Wages could soar again after TV rights windfall

Earnings from TV rights for Premier League matches as from the start of 2007 will generate some £1.7 billion for clubs in the top flight. The windfall could see player salaries' rising sky high.

A financial report by Deloitte, which expects English clubs to continue leading the football world financially, shows player-packets in the top echelon fell by three per cent in season 2004-05.

Yet, the report predicts that the income surplus from TV rights will be spent largely on new players and that there would also be further investment across the clubs' businesses to guarantee a broad-based future success.

Wage bills were lessened for the first time since the start of the Premiership way back in 1992.

However, players in the top flight still outstrip their European counterparts.

Top league revenues for 2004-05:

England £1.3 billion
Italy £0.9 billion
Germany £0.8 billion
Spain £0.7 billion
France £0.5 billion

The highest earners in the 2004-05 Premier League championship were:

Manchester Utd £159m
Chelsea £149m
Liverpool £122m
Arsenal £115m

'Diving' players

With the 2006/07 Premier League starting this week, the FA is advising referees to keep a watchful eye on players 'diving' to get an opponent in trouble.

The Premier League insists, however, that a player cannot be booked for a dive when any form of contact is made.

Referees are set to heavily punish the waving of 'imaginary' cards by players to get opponents booked.

While the call for television evidence has not been given the green light by FIFA once again, the Premier League is urging English referees to use their powers under the 'unsporting behaviour' rules to caution players.

Arsenal
Manager: Arsene Wenger.

Ins: Tomas Rosicky (Czech Rep.), mf from B. Dortmund - £7m; Justin Hoyte, def from Sunderland - end of loan; Jeremie Aliadiere, fwd from Wolves - end of loan; Vincent van den Berg (Holland) fwd, from Heerenveen - £600,000; Joe O'Cea-ruill, def from Watford - £500,000.

Outs: Robert Pires, fwd to Villarreal - free; Kerrea Gilbert, def to Cardiff; Fabrice Muamba, mf to Birmingham; Sebastian Larsson, mf to Birmingham - loan; Ryan Smith, mf to Derby - £450,000; Sol Campbell, def to Portsmouth - free; Nicklas Bendtner, fwd to Birmingham.

Aston Villa
Manager: Martin O'Neill.

Ins: Yago and Damian Bellon (Switzerland), 16, from St Gallen.

Outs: Jamie Ward, fwd to Torquay.

Blackburn Rovers
Manager: Mark Hughes.

Ins: Zurab Khizanishvili, def from Rangers - £800,000; Jason Brown, gk from Gillingham - free; Jason Roberts, fwd from Wigan - £3m; Francis Jeffers, fwd from Charlton - free; Benni McCarthy (South Africa), fwd from Porto - £2.5m; Dwight Willen, def from C. Brugge - loan.

Outs: Paul Dickov, fwd to Man. City; Craig Bellamy, fwd to Liverpool - £6m; Gary Harkins, mf to Grimsby.

Bolton Wanderers
Manager: Sam Allardyce.

Ins: Idan Tal, mf from Maccabi Tel Aviv - free; Abdoulaye Meite (Ivory Coast), def from Marseille - £1.3m; Quinton Fortune, fwd from Manchester United - free.

Outs: Bruno N'Gotty, def to Birmingham - free; Kevin Poole, gk to Derby - free; Radhi Jaidi, def to Birmingham - £2m; Jay-Jay Okocha to Qatar Sports Club - free.

Charlton Athletic
Manager: Iain Dowie.

Ins: Cory Gibbs (US), def from Feyenoord - free; Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, fwd from Middlesbrough - free; Simon Walton, mf from Leeds - £500,000; Gonzalo Sorondo, def from Inter - free; Mark Staunton, def from Celtic - £500,000; Amady Faye, mf from Newcastle - £2m; Djimi Traore, def from Liverpool - £2m; Christian Bolanos (Costa Rica), fwd from Deportivo Saprissa - loan.

