Brighton to cash in after unexpected £83m Premier League financial boost

Norwich and Watford were relegated from the top flight last season and both have secured promotion at the first time of asking and that means a financial boost for Brighton and their Premier League rivals.

When clubs drop from the Premier League, parachute payments are handed to them over three years in an attempt to cushion the financial blow.

As Norwich and Watford both successfully returned after just one campaign in the second tier, they will no longer receive the parachute payments for next year.

Therefore the money stays in the Premier League and each club receives a slice of the £83m, with Brighton's share expected to be a shade more than £4m.

The payment could increase further if Bournemouth, who also dropped to the Championship last season, are promoted via the playoffs.

The additional income will be a welcome boost as last January Brighton reported a loss of £67.2m for the 2019/20 season, compared to the £21.2m the previous campaign.

Turnover for Albion was also down to £132.9m from £148m as coronavirus affected every aspect of their financial operations.

Brighton will hope to take a huge step towards securing the additional payment and their Premier League status this Saturday as they welcome Leeds to the Amex Stadium.

Graham Potter's team are seven points above the relegation places with five matches of the season remaining.

“It doesn’t feel comfortable to me because we need more points, it’s as simple as that," said Potter after their 1-0 loss at relegated Sheffield United last Saturday.

“If we had won (at Sheffield United) then of course we look like accumulating quite a decent total, but now we just focus on Saturday.

“It’s not enough because there’s a lot of points to play for. We have to just focus on one game at a time. Every opponent is fighting for something.

“We are at that stage of the season where everyone is fighting for something, even if it is pride like Sheffield United.

“I think all the games we have to play we can be competitive in, and we have proved that, and we have got a chance to get points in all of those games – but equally we could lose. And that’s the beauty of the league and why it is the best league in the world.”