Is it time to rethink the Premier League “Big Six”?
The Premier League used to have a “Big Four”: Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool. In the 2010s, that slowly became the “Big Six” with Manchester City and Tottenham added.
I understand that the term was not purely about league position. It was mainly about revenue, global fanbase, historic status, commercial power, and long-term competitiveness. But results were still part of the logic. Tottenham were included because, for a long period, they were consistently finishing near the top four/five and competing in Europe.
My question is: does the “Big Six” still make sense based on the last five years?
Right now, the only truly consistent elite Premier League sides seem to be:
- Manchester City
- Liverpool
- Arsenal
These three have been the most consistent domestically, they have had the best European results, and they are usually top three, or top five at worst.
After that, it becomes much less clear.
- Manchester United obviously have the revenue, fanbase, and historic silverware.
- Chelsea also have a large fanbase, recent major silverware, including the 2021 Champions League, and are usually still relevant in Europe.
So I understand why both are still considered part of the group, even with inconsistent league form.
But Tottenham are the one that makes me question the label most.
Yes, they won the Europa League, and yes, they have a big fanbase and a strong modern Premier League profile. But apart from that, their recent domestic performance has been poor compared to the standard normally implied by “Big Six”. At some point, if the label is supposed to reflect more than revenue and branding, results have to matter.
What makes this even more interesting is Aston Villa.
For the first time in a while, there is a non-Big Six club that has not just had one, two good season, but has consistently outperformed some Big Six clubs over multiple years. Villa have been around the top five for several seasons, have had multiple deep European runs, and now also have a major European trophy.
They are also historically one of England’s biggest clubs, with more major trophies than Tottenham, and are the biggest club in England’s second city.
Looking at the recent data:
- Villa are fourth in total Premier League points over the last four seasons.
- Villa have had three consecutive strong European campaigns.
- In UEFA coefficient points over the last three years, they are second and above most Big Six clubs, and in the last 4 years and basically from next year they are 4th (see photos).
- They have done this without the same commercial/revenue advantages that the Big Six receive.
To be clear: I am not saying Aston Villa have now permanently replaced Tottenham in the Big Six. I am also not saying Tottenham are a lower tier club or should be dismissed.
My point is:
Maybe the Premier League is no longer a clean “Big Six”. Maybe we are moving into something more like a Big 3-5 + a second tier of major clubs, where the second group includes clubs for different reasons, For example:
Top-tier:
- Manchester United: huge fanbase, revenue, and historic silverware, despite inconsistent results.
Top-tier to second-tier:
- Chelsea: recent major European success, large fanbase, and still usually in the European conversation.
Second Tier:
- Aston Villa: recent domestic and European results, historic silverware, Second City status.
- Tottenham: strong fanbase, modern commercial growth, and Europa League success, but weaker recent league consistency.
If the Big Four became the Big Six because the league changed, are we now at the point where the Big Six label also needs to change?