SCR is live for 2026/27 in the Premier League and Championship. Figures last reviewed 2026-09-03.

Premier League SCR head-to-head

Leeds vs Sunderland

On current estimates, Leeds United has the bigger SCR spending allowance - by roughly £43.4m. Spending power under SCR follows adjusted revenue - so the gap is really a revenue gap, including profit on player sales.

Side by side

Leeds United

  • Estimated revenue (football) estimated £271m
  • 85% SCR limit £230.4m
  • Estimated squad cost estimated £176.2m
  • Components not itemised — squad cost is anchored to a published analyst estimate rather than composed from wages, amortisation and agents' fees.
  • Headroom vs 85% limit +£54.2m
  • Red Threshold (115% of adjusted revenue) £311.7m
  • Headroom vs Red Threshold +£135.5m
High spending power - squad cost is 65% of revenue

For reference, Transfermarkt's current squad market value is £367.2m (source) — a transfer-market valuation, not the same thing as squad cost. It's shown purely as a sanity-check on the scale of the composed wage/amortisation figure above, not as an input to the SCR calculation itself.

Sunderland

  • Estimated revenue (football) estimated £213m
  • + Player trading profit/loss (3-yr average) +£7m
  • = Adjusted revenue (SCR basis) £220m
  • 85% SCR limit £187m
  • Estimated squad cost estimated £160.6m
  • Components not itemised — squad cost is anchored to a published analyst estimate rather than composed from wages, amortisation and agents' fees.
  • Headroom vs 85% limit +£26.4m
  • Red Threshold (115% of adjusted revenue) £253m
  • Headroom vs Red Threshold +£92.4m

UEFA squad cost rule (UEFA Europa League) — a separate regulator's rule, running alongside the domestic one

  • UEFA limit (70% of adjusted revenue) £154m
  • Headroom vs UEFA limit −£6.6m
UEFA: Balanced
High spending power - squad cost is 73% of adjusted revenue

For reference, Transfermarkt's current squad market value is £337.2m (source) — a transfer-market valuation, not the same thing as squad cost. It's shown purely as a sanity-check on the scale of the composed wage/amortisation figure above, not as an input to the SCR calculation itself.

What drives the difference

Neither club has an owner top-up to lean on: Premier League SCR is 85% of adjusted revenue, full stop, with a 30% allowance above it that shrinks after any breach. Adjusted revenue nets in profit on player sales averaged over three seasons — Leeds n/a, Sunderland +£7m — so a club that sells well buys itself headroom without touching its wage bill. Sunderland is also bound by UEFA's stricter 70% rule this season, which is the tighter constraint of the two for most clubs in Europe.

More comparisons

Comparisons use illustrative estimates from published accounts, not official SCR submissions. SCR uses adjusted football revenue, which differs from headline turnover. Last reviewed 2026-09-03. Full rules explainer →