excite, even if it did save them.

Frank played a progressive game to help Brentford win promotion but, unlike Kompany, successfully switched to a more direct style to keep them there. Now, he finds some questioning whether those long throws make him suitable for a role at an elite club.

For Kompany, the stain of relegation is more easily erased than a stain on his style. This move shows that coaches, like players, can be upwardly mobile regardless of results. And that a man questioned at Burnley can somehow be seen as the answer for Bayern.

Kieran McKenna is set to stay at Ipswich and sign a new long-term contract after attracting interest from Manchester United, Chelsea and Brighton.


The 38-year-old coach has guided Ipswich to back-to-back EFL promotions and a first Premier League campaign at Portman Road for 22 years, but there were question marks over whether he would remain at the club next season.

Sky Sports News revealed McKenna was a candidate for the vacant Brighton job following Roberto De Zerbi's departure, while Man Utd officials met with representatives of the Ipswich boss.

McKenna was also linked with replacing Mauricio Pochettino at Chelsea, but was told by phone on Sunday that the club were looking elsewhere.

Sky Sports News also learned that Ipswich Town majority shareholder Ed Schwartz flew into the UK from the United States at the end of last week for talks with the club's chief executive officer Mark Ashton and McKenna. It is understood discussions were over a proposed new deal.

And now the speculation around the Ipswich boss' future is set to end with McKenna poised to extend his stay at Portman Road in what would be a major boost for the newly-promoted club.


Ipswich appointed McKenna in 2021, and in his first full season in charge he led Ipswich to promotion from League One to the Championship.

It was followed by a second consecutive promotion with Ipswich getting out of the Championship at the first attempt to reach the Premier League for the first time since 2002.

How McKenna got double-promotion
Sky Sports' Adam Williams:

On December 16, 2021 Ipswich confirmed 35-year-old Manchester United assistant manager McKenna had been appointed their new manager on a three-and-a-half year contract.

"Kieran who?" was understandably the majority of the reaction beyond those who may not have been familiar with McKenna's work under Jose Mourinho, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Ralf Rangnick at Old Trafford alongside Michael Carrick.

Softly spoken at first, but methodical, clear and honest in his media engagements, fans soon welcomed the departure from McKenna's more brash and at times, overbearing predecessors.

Promotion would prove too tough a task to achieve in the remainder of that season as Ipswich finished 11th but already McKenna had irons in the fire for his first full season in charge.

Freddie Ladapo, Dom Ball and Leif Davis would be the notable summer signings and from the off, it was clear the race to win League One that season would be hotly contested.

Plymouth set and maintained the pace throughout while Ipswich, Sheffield Wednesday and Barnsley tried to keep up.

After slipping down to fourth on February 14 with a goalless draw at Bristol Rovers, thoughts were understandably turning to another season of disappointment with Town eight points adrift of the top two.

But January's transfer window had already seen four key additions in George Hirst, Harry Clarke, Massimo Luongo and Nathan Broadhead. They would prove to be pivotal as Ipswich went on to win 13 of their 15 remaining league games, including eight in a row, to amass 98 points and automatic promotion back to the Championship after a four-year absence.

It felt good to be back in the second tier and as this season began, many supporters were hoping to just win more games than they lost and use it as a chance to continue building on the good work of the previous 18 months.

But 46 games later they are heading back to the top flight. A season of free-scoring, free-flowing, full-throttle football has seen both Ipswich's and McKenna's stock soar.


McKenna has been a wanted man this summer - for all the right reasons.

Chelsea have been given permission by Leicester to speak to their head coach Enzo Maresca over succeeding Mauricio Pochettino at Stamford Bridge.


Chelsea co-sporting directors Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart will fly to Marbella for face-to-face talks with Maresca.

The Italian's release clause at Leicester is understood to be between £8m and £10m, with an agreement between the clubs expected to be straightforward if Chelsea meet the clause.

The Blues have been impressed by the depth and breadth of Maresca's knowledge about their squad in talks with his representatives, and are impressed by his single-minded focus on the way Chelsea want to play and his desire for the job.

The 44-year-old's obsession with possession and positional play has made him the leading candidate to replace Pochettino.

An appointment could be made in the next few days if and when an agreement is reached with Leicester over compensation.

Kieran McKenna was told by phone on Sunday that Chelsea were looking elsewhere but they are great admirers of his achievements at Ipswich Town.

They also like and respect Thomas Frank and everything he has done at Brentford, while Roberto De Zerbi was also a leading candidate with what they consider a very impressive CV.

The new Chelsea head coach will sign a contract which will be longer than the two-year deal Pochettino accepted last summer, before he left the club by mutual consent last week.

Chelsea co-sporting directors Winstanley and Stewart drew up the final shortlist of recommended candidates, with the final decision made by the Chelsea ownership group, which includes co-owners Behdad Eghbali and Todd Boehly.

"I think we should expect a decision this week," said Sky Sports News chief reporter Kaveh Solhekol. "Chelsea want this sorted out by the start of June.

