Chelsea break Man City’s record for the most expensive squad in world football history

INA-  SOURCES


The financial clout of the Premier League has once again been laid bare, as the latest CIES Football Observatory data report ranks the top 100 most expensively-assembled club squads in world football.

Chelsea predictably lead the charge after breaking the British transfer record for Enzo Fernandez and topping the €100 million mark for both Moises Caicedo and the now-departed Romelu Lukaku. Armed with a massive squad, Todd Boehly’s project has seen more than €1.2 billion already spent (including add-ons), which makes it the most expensive squad in football history, overtaking Manchester City’s high mark.

Manchester United follows closely behind, averaging a higher price per deal than Chelsea but with fewer transactions. Their headline signing was the €95 million acquisition of out-of-favour winger Antony in 2022, marking what some have called heavy-handed and clumsy spending.

Third-placed Manchester City, meanwhile, boast the highest average deal price globally but have been far more selective, signing only 18 players compared to Chelsea’s 25.

CIES’ new ranking highlights the Premier League’s dominant financial position, with all top five spending clubs coming from the English top flight. Liverpool are the only big six side to place outside the top six, instead placing seventh, just behind French champions PSG.

It is important to note that 24 of the top 100 spending teams are from England, including all 20 Premier League clubs and Championship sides Leeds United, Sheffield United, Burnley, and Middlesbrough.

The analysis does not account for contract-ending deals, like Real Madrid’s signings of Kylian Mbappé, Antonio Rudiger, and David Alaba, which do not impact their standing on the spending chart.

Al Hilal, positioned 13th, tops the list of non-Big 5 league teams, leading a quartet of Saudi Arabian clubs, with Al-Nassr (€270 million), Al-Ittihad (€226 million), and Al-Ahli (€224 million) following closely behind each other. The Saudi Pro League champions have even surpassed FC Barcelona, who, due to financial constraints, have relied heavily on their La Masia academy and made only 14 signings to build their squad.




SOURCE: inside world football