No plans for Premier League match abroad - Masters

Premier League chief executive Richard Masters says there are no plans to play a top-flight match abroad and the idea is "not anywhere near my in-tray".

In the past month, Italy and Spain's football federations have unveiled plans to stage league fixtures in Australia and the United States, and are seeking permission from Fifa and Uefa.

If successful, La Liga clubs Barcelona and Villarreal will face each other in Miami in Decemberin what would be the first European league fixture to be played abroad.

And if permission is granted, Serie A sides AC Milan and Como will meet in Perth, Australia in February.

Other one-off matches, such as the Italian Super Cup and Spanish Super Cup, have been held abroad in recent years.

The idea of the Premier League playing an extra round - the '39th game' - outside England was raised in 2008 but the plans were shelved after criticism from fans and the media.

And, despite former Premier League chief executive Richard Scudamore saying 10 years ago that clubs were keen on the idea, Masters has downplayed such a scenario.

"I don't think it changes the Premier League's view on this at all, we don't have any plans to play matches abroad," he said.

"It's not anywhere near my in-tray and it's not a debate around our table."

There are 11 US-owned clubs in the top flight, closer than ever to the two-thirds majority of 14 that is needed to impose changes to the Premier League's rules.

Last year, Liverpool chairman Tom Werner told the Financial Times he hoped to see Premier League games played in New York, Tokyo, Los Angeles, Riyadh and Rio de Janeiro, raising fears among some fans of an attempted resurrection of the '39th game' concept.

However, Bournemouth's American owner Bill Foley has said he does not support staging league matches abroad.

Masters added: "The first thing to say is it hasn't happened yet. You need a whole bunch of things to happen.

"The Premier League flirted with this over a decade ago and the reason was to grow the league internationally and we were able to do this through different means - digital means, broadcast partners, concepts like the summer series in the US.

"The necessity that was driving that concept has dissipated."

Premier League champions Liverpool get the 2025-26 campaign started with their home fixture against Bournemouth at Friday with Masters predicting "a great season".

In a wide-ranging interview with BBC Sport, Masters also discussed:

• the top flight's spending

• the situation regarding former Arsenal midfielder Thomas Partey

• the impact of the new football regulator and the ongoing issues at non-Premier League sides Sheffield Wednesday and Morecambe

• the impact of the Club World Cup.

Masters says the Premier League will have "a close look at the impact" of the Club World Cup this season on Chelsea and Manchester City

'Spending good as long as everyone stay within rules'

According to Transfermarkt, Premier League clubs have spent more than £2bn during this transfer window compared with the £740m spent by the second highest-spending league, Italy's Serie A, and the third-placed German Bundesliga's total of £520m.

Transfermarkt has Liverpool as the top flight's highest spenders so far, with more than £250m worth of signings, including Germany midfielder Florian Wirtz in the summer's biggest deal so far - an initial £100m.

Chelsea have also paid out nearly £250m, while Manchester United have brought in forwards Benjamin Sesko, Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha for a combined initial fee of about £194m.

However, in terms of net spend, United have the biggest outlay, followed by Arsenal, Manchester City, Sunderland, Tottenham and Liverpool.

"I think investment in squads is generally a good thing so long as everyone stays within the rules," said Masters.

"Squads will be strengthened and that adds to the competitive element. It's a brilliant mix of the best stars from around the world and homegrown talent.

"We're at the start of a new commercial term... and usually you get a spike in spending [with that]."

Everton recently became the third Premier League team, after Chelsea and Aston Villa, to sell their women's team to the parent company which owns the club.

The move improves their compliance with the Premier League's profitability and sustainability rules, which allow clubs to post losses of £105m over a three-year reporting cycle.

"Ultimately, I have to be [comfortable with clubs doing that], the rules permit it," said Masters.

"We have had lots of debates around our table about whether to change them and we decided not to, so whether I like it or not that debate has been had and we move forward."

Masters on how Arsenal dealt with Partey situation

Ghana midfielder Partey left Arsenal when his contract expired at the end of June.

Four days later, he was charged with five counts of rape against two women and a charge of sexual assault against a third woman.

Partey, who denies the charges, was granted conditional bail at Westminster Magistrates' Court earlier this month and has since signed for Spanish side Villarreal.

The charges against Partey, who joined Arsenal from Atletico Madrid in a £45m deal in 2020, resulted from an investigation by detectives which started in February 2022.

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has said he is "100%" sure the club followed the right processes when dealing with the midfielder, who made 35 appearances for the Gunners in the Premier League last season and also played 12 times in the Champions League.

Asked if he was comfortable with how Arsenal handled the situation, Masters said: "I have to be."

He added: "What is clear to me is that it is a situation between an employer and employee and it is for them to make that decision.

"The Premier League doesn't have jurisdiction over those particular issues.

"I am absolutely sure that our clubs take these situations extremely seriously and think about them very deeply before deciding whether suspension is the right course of action or not."

League 'looking forward to working with regulator'

A bill to establish an independent football regulator became law in July in what Prime Minister Keir Starmer called a "proud and defining moment for English football" which would usher in a "stronger, fairer future" for the game.

The regulator, which is set to be launched later this year, will be independent from the government and the football authorities and will oversee the men's game in England's top five divisions.

Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy says the regulator will be able to make a difference but, in the meantime, there is financial turmoil at Championship side Sheffield Wednesday and Morecambe, who have been suspended from the National League, and the future of both clubs is in doubt.

"What is clear is the ownership situations at Sheffield Wednesday and Morecambe need to be resolved," said Masters. "They are cases of bad ownerships.

"We are looking forward to working constructively with the new regulator. They will have powers to intervene in these sorts of situations, and there is no panacea to bad decision making.

"We hope those situations resolve in a sale as quickly as possible."

What about the impact of the Club World Cup?

A revamped Club World Cup took place in the summer when 32 teams, including English clubs Chelsea and Manchester City, took part in the tournament in the United States.

Chelsea won the competition by beating Paris St-Germain 3-0 on 13 July - just five weeks before they start their Premier League campaign with Sunday's home match against Crystal Palace.

City went out in the last 16, beaten by Al-Hilal, on 1 July and start their top-flight campaign at Wolves on Saturday.

Former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp called the Club World Cup "the worst idea ever implemented in football" because of "serious fears" over player welfare.

"We have to have a close look at the impact," said Masters. "We don't know what the impacts will be on the two clubs that participated in the Club World Cup.

"The Premier League has stayed the same since 1994. All the expansion has been in European and now international football.

"There needs to be a proper debate at the top of the game about how many matches players are required to play.

"I want our players to never have to face the choice between wanting to play in the Premier League on a Saturday or resting themselves for other games going forward."