Outs: Adam Cottrell, def to Millwall - free; Sheku Kamara, def to Watford - free; Chris Powell, def to Watford - free; Francis Jeffers, fwd to Blackburn - free; Chris Perry, def to West Brom - free; Shaun Bartlett, fwd to Kaiser Chiefs - free; Jonathon Johansson, fwd to Malmo - free; Jay Bothroyd, fwd to Wolves - free; Rob Elliott, gk to A. Stanley - loan.

Chelsea
Manager: Jose Mourinho.

Ins: Michael Ballack (Germany), mf from B. Munich - free; Salomon Kalou, fwd from Feyenoord - £3m; Jon Obi Mikel, mf from Man. Utd - (option agreement) £12m, Lynn Oslo £4m; Andriy Shevchenko (Ukraine), fwd from Milan - £30m; Hilario (Portugal), gk from Nacional - free; Ben Sahar (Israel), fwd from Hapoel - £320,000.

Outs: Alex Smertin, mf to D. Moscow - £1m; Maniche, mf to D. Moscow; Dean Furman, mf to Rangers - free; Lenny Pidgeley, gk to Millwall - free; Juan S. Veron, mf to Estudiantes - free; Jiri Jarosik, mf to Celtic - £700,000; Dean Smith, def to Aldershot; Eidur Gudjohnsen, fwd to Barcelona - £8.2m; Danny Hollands, mf to Bournemouth; Glen Johnson, def to Portsmouth; Carlton Cole, fwd to West Ham - £2m; Filipe Morais, fwd to Millwall; Asier Del Horno, def to Valencia - £4.5m; Damien Duff, mf to Newcastle - £5m; Andy Grant, mf to Wycombe; Hernan Crespo, fwd to Inter.

Everton
Manager: David Moyes.

Ins: Tim Howard, gk from Man. United - loan; Joleon Lescott, def from Wolves - £5m; Andy Johnson, fwd from C. Palace - £8.6m; Scott Spencer, fwd from Oldham - £350,000.

Outs: Li Tie, mf to Sheffield United - free; Matteo Ferrari, def to Roma - end of loan; Laurence Wilson, mf to Chester - free.

Fulham
Manager: Chris Coleman.

Ins: Jim Bullard, mf from Wigan - £2.5m; Gabriel Zakuani, def from Leyton Orient - £1m; Bjorn Runstrom (Sweden), fwd from Hammarby - £700,000; Frank Queudrue, def from Middlesbrough - £1.1m.

Outs: Darren Pratley, mf to Swansea - £100,000; Liam Fontaine, def to Bristol Rovers - £200,000; Zesh Rehman, def to QPR - £650,000; Dean Leacock, def to Derby - £375,000.

Liverpool
Manager: Rafael Benitez.

Ins: Bruno Cheyrou, mf from Bordeaux - end of loan; Craig Bellamy, fwd from Blackburn - £6m; Fabio Aurelio (Brazil), def from Valencia - free; Gabriel Paletta (Argentina), def from Atletico Banfield - £2m; Mark Gonzales, fwd from Real Sociedad - end of loan; Anthony Le Tallec, fwd from Sunderland - end of loan; Salif Diao, mf from Portsmouth - end of loan; Florent Sinama Pongolle, fwd from Blackburn - end of loan; Jermaine Pennant, fwd from Birmingham - £6.7m.

Outs: Fernando Morientes, fwd to Valencia - £3m; Conal Platt, fwd to Bournemouth - free; Zak Whitbread, def to Millwall - £200,000; Bruno Cheyrou, mf to Rennes - free; Richie Partridge, fwd to Rotherham - free; Antonio Barragan, def to Deportivo - £700,000; Ramon Calliste, fwd to Scunthorpe - free; David Raven, def to Carlisle - free; Djibril Cisse, fwd to Marseille - loan; Dietmar Hamann, mf to Man. City - free; Chris Kirkland, gk to Wigan - loan; Carl Medjani, def to Lorient - free; Michael Nardiello, fwd to West Brom - free; Djimi Traore, def to Charlton - £2m.

