Squads ranked by value
The Premier League is the richest domestic competition in world football, but which club has the most valuable squad? Using data from Transfermarkt, we've ranked all 20 teams on that very question.
A player's real-world value is determined by how much a buyer is willing to pay for him. The figures here are therefore estimates, albeit ones based on relevant factors such as ability, age, contract status and plenty more...
20. Sheffield United (£82.31m)
Sheffield United’s brilliant start to the season is all the more remarkable when you consider that they are the only Premier League club with a squad worth less than £100m.
Summer signing Oli McBurnie leads the way for the sixth-placed Blades at £10.8m, with John Egan, Callum Robinson and Manchester United loanee Dean Henderson tied in second spot at £6.3m.
19. Norwich (£109.44m)
Norwich chose to keep their chequebook closed for the most part in the summer, spending just £1.1m as Daniel Farke opted to keep faith with the squad that won his side promotion last term.
It’s therefore little surprise that Norwich are second-bottom of this ranking, with Emiliano Buendia (£16.2m) some way clear of his team-mates as the Canaries’ most valuable asset.
18. Aston Villa (£171.9m)
Unlike Norwich, Aston Villa spent heavily following their promotion from the Championship last season, shelling out £144.5m on new recruits – more than anyone in the league except Manchester United.
Despite that splurge, Villa’s squad is still in the bottom three when it comes to squad value, with captain Jack Grealish (£22.5m) making up the biggest percentage of their collective worth of £171.9m.
17. Burnley (£178.88m)
Burnley have become Premier League mainstays in recent years, but their squad remains one of the least valuable in the top tier.
Chris Wood and James Tarkowski (£16.2m) are tied in top spot within the Clarets’ ranks, although 19-year-old winger Dwight McNeil (£13.5m) could overtake the pair as he continues to gain more Premier League experience.
16. Brighton (£197.64m)
Graham Potter has made a fine start to life as a Premier League manager, leading Brighton into the top half of the table after 11 matches of 2019/20.
Finishing that high up the standings would represent a significant overachievement given that Albion’s squad is worth less than £200m, with centre-back Lewis Dunk deemed the most valuable Seagull at £18m.
15. Watford (£211.64m)
Watford are propping up the Premier League table having failed to register a victory in any of their first 11 fixtures. They've certainly underperformed so far this season, although it's interesting to note that their squad has one of the lowest collective values in the division.
That has much to do with its average of 28.2, which is one of the highest in the Premier League. Ismaila Sarr (£27m) occupies top spot at Vicarage Road, followed by Abdoulaye Doucoure and Gerard Deulofeu at £22.5m apiece.
14. Crystal Palace (£212.9m)
Crystal Palace’s desperation to keep hold of Wilfried Zaha in the summer was clear for all to see, with the south London side reportedly rejecting Everton’s final offer of £70m for their star man.
Zaha is considered to be worth £49.5m by Transfermarkt, which accounts for a remarkable 23 per cent of Palace’s overall total. On those terms, he’s the most valuable player to his club in the Premier League.
13. Southampton (£213.3m)
Southampton’s struggles in recent seasons have been put down to their declining success in the transfer market. Saints were once known for uncovering gems from overseas and promoting prospects from their academy, before selling them on for a healthy profit.
Nevertheless, the south coast side could still expect to fetch around £213m if all their players were sold, with Jannik Vestergaard and Nathan Redmond both thought to be worth £18m.
12. Newcastle (£246.22m)
Newcastle were among the favourites for relegation before a ball had been kicked this season, in part because many deemed their squad to be one of the weakest in the Premier League.
In terms of value, though, the Magpies’ group are closer to mid-table than the bottom three. Summer signing Joelinton (£31.5m) sits at the St James’ Park summit, followed by fellow 2019 purchases Allan Saint-Maximin (£22.5m) and Miguel Almiron (£18m).
11. Wolves (£300.38m)
Wolves were the best of the rest last term, finishing in the spot immediately behind the so-called big six. It’s something of a surprise, then, that their 2019/20 squad is not even among the top 10 in terms of value.
