"Our business is a world-wide one, and of the US is an interesting market place. We went there in 2003 and were very successful, but less so in 2004 which may have been down to the timing being so close to Euro 2004. We have got American owners now... they have got huge aspirations in the US market. The question is how do we get in there? We have held meetings with MLS to see how they can get into market. You can't just go in and play the odd exhibition game, you have got to make a major impact.
"It is getting the balance in terms of income, how much we can allocate to the assets - the players. It is not necessarily that their incomes are too high. Players wages are too fixed. Remuneration should be more linked to success. We are geared towards getting into the Champions League. A large part of all the contracts we have in place takes that into account. However the last TV deal was down and we saw a lot more sense. It was then about length of contract and security of contract. The talent coming out of Asia and Africa is only going to get greater, and we have got to get at it as soon as possible."