More than two thirds of Barclays Premier League clubs have had their credit ratings “suspended”, it has been claimed.
Reports seen by The Times newspaper and generated by Riskdisk, a credit checking agency, revealed that 14 of the 20 top-flight sides have been blacklisted.
The clubs with a “suspended” rating were Aston Villa, Birmingham City, Bolton Wanderers, Burnley, Chelsea, Everton, Fulham, Hull City, Liverpool, Manchester City, Portsmouth, Stoke City, Wigan Athletic and Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Rob McLaughlin, the director of Riskdisk, said: “The ratings do not predict what a wealthy backer may do. They are based on information available from sources such as Companies House and from the courts. There is no assumption made that a shareholder may put more money in.”
While the analysis seen by The Times is proprietary and will differ from ratings agency to agency, the newspaper said that the research highlighted the “creaking finances” of many clubs following the crisis at Portsmouth, which in February became the first Premier League side to go into administration.
The paper adds that the discovery of the credit blacklist was mirrored by research from another credit-ratings firm, Experian, which concluded that five Premier League sides were on its “financial critical” list, although the identity of the clubs was unclear. In January, the agency blacklisted eight clubs.
Joe Myers, the head of commercial credit at Experian, said: “We do not recommend credit to companies in the maximum risk group.”
The Times claimed that Manchester United and Arsenal were considered “good risks” to whom it is “OK to offer your best terms”, as was Blackburn Rovers. Sunderland was rated a “normal risk” but suppliers to West Ham United were warned that the club is “a little higher than average risk. Proceed with caution”.
