Highlights

• A table has emerged which reveals the difference between every Premier League squad's value and how much each team's players were purchased for.
• The table reveals that some clubs, like Chelsea and Manchester United, have overspent on their current squads, potentially indicating poor decision-making and overpaying for players.
• Four clubs have a negative difference in total, while nine of Premier League sides have a difference of more than €100m.

The table showing the purchase value - and total market value - of every Premier League club has emerged. And it's rather interesting.

What does that mean though? Well, the table shows how much money each club has spent to assemble their squad while also showing how much their squad is worth now. And then it's ranked by the difference between the two figures.

Essentially, have clubs overpaid to assemble their squad - or are their players now worth more than what they bought them for? It's the difference between a well-run club and one that's poorly operated. The ability to spot talented players and sign them for cheap - or bring a youngster through your academy - is crucial in modern football with the transfer fees for Premier League stars extortionate.

One of the biggest spenders in the last few transfer windows has been Todd Boehly's Chelsea. Since the Blues were taken over by the American last year, they have shelled out more than £1 billion on new players to try and rise up the league table. A tactic which backfired last year as the Blues slumped to a 12th-place finish.

That did not deter them from splashing the cash once again this summer. But have they overspent on their current squad? We've dipped into Transfermarkt to find out which teams have the best difference between total cash spent on current players and their total market value now, ranking them from worst to best.

All figures used have been taken from Transfermarkt.

20 Manchester United

United have always had a reputation for not being afraid to spend big in the transfer market, but they have frequently paid over the odds for players, making them the worst culprits for overspending out of every Premier League team. Recent transfers which exacerbate their difference include Antony and Harry Maguire.

19 Chelsea

Well, that didn’t take long to answer the question we posed above. Chelsea might come third for total market value, but they top the lot for purchase value, ensuring that they finish near the bottom of the table here. Some of their biggest mistakes under Boehly include Marc Cucurella, who is only valued at €35m now having been bought for £65m, and Moises Caicedo, signing for a British transfer record and around €40m more than he’s actually valued at.

18 Wolverhampton Wanderers

Some of Wolves' past transfers have seen a big drop in value in the years gone by. Fabio Silva, for example, was signed for €40m but is now only worth €13m. With Gary O'Neil's side expected to struggle this season, we might see the total market value of the squad drop even further.

17 West Ham

The Irons are the last team in this list who have a net overspend compared to total market value, demonstrating that the remaining 16 teams have a knack for spotting a bargain and developing existing talent. David Moyes’ team does conduct sensible business for the most part, even picking up some steals in places, but that doesn’t stop them from falling into the red.

16 Sheffield United

First up in the green are the Blades, albeit by €285k. Paul Heckingbottom’s team currently has the second-lowest total market value in the league, but their positive difference indicates that they are generally sensible when it comes to buying players. A couple of free transfers, like former Everton midfielder Tom Davies, also help them just about break even.

15 Newcastle

It’s hard to think of many times that the Magpies have overspent, to be honest. The one case you could make would be against Alexander Isak, but even he now looks to be worth every penny after an impressive first season in English football. There is a big gap between Newcastle and the Blades below them in terms of overall difference, though, with a positive difference of €31.75m showing that Eddie Howe’s team usually nail their valuations.

14 Tottenham Hotspur

Spurs are only fractionally ahead of their Premier League rivals below them, but Ange Postecoglou’s boys nip in front by €1m. They are no stranger to picking up a bargain, with Dejan Kulusevski, currently valued at €50m, signed for around €30m this summer. Not bad at all, but their difference is overshadowed by some of the other recruitment teams in the English top flight.

13 Burnley

Vincent Kompany’s lads stormed the Championship last year, but are yet to pick up a point this season. However, if they manage to finish 13th like they do in this table, you can imagine most Clarets fans will be overjoyed. Sander Berge is a great example of a good bit of business this summer, with Burnley picking up the former Sheffield United man for €13.9m despite him being valued at €20m.

12 Bournemouth

Bournemouth are not the biggest team in the top flight, and consequently, like many teams around them, they don’t fork out huge sums of money for players and instead trust their recruitment department to find affordable bargains. With a positive overall difference of just over €50m, it’s fair to say they recruit and develop players already at the club well. New signing Max Aarons is proof of that, with the Cherries spending just €8m on a player valued at double that fee.

11 Everton

Given Everton’s poor start to the 2023/24 season, their squad’s market value could be about to take a dip. The Toffees have looked woeful under Sean Dyche and could find themselves in another relegation battle if they don’t fix up. They will be looking to their prized assets to make a difference, the likes of Amadou Onana and new striker Beto. Impressively, the former’s value has risen in the last year to €45m despite his side’s struggles, having been bought for €35m.