Manchester City
Manager: Stuart Pearce.

Ins: Joe Hart, gk from Shrewsbury - £600,000; Paul Dickov, fwd from Blackburn - free; Ousmane Dabo (France), mf from Lazio - free; Dietmar Hamann, mf from Liverpool - £300,000; Bernardo Corradi (Italy), fwd from Valencia - £850,000; Hatem Trabelsi (Tunisia), def from Ajax - free; Andreas Isaksson (Sweden), gk from Stade Rennes - £1m.

Outs: David Sommeil, def to Sheff. United - free; Kiki Musampa, mf to A. Madrid - end of loan; Albert Riera, fwd to Espanyol - end of loan; Mikkel Bischoff, def to Coventry - free; Geert de Vlieger, gk to Waregem - free; Bradley Wright-Phillips, fwd to Southampton - £1m; Lee Croft, fwd to Norwich - £600,000; Willo Flood, mf to Brighton - £250,000; David James, gk to Portsmouth - £1.2m.

Manchester United
Manager: Alex Ferguson.

Ins: Michael Carrick, mf from Tottenham - £18.6m; Tomasz Kuszczak, gk from West Brom - loan.

Outs: David Bellion, fwd to Nice - £750,000; Tim Howard, gk to Everton; Tommy Lee, gk to Macclesfield - free; Jonathan Spector, def to West Ham - £500,000; Eddie Johnson, fwd to Bradford - free; Sylvain Ebanks-Blake, fwd to Plymouth - £200,000; Phil Picken, def to Chesterfield; Quinton Fortune, fwd to Bolton; Ruud van Nistelrooy, fwd to Real Madrid - £11.5m; Gerard Pique, def to Real Zaragoza; Luke Steele, gk to WBA; Paul McShane, def to West Brom; Ben Foster, gk to Watford.

Middlesbrough
Manager: Gareth Southgate.

Ins: Herold Goulon (France), mf from Lyon - free; Julio Arca, mf from Sunderland - £1.75m.

Outs: Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, fwd to Charlton - free; Frank Queudrue, def to Fulham - £1.1m; Danny Graham, fwd to Blackpool - loan.

Newcastle United
Manager: Glenn Roeder.

Ins: Damien Duff, from Chelsea - £5m; James Milner, mf from Aston Villa - end of loan.

Outs: Lee Bowyer, mf to West Ham - £650,000; Daryl Smylie, fwd to Livingston - free; Michael Chopra, fwd to Cardiff - £750,000; Amady Faye, mf to Charlton - £2m.

Portsmouth
Manager: Harry Redknapp.

Ins: Glen Johnson, def from Chelsea - loan; David Thompson, mf from Wigan - free; Sol Campbell, def from Arsenal - free; David James, gk from Man. City - £1.2m.

Outs: Gregory Vignal, def to Racing Lens - free; Ognjen Koroman, mf to Terek Grozny - end of loan; defender Azar Karadas to Benfica - end of loan; Gary Silk, mf to Notts Co. - free; Vincent Pericard, fwd to Stoke - free; Andres D'Alessandro, mf to Wolfsburg; Brian Priske, def to Bruges - £500,000; John Viafara, mf to Southampton - £750,000.

Reading
Manager: Steve Coppell.

Ins: Seol Ki-Hyeon, fwd from Wolves - £1.5m; Sam Sodje, def from Brentford - £500,000.

Outs: John Mullins, def to Mansfield - free; Conor Sinnott, mf to Limerick - loan.

Sheffield United
Manager: Neil Warnock.

