Southampton must be 'careful' over finances - Maguire

Southampton must be 'careful' over finances - MaguireImage source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Southampton were expelled from the Championship play-off finalByAllan ValenteBBC Sport EnglandPublished7 minutes agoSouthampton must be "very careful" over their debts and fiscal position after the Spygate scandal which cost them a chance of returning to the Premier League, says football finance expert Kieran Maguire.Saints were expelled from the Championship play-offs after admitting observing opponents' training sessions and have been deducted four points for the 2026-27 league season.An independent disciplinary commission found spying on rival clubs, including semi-final play-off opponents Middlesbrough, was authorised by head coach Tonda Eckert and Maguire says missing out on promotion will have immediate and more long-term effects on the club's finances."They will have to be very careful as far as the club's existing debts are concerned," Maguire told BBC Radio Solent. "They owe over £100m to creditors. A lot of that is due to the parent company, which isn't too much to worry about, but what's of greater concern is that at the end of 2025 they owed £99m in unpaid transfer fees, so that will have absorbed a lot of the cash that the club was running on this year."'The Spygate punishment does not fit the crime'AttributionNewsPublished5 days agoSouthampton's Eckert authorised spying missionsPublished6 days agoHe continued: "Next year, instead of getting a minimum of £110m in broadcast money from the Premier League and all the ancillary benefits that brings, they will be into their second and final season of parachute payments. That will be worth around £35m."So, you add everything up and this is why it is called the £200m match as far as the [play-off] final is concerned, you get all the additional TV money, you get an extra two years' worth of parachute payments as a minimum and...