Ruud Gullit and Arne Slott have questioned the quality of the Premier League in recent days, which will set off alarm bells in the boardroom.
Ruud Gullit criticized the football played in last weekend’s match between Arsenal and Chelsea (Image: YouTube/The Overlap)
Maybe frankness is a uniquely Dutch trait, or maybe they just still have some kind of romantic attachment to Total Football. Or it could just be a coincidence that their assessments of the visual appeal of Premier League football came in quick succession and were similar in nature.
In his comments to a Dutch radio station, Gullit was clearly not complimentary about last Sunday’s match between Arsenal and Chelsea, but Slott’s opinion that Premier League football is not “fun to watch” sparked widespread debate. After the Premier League leaders’ 1-0 win over the Amex, Fabian Hürzeler’s negative comments about Arsenal’s style of play created an interesting topic of conversation.
read more: Arsenal News: Mikel Arteta’s approach criticized, fears Gunners star could be forced to leaveread more: What pundits and managers say about ‘ugly’ Arsenal as Gunners move closer to title
But despite talk of too many games being unavailable, packed stadiums and long waiting lists for season tickets, the Premier League is currently in the first season of a four-year domestic TV deal worth £6.7bn. So there’s no need to worry.
These set-piece contests may look a little dirty, but the cash registers keep ringing. No drama. The only people who are worried are Premier League executives, and I’m sure Premier League club owners are worried too.
And no matter how Slott, Gullit and Haseler articulate and justify their statements, they will likely raise eyebrows in the offices of Sky Sports and TNT Sports. They pay billions of dollars to broadcast Premier League football, but in the case of Slott and Hürzeler, two of the manager’s main protagonists can’t say enough about its appeal.
Arne Slott says there aren’t many Premier League matches that are “fun to watch” (Image: (David Rogers/Getty Images))
According to the report, Gullit has said that he mainly watches highlights now, suggesting that sitting through an entire live match is boring. And it will be noted with concern in the Premier League and at broadcaster headquarters.
Figures submitted to the Premier League last summer show viewership for matches broadcast on Sky Sports and TNT Sports during the 2024/25 season fell by around 14 per cent on average. Year-on-year, Sky Sports’ numbers were down 10 per cent and TNT Sports’ numbers were down 17 per cent.
The reason for the slump was the opening of the title and relegation battles, which were decided well before the final day of the season. Liverpool’s title would be decided by April 27th, with it being decided the day before that Ipswich would be the last team eliminated.
It remains to be seen what level of intrigue and danger the Premier League will be exposed to in the final weeks of this season. And it remains to be seen whether TV companies still believe they are getting a return on their investment.
Fabian Hürzeler heavily criticized Arsenal’s style of play after the Premier League leaders defeated Brighton in midweek (Image: Getty Images)
There were some lively games midweek, but there’s a certain irony in how one of the major discussions on TV is about how bad, or not, the product being shown is. They pay a huge amount of money for the rights and pass it on to you.
Analysis of how much it costs to watch every Premier League match varies, but the approximate amount is not far off from £100 per month. For legal viewing, of course.
Piracy is an issue that the Premier League has to deal with on a daily basis. The Premier League has three seasons left on its current domestic TV deal, and negotiations for the next season are likely to begin towards the end of next year.
Hopefully by then all the talk of not being able to watch the Premier League will have died down. Because at this point, TV companies should be thinking twice about paying billions of dollars for a product that many people find boring.
Free William Hill shop bets in the mirror every day in Cheltenham
Don’t miss out on the free shop bets published in your favorite horse racing newspaper every day during the Cheltenham Festival! Plus, every day from Tuesday 10th March to Friday 13th March 2026, you’ll get expert knowledge from top tipsters with drawers covering runners, riders and everything you need to rock the biggest ever Cheltenham Festival. Click here for more information.
Please only bet if you are over 18 years old. Terms and conditions apply. See the paper for details.
