The European Super League breakaway could return - and this is why

The European Super League breakaway of 2021 was met with widespread disgust and protests in 2021, particularly in England, where most fans deemed the idea nothing less than a betrayal.

But the proposal remains a lingering possibility, dormant for now but surely something that will inevitably be revisited at some point in the not-too-distant future.

And the growing wealth of the Premier League - whose clubs are enriching themselves at a rate impossible to match elsewhere in Europe - could make the return of the Super League question even more likely.

Report shows gap between Premier League and the rest

A new report from Sportingpedia has revealed that Premier League clubs are committing €2.41 billion to player wages for the 2025/26 season - 65% higher than La Liga, the next biggest spending division.

Nineteen clubs reportedly pay over €100 million in player wages, nine of which are from the Premier League. Brentford’s wage bill of €62.5 million - the lowest in the Premier League - is higher than any club in Portugal or the Netherlands.

Meanwhile, the biggest disparity in salaries comes in Ligue 1, where Paris Saint-Germain have a wage bill 25 times bigger than lowest spenders Le Havre.

In La Liga, Real Madrid have a wage bill 12 times larger than Levante’s, and in Serie A, Inter outspend Lecce by a factor of seven. Bayern Munich, the Bundesliga’s top spenders, pay more than 10 times the wages of Heidenheim.

There is a growing gap between the European powerhouses and the rest, although the narrowest disparity is in the Premier League, where Manchester City’s wage bill is four times higher than Brentford’s.

Still, the huge inequality across the divisions will raise questions as the biggest and most wealthy clubs cruise to league titles and instead focus their attention predominantly on continental football - as has been the case with PSG in particular.

In FourFourTwo's view, the huge wealth of the Premier League and the power of Europe’s top clubs will soon lead to more existential questions. The Premier League’s financial might will also increase the temptation of another bid to launch a Super League for clubs like Real Madrid and Barcelona.

The Premier League’s increasing power relative to the rest of Europe will likely become increasingly noticeable, if it wasn’t already. Last season’s Europa League final between Spurs and Manchester United - 15th vs 17th in the Premier League - was an example of what could be to come.