Top of the world: Arsenal overtake Man City in squad value - €528m increase under Arteta
The most valuable squad in the football world is currently not Manchester City’s, but Arsenal’s. What seemed like a natural law for years has now changed for the time being following the Gunners’ record spending. How can it be that a club that did not qualify for the Champions League for seven years has now compiled a team that ranks ahead of last season’s European treble winners in terms of squad value on July 17?
Arsenal second to Man City - The 25 most valuable squads in the world
For a total of €231.6 million, the Premier League runners-ups have strengthened their team with Kai Havertz, Jurrien Timber and Declan Rice this summer – since head coach Mikel Arteta took charge at the end of 2019, their squad value has gone up from €668m to €1.21bn. That equates to an increase of €528m – an impressive number that no other club can match. Arsenal bought players for €685m during this period and only earned €104m from player sales, which corresponds to a net spend of €581m. No other club in the world has made such a large loss since January 2020, not even Chelsea (€563m).
Arsenal’s success proves them right, as high spending and a negative transfer balance are common in the top half of the Premier League table, but no other top club has been able to boost their squad value to such an extent. The Gunners’ high squad value is also due to their player’s average age, as no key player is older than 26. The last time the most valuable squad was not Man City’s was when Liverpool briefly had the most valuable players in May 2021 (squad value: €1.13bn). Since then, their squad value has gone down by around €285m.
Squad value rankings: Can Man City overtake Arsenal again?
It is difficult to say today which club will boast the most valuable squad at the end of the transfer window, but is not unlikely that Man City will overtake the North London club again. If the European treble winners were to bring in Josko Gvardiol from RB Leipzig, for example, and Arsenal were to sell transfer candidates Kieran Tierney, Thomas Partey and Folarin Balogun, the Citizens would again rank around €150m ahead of the Gunners.
Independent of their squad value, Arsenal are back in the mix at the top after a long drought and that has been underlined by their summer transfers so far. Rice is an absolute leader who can make the difference in the title race thanks to the balance he gives a team. Despite his 24 years, he is already very experienced and rarely misses a game. Havertz, who was often used as a forward at Chelsea, could be reintroduced as a midfielder by Arteta and should get back on track in a more stable team alongside Martin Ødegaard, while Timber adds even more variability to the defence.
- Date of Birth/Age:
- 26.03.1982 (42)
-
Nat.:
- Current club:
- Arsenal FC
- Current Position:
- Manager
- Contract until:
- Jun 30, 2025
- In charge since:
- Dec 22, 2019
- Total Market Value:
- €1.12bn
- Competition:
- Premier League
- Position:
- 1.
- Manager:
- Mikel Arteta
- Squad size:
- 25
- Latest Transfer:
- David Raya
- Total Market Value:
- €1.27bn
- Competition:
- Premier League
- Position:
- 2.
- Manager:
- Pep Guardiola
- Squad size:
- 22
- Latest Transfer:
- Claudio Echeverri