Premier League chiefs should be worried by Ruud Gullit and Arne Slot verdicts
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Ruud Gullit and Arne Slot have both questioned the quality of the Premier League in recent days and that will have set alarm bells ringing in the boardroomPerhaps candour is a particular trait of the Dutch or maybe they simply still have some sort of romantic attachment to Total Football. Or perhaps it is just a coincidence that their assessments of the visual allure of Premier League football came in quick succession and were similar in nature.In comments to a radio station in the Netherlands, Gullit was apparently less than complimentary about last Sunday’s Arsenal-Chelsea match, while Slot’s observation about Premier League football not being a ‘joy to watch’ prompted widespread discussion.
Only Premier League executives will be worried, and Premier League club owners should be worried.And no matter how Slot, Gullit and Hurzeler clarify and qualify their remarks, they will have raised eyebrows in the offices of Sky Sports and TNT Sports. They pay billions to broadcast Premier League football and, in the case of Slot and Hurzeler, two of the main managerial protagonists are being less than complimentary about its allure.One of the things Gullit is reported to have said is that he mainly watches highlights now, implying entire live matches can be tedious to sit through.
And at the Premier League and at broadcasters' headquarters, that will be noted with concerned interest.Figures presented to the Premier League last summer suggested viewing figures for games broadcast on Sky Sports and TNT Sports during the 2024/25 season fell by an average of around 14 percent. The Premier League has three more seasons of the current domestic TV deal left to run and negotiations for the next one are likely to get underway towards the end of next year.By then, the Premier League will be hoping all the talk about it being unwatchable has subsided.