Premier League clubs urged to pay staff living wage after spending £1.4bn on players over summer

‘People you employ are struggling to keep their heads above water financially,’ chairs of 16 clubs told after lavish transfer window. Alessio Perrone reports

Tottenham Hotspur’s brand new stadium cost in the region of £1bn, but the club has not committed to paying all its staff the London living wage (PA)

Premier League clubs have come under pressure for not paying their staff the living wage after spending some £1.41bn on player transfers this summer.

Many cleaners, kiosk and ticketing staff and caterers to VIP boxes can earn as low as £7.50 an hour, according to the charity Citizens UK – while their employers came close to setting a new record for summer transfer spending.

While clubs spent dozens of millions in players’ fees, “people you employ are struggling to keep their heads above water financially”, says Citizens UK’s petition to the chairs of 16 clubs who don’t pay the living wage.