By Dr Dan Plumley

24th Jan, 2023 | 10:13am

Finance guru: Sunderland handed 'vital' £865m boost amid behind-the-scenes 'battle'

Sunderland and the EFL continue to battle the Premier League over financial distribution and the latest report on ‘social value’ stands them in good stead.

That is the opinion of finance expert Dr Dan Plumley, who spoke exclusively to Football Insider about how the EFL’s community initiatives will help them in their talks with the Premier League.

The Times reported last Monday (16 January) that EFL clubs generated £865million for local communities of football clubs in the 2021/22 season.

The money was generated through “community programmes”, with 9,922 staff and volunteers contributing.

The report comes in the midst of the EFL’s negotiations with the Premier League over financial distribution in English football, with the EFL looking for £300million from the top flight.

Plumley believes there is no coincidence in the timing of the report, and insists that the EFL’s community impact will help their negotiations.

“The social value of football clubs and how they embed in their communities is vitally important and we’re always trying to measure that in numerical terms,” Plumley told Football Insider.

“This report states that £865m has been raised through social value and that is a significant figure.

“However we choose to categorise that we know it has an impact.

“The timing is no coincidence with the EFL currently discussing distribution with the Premier League as it shines the EFL and its clubs in a great light.

“No one is disputing the brilliant work that is being done and it’s great for the EFL to have it under its belt as they continue their battle in English football.“

In other news, Football Insider sources can reveal Sunderland are in talks to re-sign Ellis Simms after latest development