Love it or hate it, Britain's biggest selling yeast extract spread is at the heart of a national scandal.

Being wiped from the shelves, virtual and real, by a combination of retailer power and panic buying, its scarcity will be for most Britons the first concrete effect of the evolving Brexit economy.

Like other brands of the huge Unilever conglomerate, it is sold wholesale in Euros – something made very complicated by the post-referendum sliding value of the pound.

And this is precisely the same equation likely to hit Premier League clubs badly, come the next transfer window.

A little under a year ago, the pound in your pocket would have bought you about €1.43. This week it has bumped around the €1.10 mark, and looks to be heading further south.

That means if you are paid in pounds, then things priced in Euros are almost a quarter more expensive now than they were back then.

A selection of one pound coins and bank notes

That's why Unilever is asking supermarkets, and their shoppers, to pay more for its products.

It may add a few pence on to the price of a pasta sauce or a noodle pot, but when the same economic conditions are applied to player prices then the difference is pretty major.

Many followers of the game think they have a decent idea of the value of playing talent.

Plenty will turn to a friend and say: “That's a £50m player.” But, in Premier League terms, there is actually no such thing as a '£50m player' – because players are priced in Euros.

This decision was taken a while back to end confusion caused by just these sort of currency market fluctuations. It means that selling clubs can put a price on a player and know that it will not be affected by external factors.

But while the value of players is not changed by the UK's currency issues, the price of them to Premier League clubs is.

Last November, £50m would have bought you €71.5m worth of talent; now it only buys €55m worth.

All of a sudden that '£100m transfer kitty' we keep reading about on the back pages is only worth £77m in real terms.

Those in favour of the UK exiting the EU tend to say that this is a bit of short term economic pain for long term gain in sovereignty.

Those who supported the other side in the referendum are less optimistic about an end to this problem, and point out how badly it could impact on household budgets.

LONDON, ENGLAND - AUGUST 27: Chelsea fans wait outside the stadium for the gates to open during the Premier League match between Chelsea and Burnley at Stamford Bridge on August 27, 2016 in London, England. (Photo by Steve Bardens/Getty Images)

There is another side to this economic balance, of course: with things priced in pounds now being almost a quarter cheaper for buyers who get paid in Euros.

That includes match tickets and London hotels: and one might expect a boom in European football fans heading this way to see the team at what they may perceive as new bargain prices.

But, with only a finite number of tickets available for each match, Chelsea and other clubs will be unable to make this work in their favour – unless they find some way to increase ticket prices.

Those familiar with international business will be quick to point out that there will have almost certainly been some 'hedging' to mitigate these issues.

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It would be highly surprising if the club had not shifted a load of money into Euros prior to these events – to iron out any bumps such as this that may appear in the road.

But even the biggest businesses only tend to hedge to a point about 18 months to two years down the line.

And, if you know your expenses are going to grow by a quarter (or more) in a couple of years time, then now is the time to draw-in your apron strings.

Chelsea need a defender, and want Leonardo Bonucci – valued at £60m.

Like it or hate it, in common with the Marmite on your breakfast table, he just got a lot more expensive.