13th November 2025
November 13 – In a proposal that could reshape English football’s financial landscape, top-flight clubs will meet next week to vote on whether to replace the existing profit and sustainability rules (PSR).
Under the proposed “top-to-bottom anchoring” (TBA) model, clubs would be limited to spending no more than five times the broadcasting and prize money earned by the team finishing bottom of the table.
The idea mirrors systems already in place across major U.S. sports. The NFL and NBA both operate under strict salary caps designed to promote parity. Every team plays under the same financial ceiling, which, in theory, helps smaller markets compete with the giants.
Even Major League Soccer has long used a version of the model, blending a cap with designated player exceptions to control costs while keeping star power on the field.
It’s easy to see why the concept might appeal to the 11 Premier League clubs that are American-owned. To them, financial predictability equals stability. But English football’s culture is built on a completely different foundation where ambition, risk, and the belief that any club, given the right backing, can climb the ladder.
Professional Footballers’ Association chief Maheta Molango has already warned that the proposed cap “cannot be imposed unilaterally” and would face legal challenges.
“You cannot artificially cap someone’s ability to make a living,” he told the BBC, arguing that football isn’t above employment law. The Premier League responded by saying it had conducted “extensive consultation” to ensure financial sustainability and maintain competitive balance.
If the TBA model passes, England’s biggest clubs could find themselves limited compared to continental rivals, who only follow UEFA’s 70% squad cost ratio regulations.
The question is whether this is really about fairness or control. Are American-style salary caps a safeguard against financial chaos, or a creeping import that could dilute the very competitiveness that made the Premier League the global juggernaut it is today?