Luton Town FC capped off a brilliant run in the regular Championship season to remain unbeaten in 14 matches after a stalemate on the final day against Hull City. In a bid to inch closer to top-flight qualification, the club will face Sunderland in a two-legged playoff semi-final in the Championship. The away leg is scheduled for May 13, while the return fixture will be on May 17.
Considering their current form, the Rob Edwards-managed side could well be on their way to the Premier League. The promotion will tie up the Paul Ballantyne co-owned club with some financial implications. It is understood that the Hatters will require a £10m investment for ground improvements, despite their work on a new stadium to start in due course, to comply with the Premier League requirements.
Although, it is touted as a daunting prospect for the club. It has put a heavy investment of £100m on target to meet the Premier League standards. The task is furthermore cut out for the second-tier club as they incurred a turnover of £5m in the 2021-22 season. In the previous season, their operating cost increased by £4.4m.
The total revenue generated by the club increased by £1.1m on the road to Championship playoffs after the social distancing norms were brought to an end last season. Their commercial income and league distributions, however, saw a rise.
The club has paid a transfer fee of £400,000 in the previous season. But the return of £800,000 was a significant blow from the £4.3m they received in the previous season.
Furthermore, the club pays much less to its players on the active roster than the Premier League giants Manchester City. The highest-paid player on the Luton Town roster is Zimbabwean midfielder Marvelous Nakamba. The Aston Villa loanee is fetching £1,508,000 per season.
In contrast, Manchester City’s highest-paid player is their talismanic playmaker Kevin de Bruyne, who earns £20,800,000 per season. The amount that Manchester City’s highest-paid player makes is 20x more than that of Luton Town.
Comparatively, the total annual salary for Luton Town is reportedly £9,289,280 per year, while that of Manchester City is £182,640,000. The City Football Group-owned club pays a massive £173,350,720 more to its players per season than the second-tier club. The difference in annual salary incurred by the club also reflects on the quality of the players generated by each club.
Moreover, the total annual salary of £9,289,280 paid by Luton Town is less than the annual salary of several Manchester City players. For instance, defenders Ruben Diaz and Manuel Akanji make £9,360,000 per season, while Spanish midfielder Rodri earns £11,440,000.
Apart from the names mentioned above, the annual salaries of Phil Foden (£11,700,000), John Stones (£13,000,000), Jack Grealish (£15,600,000), and Erling Haaland (£19,500,000) are also considerably higher than the total payout for players per season at Luton Town.
