A positive annual report and continued on-field success reinforce confidence in our current-year forecasts and a possible step-change in returns in FY17, assuming Champions League qualification. Indeed, forecasts we are now introducing for next year suggest a near-doubling in pre-transfer EBITDA (our key metric) and strong cash generation for player investment (we estimate €74m net cash at June 2017). An EV/EBITDA (pretransfer) of under 5x FY17e appears to ignore the long-term potential of such powerful brand development and valuable media rights.
