Chelsea have most expensive squad in the world

Chelsea players warm up before a Premier League game. Photo by Reuters

According to statistics and data from CIES Football Observatory, Chelsea's squad are worth $1.39 billion, calculated based on the amount they spent on buying players, topping the list of 100 teams. Second place is Manchester United with $1.15 billion, and Man City third with $1.12 billion. The study was conducted based on the amount of money clubs have spent on purchasing players, including both permanent transfers and loans, Daily Mail reported.

Since American billionaire Todd Boehly and his company Clearlake Capital took over Chelsea in May 2022, the club have spent nearly $1.6 billion on purchasing players. They have brought in 40 players and parted ways with 38. However, with the new coach Enzo Maresca wanting to trim the squad down to around 21 players, Chelsea still have nearly 20 players to sell, but could not find them a new club before the 2024 summer transfer window closed.

Man Utd also spent heavily after the new sports director arrived. They bought Lenny Yoro, Manuel Ugarte, Matthijs de Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui this summer for over $263 million. Man City did not spend as much as their two rivals, but still kept a high value thanks to their star-studded squad.

The remaining two teams in the top five are both from North London, with Arsenal ($883 million) and Tottenham Hotspurs ($871 million). Tottenham spent $85 million to bring in domestic striker Dominic Solanke this summer.

PSG are sixth with $854 million in squad value. They are the non-English club with the most expensive squad, despite losing Kylian Mbappe to Real Madrid. The Spanish giant are eighth with their squad at $796 million, just below Liverpool at seventh with $813 million.

Atletico, who made the most expensive signing this summer with Argentine striker Julian Alvarez ($104 million), are 12th with a squad value of $548 million. Al-Hilal have the most expensive club in Saudi Arabia and Asia, with $538 million, peaking 13th on the list.

Top 20 clubs with the most expensive squads in the world according to CIES Football Observatory:

Chelsea - $1.39 billion
Man United - $1.15 billion
Man City - $1.12 billion
Arsenal - $883 million
Tottenham - $871 million
PSG - $854 million
Liverpool - $813 million
Real Madrid - $796 million
Newcastle - $755 million
Juventus - $693 million
Bayern - $650 million
Atletico - $548 million
Al-Hilal - $538 million
Aston Villa - $526 million
Barca - $510 million
Brighton - $478 million
Wolves - $471 million
West Ham - $457 million
RB Leipzig - $453 million
Nottingham Forest - $440 million