10 Luton

Arguably, the most impressive placement in this list, given that Luton have spent the least on their squad out of any other team in the Premier League right now. Their total market value is more than three times what the Hatters paid for their squad in total, with some shrewd bits of business in recent times like Carlton Morris, signed from Barnsley for €2m and now worth €6m. It remains to be seen if their squad can compete in the Premier League, but the early signs are not promising.

9 Crystal Palace

While other sides might get praised more for signing incredible players on the cheap, Palace are no stranger to a bargain either. That is highlighted by the €104m difference between total squad cost and total squad market value, making them the first team to hit triple digits. The two jewels in the crown are undoubtedly Eberechi Eze and Michael Olise, signed €17.8m and €9.3m respectively, and now both valued at €40m and €38m. A testament to both business and the form of each player.

8 Fulham

The Cottager’s 10th-place finish last season saw the values of some players rise over the summer, with the likes of Andreas Pereira and Joao Palhinha taking them past the €110m mark for overall difference. Some shrewd signings have been made on the cheap too, with Alex Iwobi and Timothy Castagne joining from Everton and Leicester for less than their market values. The latter was signed for nearly half of what he is supposedly worth.

7 Nottingham Forest

Just €1m separates Forest from Fulham, but the Reds sneak in front. That is partly because of their summer business, with some nice players arriving at the City Ground. Nuno Tavares, on loan from Arsenal, provides a boost to squad value, while Callum Hudson-Odoi, a player valued at €15m, has signed from Chelsea for just €3.5m. With the market values of some players, like Morgan Gibbs-White, also rising after decent a season, it’s not that shocking to see Steve Cooper’s squad this high on the list.

6 Liverpool

We’re making a considerable jump here, but Liverpool just fall outside the top five, despite an overall difference of €163m. Their most valuable player, Luis Diaz, has seen an increase in his worth since joining the club, while the Reds also have five players now worth more than the €65m mark. Alexis Mac Allister is one of those names, having joined from Brighton for just €42m. A bargain of epic proportions.

5 Aston Villa

There are a couple of loans which bump up Villa’s value here, such as Clement Lenglet and Nicolo Zaniolo, but for the most part, their fifth-place spot is down to good business and excellent player development from Unai Emery. Youri Tielemens on a free transfer was a stunning signing, while youth product Jacob Ramsey highlights the exceptional coaching happening at Villa Park. Valued at €25m in June last year, his market value is now €18m higher. He is just one player who has ballooned in value with Emery at the helm, so it’s no surprise to see Villa crack the top five.

4 Brentford

We have the first of two exceptionally run clubs next. No surprises for guessing who gets a bronze medal. Brentford have recruited well over the years, paying small fees for players who have sky-rocketed in value after developing. The best example of that is Ivan Toney, bought for just €5.6m from Peterborough and now worth nearly seven times that amount. Bryan Mbeumo, Rico Henry and many more in the Bees’ squad are other examples who fit the bargain description.

3 Brighton & Hove Albion

Buy low, sell high. That is the motto that probably fits Brighton the best. The Seagulls are no strangers to selling on players for extortionate values having bought them on the cheap, with Moises Caicedo and Marc Cucurella two examples of that.

Even then, they still have a squad worth nearly double what they paid for each player. Ansu Fati’s loan from Barcelona helps, but so too do the free transfers of James Milner and Mahmoud Dahoud. Buying players for low fees who have started to fulfill their enormous potential, like Evan Ferguson and Kaoru Mitoma, help too. The best-run club in the division? Not many people would argue against that.

2 Manchester City

Pep Guardiola’s team have never been afraid to pay huge sums of money, as proven this summer with the signing of Josko Gvardiol. Nevertheless, it’s very rare that they get a signing wrong, and even rarer to see a player fail to get better under the Spanish coach. Because of that, nearly every player on City’s books has risen in value since joining. Erling Haaland’s value of €180m is the highest by some way, while Phil Foden follows in second place at €110m.

Since the former only cost €60m and the latter is an academy graduate, it’s no surprise to see City have an overall difference of nearly €200m. They may not take the crown for the biggest gap between market and purchase value, but they are the most valuable squad in the Premier League.

1 Arsenal

In the end, though, it wasn’t even close between first and second. Arsenal are miles ahead of the rest of the pack when it comes to difference between total market value and purchase price. Sure, there have been some big arrivals over the summer, like Declan Rice and Kai Havertz, but that barely reduces the difference.

The major reason why they are so far ahead is how Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard and Gabriel Martinelli have developed under Mikel Arteta. The trio are three of the best players in the league and are valued at €120m, €90m and €80m respectively. That’s quite the rise considering the former was an academy graduate who cost nothing, while the other two cost a combined total of €42.1m.