Analysis: The Stoke City Barcelona Pipeline
With Stoke City taking home €90.8 million in television revenue, The Potters make substantially more than all other teams in La Liga save for Real Madrid and Barcelona.
Fifth and finally is television Revenue. Chairman Peter Coates stated in his interview with Radio 5 Live that the cash from the new Premier League TV deal was a major reason that Stoke could sign the talent they were pursuing.
This chart from Spanish Sports newspaper AS provides an interesting breakdown of what English teams earn from television rights in comparison to other major European leagues. With Stoke taking home €90.8 million in television revenue during the 2013-2014 season, the Potters make substantially more than all other teams in La Liga save for Real Madrid and Barcelona.
With the majority of languid Barcelona players that depart on free transfers and contract terminations finding themselves at other Spanish clubs and elsewhere in Southern Europe, Stoke has the means to lure these FC Barcelona alumni to the Britannia with larger paycheques (and often nicer facilities) than their La Liga counterparts. Compounded with the other four factors I’ve mentioned, Stoke can make a compelling case to a number of talented footballers who may find themselves on the outside looking in at the Nou Camp.
It’s worth considering that the possibility of a Stoke City Barcelona ‘pipeline’ might be overstated. Mark Hughes, Peter Coates, Paul Scholes, and Kevin Cruickshank have all downplayed the relationship between The Potters and the Catalan giants, often stating that it’s not so much a relationship as it is the two clubs ‘getting on well enough’.
Whatever the relationship is, it’s working. Even after the transfer window closed two weeks ago, Stoke City are yet again linked with Barcelona B products Sergi Samper and Sergi Roberto following Barcelona B’s relegation to Spain’s third division.
Should Mark Hughes continue overhauling Stoke City, the Stoke City-FC Barcelona pipeline (or whatever Stoke’s front office decides to call it) could potentially bear fruit for seasons to come.