The Big Six is an informal term used to collectively refer to six football clubs in the Premier League, namely, Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur. They are known as the most successful clubs in the history of the Premier League.
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Background
Manchester United and Arsenal were recognized as Big Two clubs in the late 1990s to the mid-2000s for their dominance and rivalry. This designation then expanded as the Big Four to incorporate Chelsea and Liverpool, as the four clubs regularly placed in the top four of the Premier League between the mid and late 2000s. Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur were later integrated into the Big Six, in the early 2010s, for their consistent successes and high-ranking finishes in the league.
The Big Six clubs are often referred to as "the most successful group in modern day football". They accounted for 57.5% of the total annual revenues of all Premier League clubs, according to a financial analysis report in 2019, and in 2022 and 2023, the Big Six clubs each generated an annual revenue between £372 million to £713 million. In 2021, the Big Six clubs' average spending on transfers was £50.9 million, more than twice the amount spent by any other club in the league.
European Super League
A breakaway competition, the European Super League (ESL), was founded in 2021 with the purpose of replacing the UEFA Champions League, composing of twelve founding members including the Big Six clubs. After receiving backlash from the UK government, the Football Association and the Premier League, the Big Six clubs withdrew their memberships from the ESL and were fined a total of £22 million by the latter two organizations, in addition to being subjected to potential penalties including a 30-point deduction and a fine of £25 million for future attempts of joining a similar league. An independent "fan-led" regulatory body was formed by the UK government as a result of the ESL participation by the Big Six clubs, who were also given the task of funding the body.
Members
| Club | Stadium | City | Manager | Honours | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| L1 | FA | LC | CS | EC | UC | US | WC | ||||
| Arsenal | Emirates Stadium | London | Mikel Arteta | 13 | 14 | 2 | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Chelsea | Stamford Bridge | London | Enzo Maresca | 6 | 8 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| Liverpool | Anfield | Liverpool | Arne Slot | 19 | 8 | 10 | 16 | 6 | 3 | 4 | 1 |
| Manchester City | Etihad Stadium | Manchester | Pep Guardiola | 10 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Manchester United | Old Trafford | Manchester | Ruben Amorim | 20 | 13 | 6 | 21 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Tottenham Hotspur | Tottenham Hotspur Stadium | London | Ange Postecoglou | 2 | 8 | 4 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
Rivalries
- Arsenal F.C.–Chelsea F.C. rivalry
- Arsenal F.C.–Manchester City F.C. rivalry
- Arsenal F.C.–Manchester United F.C. rivalry
- Arsenal F.C.–Tottenham Hotspur F.C. rivalry
- Chelsea F.C.–Liverpool F.C. rivalry
- Chelsea F.C.–Tottenham Hotspur F.C. rivalry
- Liverpool F.C.–Manchester City F.C. rivalry
- Liverpool F.C.–Manchester United F.C. rivalry
- Manchester City F.C.–Manchester United F.C. rivalry
League positions
| Season | ARS | CHE | LIV | MCI | MUN | TOT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009–10 | 3 | 1 | 7 | 5 | 2 | 4 |
| 2010–11 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 5 |
| 2011–12 | 3 | 6 | 8 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
| 2012–13 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 5 |
| 2013–14 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 6 |
| 2014–15 | 3 | 1 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 5 |
| 2015–16 | 2 | 10 | 8 | 4 | 5 | 3 |
| 2016–17 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 6 | 2 |
| 2017–18 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| 2018–19 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 4 |
| 2019–20 | 8 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 6 |
| 2020–21 | 8 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 7 |
| 2021–22 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 4 |
| 2022–23 | 2 | 12 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 8 |
| 2023–24 | 2 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 8 | 5 |
| League champions Champions League Europa League Conference League | ||||||
References
- Conn, David (19 April 2021). "Premier League's Big Six and why they want to join a European Super League". The Guardian.
- ^ Kelly, Ryan (21 April 2021). "Who are the Premier League 'big six'? Top English clubs & nickname explained". Goal.
- ^ White, Mark (2 May 2023). "The Big Six era is OVER, with a new era now taking its place". FourFourTwo. Retrieved 25 November 2024.
- Mustapha, Ibrahim (11 August 2021). "'Big Six' Is No More, but Manchester City, United, Liverpool, and Chelsea Are Pulling Away Fast". Eurosport.
- Potts, Michael (19 April 2021). "Who are the big six in the Premier League?". Radio Times. Retrieved 25 November 2024.
- Ritchie, Calum; Bishop, Callum (2024-02-09). "The Premier League 'big six' mini-league table for the 2023/24 season looks very interesting". GiveMeSport. Retrieved 25 November 2024.
- Kidd, Robert (18 June 2019). "The Big 6 Clubs Are 'Destroying The Premier League,' Report Says". Forbes. Retrieved 25 November 2024.
- Chadderton, Sam (17 April 2024). "Premier League PSR: Clubs total of £1bn of losses in 11 charts". BBC.
- Critchley, Mark (5 August 2022). "Premier League remains stacked in favour of the big six status quo". The Independent.
- Ouzia, Mark (19 April 2021). "European Super League confirmed as Premier League 'Big Six' clubs join breakaway competition as founders". Evening Standard.
- Kleinman, Mark (10 June 2021). "European Super League: 'Big Six' clubs to pay £22m settlement to Premier League over failed breakaway plot". Sky Sports.
- "Premier League's Big Six to foot majority of bill for independent regulator". The New York Times. 24 February 2023. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 25 November 2024.