Liverpool could face a substantial financial setback of up to £200 million if they fail to secure a place in next season’s Champions League.

The Reds head into tonight’s challenging match against Sunderland trailing behind fourth-placed Manchester United by six points and are five points short of Chelsea, who occupy fifth place—a position likely critical for entry into Europe’s elite competition.

Kieran Maguire, a football finance expert and lecturer at Liverpool University, explained to Daily Mail Sport the significant financial loss Liverpool might encounter if Arne Slot’s team does not make it to the Champions League. Brentford, currently level on points with the champions, is also vying for a spot.

“For every £1 earned in the Champions League, you make approximately 22p in the Europa League and just 11p in the Conference League. So, financially speaking, it’s a case of Champions League or nothing,” Maguire emphasized.

While Anfield’s consistently full stands might cushion the blow to matchday revenue should Liverpool have to compete in a lower-tier European tournament, ticket prices might need to be adjusted to match the competition’s stature. Revenue from commercial sponsors, such as adidas and Standard Chartered, would likely decrease, potentially affecting on-field performance and making it more challenging to attract top-tier recruits without the lure of Champions League football.

Hugo Ekitike can help propel Liverpool into the Champions League qualification spots this season

Winning the Champions League, as Liverpool did back in 2019, is worth as much as £200m

This season, Liverpool has already earned roughly £90 million from the Champions League. This includes £16.1 million just for participating in the group stage—contrast this with the Europa League’s £3.7 million. Each victory in the group stage adds £1.8 million, and with Liverpool’s six wins, this totals £9.6 million. Additionally, there are broadcasting revenues and other prize bonuses for advancing through the competition.

And there’s more to come. ‘Liverpool could potentially make another £45m roughly if they progress and win the Champions League,’ adds Maguire. ‘That also means they would qualify for the Club World Cup in 2029… we saw how beneficial that was for Chelsea and Manchester City, nearly £80m each from that.

‘It is not essential but it is highly desirable to get that qualification. On top of that, the figures I have just quoted are the prize money from UEFA. If you have got four group games at Anfield plus another potential three or four in the knockouts, they can get £8m from a home match.

‘You do the maths and you’re probably talking around £190-£200m in total when you factor in bonuses from the likes of (commercial partners) adidas and Standard Chartered. So it is the £200m jackpot if you win the competition.’

Some of this money, of course, would be offset by player bonuses. Qualification for the Champions League means paying out big sums to players.

‘Players will get nothing for the Europa League or Conference League,’ Maguire adds. ‘I know some clubs that are even saying they would rather finish eighth than seventh as you probably lose money in the Conference League.’

Not mushroom for error at Sunderland!

A fun(gi) story to lighten the mood after that rather financially sticky one above. Sunderland ground staff had a brief moment of panic last week when a fungus was discovered growing at the Stadium of Light a week before the visit of Liverpool.

Sources have told us that there was nothing to worry about in terms of health and safety but it did contribute to the WSL2 fixture between Sunderland Women and Sheffield United Women to be moved to another location – where it was also postponed for a different reason.

The Black Cats have not lost a Premier League game at the Stadium of Light this season

Given the Black Cats have not lost a Premier League game at the Stadium of Light this season – they technically have not lost there in the top flight since May 2017 – Liverpool fans might not have minded if the game was moved away from their home fortress.

My view on the week: judge Slot on HIS tenure

Arne Slot has been keen to point out that Jurgen Klopp did not always win the title or make the Champions League places either, thank you very much.

And I think we need to judge Slot on his own 18 months in charge. That, on one hand, includes a Premier League title triumph which buys him time and respect. It also includes this sorry season on the back of spending £450m.

It has not been good enough this term and fans should be able to say that without being told not to be ungrateful for last season’s triumph. Why shouldn’t supporters, especially those who pay the big bucks, want more than they’ve been offered this season?

This is not just a Liverpool thing. Brighton fans, for example, have been criticised this week for booing boss Fabian Hurzeler. I don’t agree with booing personally (it is a bit tinpot or pantomime-like, for me) but that is besides the point.

The Seagulls spent the majority of the last half-century in the doldrums so must always remember where they have come from. But by the same token, they were in Europe two years ago under Roberto De Zerbi – why not want more of that?

Times change and so should expectations. That is not to say all of the abuse for Slot has been justified. Far from it. Lots of it has been toxic and, as I wrote in this space last week, the boss has the backing – for now at least – so it’s in everyone’s best interests to get behind him.

Arne Slot should be judged on his whole Liverpool tenure – not just this season

Matos’s Swans flying high

One of Klopp’s former lieutenants, Vitor Matos, is flying at Championship club Swansea since joining in late November.

The statistics are all much improved now compared to the first 16 games of the season before Matos took charge: 1.57 points per game now compared to 1.06 before, a win percentage of 50 per cent compared to 25 per cent and 1.36 goals per game compared to 0.94.

They are also taking more shots, creating double the amount of big chances and conceding fewer. It is nice to see Matos doing well after originally following Pep Lijnders to Red Bull Salzburg as assistant.

Klopp loved his former ‘link man’, who was the bridge between academy and first team, hailed as a key component of the 2024 Carabao Cup triumph.

Matos is a big comedy fan and has been studying joke techniques to understand timing for both humour and easing the atmosphere around him when talking to players. The pressures of management are new to him but he has discovered a love of cookery to switch off.

He has heavily leaned on the support of club legends Joe Allen and Leon Britton.

One of Jurgen Klopp’s former assistants Vitor Matos is flying at Championship club Swansea since joining in late November

Jeremy gets the Liverpool bug

In case you missed it, £60m summer signing Jeremy Jacquet is injured and out for a substantial period with a shoulder issue.

The Rennes defender may be in a battle to play again this season according to French newspaper L’Equipe, though this has not been confirmed yet.

He has had a tricky time since the transfer was confirmed: a 3-0 loss at Marseille, a 3-1 defeat at second-placed Lens and, next up, league leaders Paris Saint-Germain. Oh, and boss Habib Beye was sacked.

LIverpool’s new signing Jeremy Jacquet who is due to arrive in the summer has picked up a nasty shoulder injury 

…and Jeremie’s return can’t come soon enough

Jeremie Frimpong’s injury is not thought to be a serious one and the Dutchman could return to training in the next fortnight or so if all goes well.

How they need that. Just when Frimpong has got going with form and fitness, he pulls up again, this latest groin problem his third injury since joining the club after two hamstring blows.

Joe Gomez also trained on Tuesday and, though tonight’s game is probably too soon in terms of starting, there are signs that Liverpool are just getting out of their defensive injury crisis.

Last word: Calvin fine… but no more than that

Calvin Ramsay can hardly be the answer to all of Slot’s problems at Liverpool, can he?

Calvin Ramsay has morphed into prime Cafu, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Kyle Walker in the last week.

That’s according to fans who, with the young Scot not getting a sniff in matchday XIs, have now picked his omission as another reason to be riled at Slot. It reminds me of earlier in the season when there was a huge clamour for Federico Chiesa. When the Italian did get a few games, people saw he was maybe not quite good enough.

Just to jog the memory, Ramsay (whose name has been spelled wrong on Match of the Day all season, annoyingly), barely played at Preston, Bolton, Wigan and Kilmarnock in loan deals across recent years.

There was again loan interest in January. He was bright in the 3-0 defeat against Crystal Palace earlier in the season but, come on, is he really going to solve all of the problems for Slot?