Burnley owner Alan Pace may look to sell Spanish club Espanyol to address a severe financial crisis at the Championship side. The Clarets' accounts for the year ending July 2026 show a debt of £86 million, a situation exacerbated by the club's precarious league position of 22nd with just 10 points from 14 games, leaving them four points from safety in the <a href="/standings">Championship table</a>. Their record of one win, seven draws and six defeats has left them 18 points adrift of the league leaders.
The club's financial strain stems from a leveraged buyout completed by Pace's company ALK in 2021, which loaded significant debt onto Burnley. Football consultant Keith Wyness, the former Everton chief executive, has been highly critical of the ownership's decisions. He described a failed sponsorship deal with Finotive One, which lasted only 42 days before being terminated, as a huge mistake and said Pace was fortunate to get away with it. Wyness believes selling Espanyol, which Pace also owns, could be a necessary step to improve Burnley's cash flow and repay balances.
The independent football regulator is expected to assess Alan Pace's involvement and his ability to resolve the financial issues at Turf Moor. This scrutiny follows the announcement that Velocity Capital, the company that owns Burnley, was struck off due to delayed accounts, though that order has since been discontinued. Wyness stated the regulator will test Pace's capacity to handle the crisis, drawing a comparison between the leveraged buyout of Burnley and the Glazer family's 2005 takeover of Manchester United.
The financial uncertainty coincides with a difficult period on the field. This result was part of a run of zero wins, three draws and two defeats in their last five matches. They have won just one game all season and face a key trip to face 18th-placed Cardiff City this Saturday in their <a href="/fixtures">next fixture</a>. The urgency for financial and sporting stability is clear as the club prepares for that fixture at the Cardiff City Stadium.
With the club having replaced the collapsed Finotive One deal with an emergency sponsorship from Vertu, the focus now shifts to whether asset sales can provide the stability needed to improve a league campaign that has yielded only one win so far. The pressure is mounting on all fronts, with the club's immediate future in the Championship dependent on finding solutions both on and off the pitch.
Background and full detail: Football Insider
