New league table reveals West Ham and Tottenham disconnect and why they disappoint their fans most

Much as we would probably prefer it if it didn't, money does a lot of talking in football.

Wages spend remains the best predictor of a club's future success that we have - so you'd expect the richest clubs in the game to also rank among the most successful, right?

But there are a couple of English teams whose placement in the football rich list does not exactly match up to their actual performance in the league table.

West Ham United on course to become world's richest second-tier club

The latest annual edition of the Deloitte Money League ranks clubs from across world football by the amount of revenue they generate on a yearly basis.

There's no surprises at the very top end, with Real Madrid the only club to surpass one billion Euro (£870.2m) in revenue in the 2024/25 season. They are followed by Barcelona, Bayern Munich, and PSG.

Liverpool are next in fifth place, overtaking Manchester City to become the top English club in the list for the first time.

City, Arsenal, Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea make up the rest of the top ten.

Tottenham's presence in ninth place is striking given the Europa League winners finished 17th in the Premier League last season and now find themselves 14th.

West Ham United's presence in the top 20 is also eye-catching given the Hammers currently sit in the Premier League relegation zone. West Ham rate as the ninth-richest club in English football.

The Deloitte money league is dominated by Premier League clubs overall, thanks to the division's huge, worldwide TV deals.

The equal revenue split from those broadcast rights is unusual for leagues of the Premier League's size.

That explains why although the top four places are all taken up by clubs from other countries, half of the top 30 places are filled by Premier League sides.

English sides are differentiated by matchday and commercial revenues and their standing in European competition, with participation in the Champions League particularly lucrative for clubs.

Deloitte Money League - top 20

1. Real Madrid (€1.16bn)
2. Barcelona (€974.8m)
3. Bayern Munich (€860.6m)
4. Paris Saint-Germain (€837m)
5. Liverpool (€836.1m)
6. Manchester City (€829.3m)
7. Arsenal (€821.7m)
8. Manchester United (€793.1m)
9. Tottenham Hotspur (€672.6m)
10. Chelsea (€584.1m)
11. Inter (€537.5m)
12. Borussia Dortmund (€531.3m)
13. Atletico Madrid (€454.5m)
14. Aston Villa (€450.2m)
15. Milan (€410.4m)
16. Juventus (€401.7m)
17. Newcastle United (€398.4m)
18. VfB Stuttgart (€296.3m)
19. Benfica (€283.4m)
20. West Ham United (€276m)