Nuno Espirito Santo’s group clocks in at just over £300m, a large portion of which is attributed to Ruben Neves (£45m), Raul Jimenez and Diogo Jota (both £31.5m).
10. Bournemouth (£300.83m)
By many measures Bournemouth are the smallest club in the division, but squad value isn’t one of them. Indeed, Bournemouth squeeze into the top 10 of this ranking with an overall worth of £300.83m.
Nathan Ake, who was linked with Manchester City in the summer, leads the way at £31.5m, with British trio Ryan Fraser, David Brooks and Callum Wilson (all £27m) tied in second spot.
9. West Ham (£313.88m)
West Ham’s form has dipped in recent weeks, and Manuel Pellegrini could begin to come under pressure if his team – which ranks ninth in terms of squad value – continues to stumble towards the relegation zone.
Declan Rice tops the Hammers’ list at £45m, with Manchester United thought to be interested in bringing the England international to Old Trafford. Felipe Anderson and Sebastien Haller are tied in second, with both thought to be worth £40.5m.
8. Leicester (£369.23m)
Leicester are flying high in the 2019/20 campaign, having moved nine points clear of fifth-placed Arsenal in the race for Champions League qualification.
Transfermarkt data suggests midfield duo Youri Tielemans and James Maddison are worth £40.5m each, while Wilfred Ndidi and Ben Chilwell are valued at £31.5m apiece.
7. Everton (£455.4m)
Everton have suffered a miserable 2019/20 to date, generally hovering above the relegation zone to make Marco Silva’s side the biggest underachievers so far this season when results are compared to squad value.
Richarlison hasn’t enjoyed the best of starts to the campaign having scored in only two top-flight games up to now, but he’s comfortably the Toffees’ most valuable asset at £45m – which is £9m more than Jordan Pickford and Moise Kean.
6. Arsenal (£621.68m)
The £166m difference between Arsenal and Everton’s squad values underlines why Premier League observers these days refer to a big six.
Nicolas Pepe is regarded as the Gunners’ most valuable player at £67.5m, with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette (both £63m) not far behind. In third place is Lucas Torreira (£49.5m), who has made just four Premier League starts this season.
5. Manchester United (£677.93m)
Manchester United spent more than any other Premier League club in the summer transfer market, although their £148m outlay was offset by the £74m they recouped from the sale of Romelu Lukaku to Inter.
United should patently be doing better than their current position of 10th place, but their squad is no longer one of the four most valuable in the division. Unsurprisingly, Paul Pogba heads the Old Trafford list at £90m.
4. Chelsea (£726.3m)
Chelsea were unable to register any new players in the summer, but they did welcome Christian Pulisic to Stamford Bridge having agreed a deal for the American winger back in January.
Pulisic (£54m) is joint-third in the ranking of Chelsea’s most valuable squad members alongside Kepa Arrizabalaga, both of whom are behind midfielders Jorginho (£58.5m) and N’Golo Kante (£90m).
3. Tottenham (£866.5m)
There’s no doubt that Mauricio Pochettino has taken Tottenham a long way during his five-year tenue, but the squad he’s currently working with is the third most valuable in the Premier League.
Harry Kane (£135m) is one of the few players in the division worth more than £100m, which is a figure Christian Eriksen also gets close to (£90m). Despite a dip in performances over the past year, Dele Alli ranks third at £81m.
2. Liverpool (£967.28m)
Liverpool lead the way in the Premier League standings but they still trail Manchester City in terms of squad value. Mohamed Salah (£135m) is tied with Harry Kane for top spot in the division, while Sadio Mane (£108m) also breaks the £100m barrier.
Virgil van Dijk isn't too far behind that figure at £90m, with Alisson Becker, Roberto Firmino and Trent Alexander-Arnold next in line at £72m each. For now, though, Liverpool are around £33m short of the £1bn mark.
1. Manchester City (£1.15bn)
Premier League champions in each of the last two seasons, Manchester City also top the pile when it comes to squad value.
The only top-flight team worth more than £1bn, City’s most high-worth individuals are Raheem Sterling (£126m), Kevin De Bruyne (£117m) and Leroy Sane (£90m), the latter of whom continues to be linked with Bayern Munich.