"Eghbali has been in London for a long time and was at the FA Cup final on Saturday. He's due to leave London pretty soon, but I expect a decision this week."

Pochettino beat Arne Slot and Vincent Kompany to the job last summer. The three men were on the final shortlist and Ange Postecoglou was also a leading candidate.

Senior Chelsea figures believe the new head coach will be the final piece of the jigsaw to fit into the new modern structure they have built at the club.

Chelsea expect to be busy in the transfer market this summer with players coming and going. Trading is likely to see the signing of a new No 9 and centre-back, while the futures of high-earners such as Romelu Lukaku and Kepa Arrizabalaga need to be resolved.

'Chelsea feel Maresca is the one for them'
Sky Sports News chief reporter Kaveh Solhekol:

"Chelsea have had a very thorough process with Kieran McKenna, Thomas Frank and Roberto De Zerbi all considered but they feel Maresca is the one for them.

"The others were all very impressive candidates, but Chelsea feel at this moment in time that Maresca is the man for them, and he shares their vision for the future.

"He's only been a manager for one-and-a-half seasons. He was a manager at Parma in the Italian second division and then he got the Leicester job.

"There have been some issues behind the scenes and not all Leicester fans have been completely happy with him even though he got them promotion back to the Premier League.

"There were problems about recruitment and problems around the fact that Leicester have been charged for allegedly breaking PSR rules and they're also under a transfer embargo from the EFL.

"There have been issues, but Chelsea just want a head coach. They want somebody who is going to coach the first team squad and deal with the media. Everything else, they feel they have in place.

"You have to remember that Mikel Arteta didn't have any prior experience of having managed in the Premier League before joining Arsenal, but he had worked under Pep Guardiola which is exactly the same as Maresca.

"I'm not saying he's a better manager than Arteta, but he has more experience than he did when he took over at Arsenal.

"Don't underestimate the Pep Effect. If you've worked under Guardiola, you've got a head-start when going for these sorts of jobs, however you still have to impress, which Maresca has done during these talks.

"I've been told that his knowledge of the Chelsea squad, including the youth team players is encyclopaedic."

Analysis: Maresca 'so embedded' in Guardiola style
Leicester Mercury correspondent Jordan Blackwell:

"Maresca is so embedded in that Guardiola style of play which is seen throughout Europe as the most successful way to play, that he was always going to attract interest when he was able to make that style successful - which he did at Leicester.

"It felt like the club had thought outside the box to bring Maresca in, with a lot of tactical knowledge whose acumen has been raved about. That's not only as Pep's assistant but with the Man City U21s and a first-team coach at West Ham.

"The Leicester players have spoken about feeling a bit stupid when he came in, he was teaching things they'd never considered or thought about, totally different ways of thinking about the game. Harry Winks said he's the best manager he's ever worked for - and he's played under Mauricio Pochettino, Antonio Conte and Jose Mourinho.

"The players would take him leaving harder than the fans would. There were difficult patches with the fans, who wanted them to take more risks and try to make something happen - especially after the way they won the Premier League in 2016. But they were so concerned to be hit on the counter-attack, they were very patient with it and would keep it at the back."

Gareth Southgate has opened up on how he treats his England squad ahead of their upcoming Euro 2024 campaign, admitting that 'very critical' coaches used to 'bully' players during his career.


England head in this summer's European Championships as one of the favourites to lift the trophy, blessed with talents such as PFA Player of the Year Phil Foden, Real Madrid superstar Jude Bellingham and Bundesliga top scorer Harry Kane.

Despite not yet winning a major tournament, Southgate has brought a sense of unity and togetherness to the England camp since his appointment as Three Lions boss in 2016 - and much of that comes down to his style of management.

The 53-year-old manager wants to establish an environment where players feel a 'freedom to play', admitting that coaches during his career often hindered this by being too critical.

'When we were growing up, we were bullied, really. Maybe that's too harsh, but the coaches were very critical,' Southgate told GQ.


'That gave me a real toughness that has helped in my life, but there's a flip side to that, where you don't feel the freedom to play. As soon as you made a mistake, boom, it was highlighted.

'Whereas now we highlight the things that go wrong more when we win than when we lose. And when we lose, you'd be picking out the positives a little bit more.'

Southgate, who named his provisional 33-man squad for Euro 2024 last Tuesday and boldly excluded senior players including Jordan Henderson and Marcus Rashford, will take charge of two pre-tournament friendlies against Bosnia and Herzegovina and Iceland next week.

The England boss has a few key decisions to make ahead of the tournament, with Luke Shaw's injury thwarting options at left-back and Declan Rice still in need of a regular central midfield partner.

Southgate, who insisted managers are 'always learning', urged that he is determined to 'master' his role as England boss.



'My mindset is I want to master the profession I've chosen,' he added.

'As a 33-year-old player, coming towards the end with England, I was still learning new ideas even though I played at the very highest level.

'It's the same as a coach – you are always learning your trade. Then there's the [fact] the world is changing so quickly with technology. There are new jobs that weren't in existence five years ago, so you have to keep pace with all of that change.'

Read the full interview online at British GQ now.