EFL Championship outfit Stoke City have suffered huge losses since their relegation from the Premier League in 2018.
Despite chairman John Coates injecting hundreds of millions into the club, the Staffordshire side have continued to lose vast amounts of money.
According to football finance expert Kieran Maguire, the Potters have been losing an average of £676,000 per week since dropping to the second tier in 2018.
The club made a £30m loss for the year up to March 2024, as revealed by their accounts.
There has been a massive gulf between investment and performance for Stoke City.
Narcis Pelach’s side are 19th in the Championship table after 26 games.
Sitting just four points above the danger zone, a further relegation to League One could be catastrophic.
It’s not uncommon for Championship clubs to lose money as they bid to reach the riches of the Premier League.
But Stoke have not finished in the top half of the second tier since being relegated back to it seven years ago.
Stoke City Losses Paint A Worrying Picture
Speaking to the Stoke Sentinel, Kieran Maguire explained where the Potters have gone wrong.
He said: “I think there is a big difference between spending money and spending it well.
“Nobody can doubt the degree of support that the Coates family have given Stoke City Football Club.
“I’ve calculated that since Stoke City were relegated, on average they have lost £676,000 a week. That’s from 2018 onwards, which is an incredible amount of money and I think a lot has been wasted.”
Championship clubs can post losses of up to £41.5m over a three-year rolling period. Anything above this will incur sanctions from the EFL.
However, Stoke’s £30m investment to upgrade the stadium and training ground does not count towards PSR rules. The women’s team and academy are also exempt.
But despite these write-offs – and the sale of the stadium – Stoke’s losses are still deeply concerning.
Maguire added: “[Despite the write-offs] these losses are spectacular.
“To lose more than £30m when you’ve only got £23m or £24m coming into the club – in any other business you’d say let’s call the whole thing off.”
