EPL: Race for 10th is on as there's £4.5m up for grabs

On the face of it, Sunday's Premier League games seem important for only two sets of fans. But as Tottenham and Arsenal battle it out for fourth spot, clubs in the bottom half will be competing for cold, hard cash.

The season has petered out but the race for mid-table supremacy could be the difference between an extra few million pounds to throw about in the summer.

Just a couple months ago, English football looked braced for spectacular finale. Early March was full of promise. 

On the up: Sunderland could earn an extra £4.5million of prize money

The title race was nearly up, but the dog fight at the bottom encompassed every club from tenth downwards. Even the race for the Europa League spots was spicing up.

But by the last game of the season, all hopes of a blockbuster final day for fans outside of North London have disappeared.

The race for fourth will have all of our attentions, but for eight clubs languishing in mid-table and the lower realms, Sunday could be arguably their biggest game of the season. 

                             

Everyone from West Ham in 10th place to Sunderland in 17th can alter their position considerably with a win or loss on Sunday.

Paolo Di Canio's Black Cats can move up to 11th if other results go their way and they beat Tottenham, which on last season's figures, would give them an extra £4.53million in prize money.

That's the equivalent to around seven games' worth of matchday income at the Stadium of Light.

Aston Villa, in 16th, travel to Wigan for a clash that for weeks looked to be the deciding survival occasion. A win could see Villa finish 11th, £3.77m extra.

'I'm not looking beyond final game yet,' says Lambert


MID-TABLE MEDIOCRITY: WHAT IT MEANS FOR YOUR CLUB
10th: West Ham (v Reading H) - Could finish as high as ninth with nine-goal swing (£9million), as low as 14th (£4.5m)

11th: Stoke City (v Southampton A) - As high as 10th (£8.3m), as low as 17th (£3m)

12th: Norwich (v Man City A) - As high as 10th with eight-goal swing (£8.3m), as low as 17th (£3m)

13th: Newcastle (v Arsenal H) - As high as 10th with 12-goal swing (£8.3m), as low as 17th (£3m)

14th: Southampton (v Stoke H) - As high as 10th (£8.3m), as low as 17th (£3m)

15th: Fulham (v Swansea A) - As high as 10th with three-goal swing (£8.3m), as low as 17th (£3m)

16th: Aston Villa (v Wigan A) - As high as 10th with 12-goal swing (£8.3m), as low as 17th (£3m)

17th: Sunderland (v Tottenham H) - As high as 11th (£7.5m), as low as 17th (£3m)

   

Fulham could bag an extra £3m, while Southampton can make £2.2m, with around £700 ,000 separating each club from first to 20th.

But it's not all prosperous for the eight clubs in the '10th-place mixer'. West Ham, in 10th, are unlikely to overtake Swansea for ninth due to goal difference but could drop to as low as 15th - a loss of £3.7m in prize money.

The extra money could enable clubs to sign one or two more players in the summer, and with the likes of Michu, Yoan Gouffran and Chico Flores costing a mere £2-3m in the past year, a bargain could be had in the summer.

THE PREMIER LEAGUE PRIZE MONEY TABLE (2011-12 figures)

Prize money awarded to each club depending on their Premier League place, based on the current standings. This money is added to other revenue such as funds from the league's TV deals. Exact figures are taken from last season's totals, but this year's prize money will be very similar.


Current Position      Team                  Games Played   Point    Prize Money awarded

1st                       Manchester United          37             88        £15,101,240

2nd                      Manchester City             37             78        £14,246,178

3rd                      Chelsea                          37             72        £13,591,116

4th                       Arsenal                          37            70        £12,836,054

5th                       Tottenham                     37             69        £12,080,992

6th                       Everton                         37             63        £11,325,930

7th                       Liverpool                       37             58         £10,570,868

8th                       West Brom                    37             48        £9,815,806

9th                       Swansea                        37             46        £9,060,744

10th                     West Ham                      37             43       £8,305,682

11th                     Stoke                             37             41      £7,550,620

12th                     Norwich                        37             41       £6,795,558

13th                     Newcastle                      3               41       £6,040,496

14th                     Southampton                  37             40       £5,285,434

15th                     Fulham                          37             40       £4,530,372

16th                     Aston Villa                      37            40       £3,775,310

17th                     Sunderland                     37            39        £3,020,248

18th                      Wigan                           37            35        £2,265,186

19th                       Reading                        37           28         £1,510,124

20th                       QPR                            37            25         £755,062