SINGAPORE – With English Premier League (EPL) clubs set to receive a financial windfall next season due to the recent record broadcast deal — worth about £5.1 billion (S$9.9 billion) — inked by British broadcasters Sky and BT, former Real Madrid star Christian Karembeu believes that the best talents from the Spanish La Liga could soon be lured to England to ply their trade.

The deal, which kicks off next season, will see each club in England’s top-flight competition earn an average of S$233 million per year. This amount excludes other forms of club income such as ticket and shirt sales, as well as sponsorship money.

As a consequence of this increase in spending power, Karembeu — who is a La Liga ambassador — admits that English clubs will now have the financial might in the transfer market to attract the best players in the world, such as Lionel Messi and Neymar. And that could lead to a talent drain in the Spanish League.

Speaking to TODAY on the sidelines of sports marketing and media convention Sportel Asia, the French World Cup winner said: “Everybody recognises that the EPL has huge reach worldwide, and it is much stronger commercially and financially as compared to the La Liga. So yes, it is true that the best players in the world may (choose to) go to EPL in future because of the clubs’ (money), especially with the new TV deal in place.”

While the EPL may currently be seen as the pinnacle of marketing and commercial success in global football, Karembeu is confident that the La Liga will be able to match its achievements off the pitch in the near future.

His confidence stems in part from the new slew of initiatives — directed at attracting new, and engaging current, La Liga fans — that La Liga president Javier Tebas is set to roll out from next season onwards.

Among the initiatives proposed include the introduction of the Skycam to provide a more comprehensive screening of matches, increased social media presence and activity, and the shifting of match schedules — which will see certain games played at 8pm Singapore time — to make the matches more accessible for fans in other regions.

“We need to work to give satisfaction to these fans and to ensure that their La Liga experience is going to get better,” said Tebas yesterday. “That is why for the next season, we’re going to make many changes, like having the Skycam and a new match timetable, because we need to start thinking about engaging followers from this (Asia) and other parts of the world.

“We have the best players, the best clubs, and we win all the European competitions. But now we must speak to the clubs in commercial terms.

“When fans switch on the TV, I want them see the corporate colours of the club and be able to identify them easily. If we can get this kind of engagement with the fans, I am convinced that we can make the La Liga the best in the world.”

However, Karembeu said the La Liga has a lot of catching up to do.

“We have to think long-term, because the success of the Premier League did not come overnight,” said the former Real Madrid midfielder, 45. “It came through years of hard work and through shrewd marketing. Now, it is enjoying the results of that commercially.

“Today, the La Liga also has strong sponsorship, but it has to start thinking about the commercial aspect. We have the correct people in place and the money to do it, so now we have to implement it in a commercial way and globalise the league.”