A set of numbers off the pitch: academy budgets compared for the first time
The clubs putting most into the academy are also the ones assembling the cheapest first teams.
The striking finding in the report is this: the three clubs that give the academy the largest share of the budget are also the three assembling a first-team squad at the lowest cost.
The link is not direct. The distance between academy graduates and squad cost only shows up a few seasons later.
What comes out of the club is contradictory, as usual. Two separate sources give two different figures for the same meeting.
What the report says
The pitch backs up the statistics without quite explaining them. In-game decisions are still the variable that matters most.
The coaching staff put the rotation down to the fixture list. On squad depth they avoid saying anything firm.
The limits of the data
Expectations among supporters have gone up. That is the familiar side effect of a good start.
The data covers three seasons, which is a short window for a long-term conclusion. Even so, it is the first time boards have had a real comparison to argue over.
PremiumDeadline-day deal collapses in the final hours and both clubs have gone quiet
The agreement looked done, then the meeting broke up two hours before midnight.
Five games in: the side climbing the table is not the one anybody tipped
Put in the bottom half by the summer predictions, they have taken eleven points from five.
The draw is out and the tennis tournament has a heavyweight first round
Two seeds meet in the opening round of the main draw.