Ins: David Sommeil, def from Manchester City - free; Chris Lucketti, def from Preston - £300,000; Claude Davis, def from Preston - £3m; Christian Nade (France), fwd from Troyes - £700,000; Mikele Leigertwood, def from C. Palace - £600,000; Li Tie, mf from Everton - free; Rob Hulse, fwd from Leeds - £2.1m.

Outs: Gary Mulligan, mf to Gillingham - free; Simon Francis, def to Southend - £600,000; Phil Barnes, gk to Grimsby - £200,000; Luke Beckett, fwd to Huddersfield - £300,000; Jonathan Forte, mf to Doncaster - loan; Geoff Horsfield, fwd to Leeds - loan.

Tottenham Hotspur
Manager: Martin Jol.

Ins: Dimitar Berbatov (Bulgaria), fwd from B. Leverkusen - £10.9m; Reto Ziegler, mf from Wigan - end of loan; Benoit A. Ekotto (France), def from Lens - £850,000; Didier Zokora, mf from St Etienne - £8.2m; Dorian Dervitte, def from Lille - £500,000; Wayne Routledge, fwd from Portsmouth - end of loan; Tomas Pekhart, 16, mf from Slavia Prague.

Outs: Grzegory Rasiak, fwd to Southampton - £2m; Mido, fwd to Roma; Mounir El Hamdaoui, fwd to Willem II - £300,000; Claude Seanla, fwd to Watford - free; Johnnie Jackson, mf to Colchester - free; Stephen Kelly, def to Birmingham - £750,000; Dean Marney, def to Hull - £200,000; Michael Carrick, mf to Man. United - £18.6m.

Watford
Manager: Adrian Boothroyd.

Ins: Claude Seanla, fwd from Tottenham - free; Damien Francis, mf from Wigan - £1.5m; Sheku Kamara, def from Charlton - free; Chris Powell, def from Charlton - free; Scott Loach, gk from Lincoln - £155,000; Danny Shittu, def from QPR - £1.6m; Ben Foster, gk from Man. United - loan; Tamas Priskin (Hungary), fwd from Gyori ETO - £230,000.

Outs: Jamie Hand, mf to Chester - free; Joe O'Cearuill, def to Arsenal - £500,000.

West Ham United
Manager: Alan Pardew.

Ins: Lee Bowyer, mf from Newcastle - £650,000; Jonathan Spector, def from Man. Utd - £500,000; Tyrone Mears, def from Preston - £1m; Carlton Cole, fwd from Chelsea - £2m; John Pantsil (Ghana), def from Hapoel Tel Aviv - £750,000.

Outs: Lionel Scaloni, def to Deportivo; Darren Behcet, gk to Yeovil - free; Elliott Ward, def to Coventry - £1m; Yaniv Katan, fwd to Maccabi Haifa - loan; Chris Cohen, mf to Yeovil - £75,000; Shaka Hislop gk, to FC Dallas - free; Carl Fletcher, mf to C. Palace - £400,000.

Wigan Athletic
Manager: Paul Jewell.

Ins: Fitz Hall, def from C. Palace - £3m; Tomasz Cywka (Poland), mf from Gwarek Zabrze - £500,000; Emile Heskey, fwd from Birmingham - £5.5m; Chris Kirkland, gk from Liverpool - loan; Denny Landzaat (Holland), mf from AZ Alkmaar - £2.5m; Emmerson Boyce, def from C. Palace - £1.2m; Antonio Valencia (Ecuador), mf from Villarreal - loan; George McCartney, def from Sunderland - £400,000.

Outs: Jimmy Bullard, mf to Fulham - £2m; Reto Ziegler, mf to Tottenham; Alan Mahon, mf to Burnley - £200,000; Jason Roberts, fwd to Blackburn - £3m; Damien Francis, mf to Watford - £1.5m; Michael Hazeldine, mf to Alloa - free; David Thompson, mf to Portsmouth - free; Clive Clarke, def to Sunderland - £200,000.