Jamie Carragher claims Barcelona, Real Madrid and Co 'can't fathom' the riches of English football

Jamie Carragher has responded to the latest plans for a major shakeup of European football - declaring the Premier League the de-facto Super League.

First emerging in April 2021, the European Super League project was initially planned for a handful of elite European clubs - though they have returned with a revised plan which proposes a competition containing '60 to 80' clubs from the continent, and an 'open' tournament structure.

Carragher said the latest plans simply just boil down to the Premier League being the financial behemoth it is, with various European giants unable to 'fathom why some of the biggest clubs in European football are earning the same as a mid-table Premier League side'.

'It basically falls down to the fact that the Premier League is the Super League,' he said. 'And that's what Barcelona, Real Madrid, the Milans, Juventus, can't get their heads around.

'They can't fathom why some of the biggest clubs in European football are earning the same as a mid-table club in the Premier League. You look at the transfer fees.

'You look at the January transfer window compared to other countries and the Premier League - and it's night and day. They want a slice of it.'

Carragher added: 'The only problem is, I think there was so much damage done to our clubs by [attempting] to leave to join the Super League that they've been burnt, badly and I think it'll be a long time before our clubs are getting involved in anything like this.

'And without the English clubs right now, for me there is no Super League.'

Amid extensive Premier League spending in the January transfer window in which Chelsea's £323m outlay outstripped the other four top European leagues combined, Bernd Reichart - promotional company A22's chief executive - announced the new plans in a video.

'The foundations of European football are in danger of collapsing,' he said. 'It's time for a change.

'It is the clubs that bear the entrepreneurial risk in football. But when important decisions are at stake, they are too often forced to sit idly by on the sidelines as the sporting and financial foundations crumble around them.

'Our talks have also made it clear that clubs often find it impossible to speak out publicly against a system that uses the threat of sanctions to thwart opposition.

'Our dialogue was open, honest, constructive and resulted in clear ideas about what changes are needed and how they could be implemented. There is a lot to do and we will continue our dialogue.'

Based on 10 principles, the new proposals promise broad and merit-based competition, domestic leagues continuing to be at the forefront of the game and clubs being run with financial sustainability.

A22 is currently engaged in a legal battle playing out in the European Court of Justice over whether or not UEFA and FIFA can in essence block new competition and sanction clubs for attempting to join such.

'Any authorisation or legislation has to tell us what this competition has to comply with: integrity, solidarity, openness, youth development, infrastructure investments. You tell us and we will adapt the project,' Reichart told Sky Sports. 'But, in the end, we believe that a European competition should be governed by clubs, just like in any domestic leagues.'

Responses to the revised proposals did not appear too much more enamoured, with La Liga chief Javier Tebas leading the push back against the latest plot.

'The Super League is the wolf, who today disguises himself as a granny to try to fool European football,' he wrote on social media.

'But his nose and his teeth are very big, four divisions in Europe? Of course the first for them, as in the 2019 reform. Governed by the clubs? Of course only the big ones.'

Meanwhile, Aleksander Ceferin released a pointed statement in UEFA's latest benchmarking report.

'I want to start with the fans, who proved once more to be the true essence of our beautiful game,' Ceferin said. 'First, they were on the frontlines of defending proper football and European values.

'Now, they are filling the stadiums again, creating a magnificent atmosphere that was missing in the last two years. At the same time, they offered unconditional support for their players on the pitch and a much-needed boost in revenues from home matches for their clubs.

'As football navigates through its darkest times,' Ceferin went on. 'We must remember the lessons we learned during this period. And the one that I keep underlining is the unity of the European football family.'