Premier League clubs are preparing for the possibility of playing the whole of next season behind closed doors.
While clubs discuss proposals to complete this season behind closed doors at neutral venues, they have also started considering the impact of playing the 2020-21 season without fans as well.
Clubs are expecting football to get back to normal only when there is a coronavirus vaccine. Most experts believe a vaccine will not become available until the middle of next year.
In the meantime, many clubs believe one of the first things they can do is budget for spending little or no money on transfers when the next window opens.
The Premier League have said failing to finish this season would cost its 20 clubs more than £1billion, but playing next season behind closed doors is likely to have an even more dramatic impact on club finances.
Premier League clubs make the majority of their money from broadcasting income and, apart from that, their revenues stem mainly from matchday income and commercial deals.
Both those revenue streams would be significantly reduced if games were played behind closed doors for a whole season.
Premier League clubs remain committed to finishing the current season, but it emerged this will only be possible if 8-10 neutral venues are used to play the remaining fixtures.The ‘Project Restart’ document was top of the agenda in the latest conference call on Friday, which all 20 clubs attended, while the next meeting is set to take place after the UK government’s next review of lockdown measures on May 7.
June 12 was discussed as a potential return date but any final decision will rest with the government and will depend on the next steps in the lockdown.
