CIES Football Observatory terms Liverpool's squad most valuable in Europe
According to a study by research group CIES Football Observatory, Liverpool have the most valuable squad in Europe's marquee leagues. The aggregate value of their squad is believed to be £1.28bn in the transfer market. Arch-rivals Manchester City is second in the list, whose squad has a value of £1.24bn. Liverpool are the Premier League leaders in the 2019-20 season. Here is more.
Liverpool were two victories away from securing title
Liverpool were having a dream run in the Premier League 2019-20 before the it got deferred, because of the coronavirus outbreak. Having won 27 and lost just one game, the Reds appeared as the front runners to win the title this season. They required two victories from their remaining nine encounters to clinch their first top-flight title in 30 years.
CIES use these variables to get the player values
A number of variables are used by the CIES which include the age of the player, performances, economic value of the club and inflation to determine the values of players. As per the results, Barcelona (£1.07bn) and Real Madrid (£1bn) hold the third and fourth spot respectively with Chelsea (£917m) on fifth. Chelsea were banned from signing players in last year's transfer window.
Five English clubs feature in the top 10
With a value of £916m, Manchester United's squad is the sixth most valuable, while the squad of Tottenham (£716m) holds the ninth position. The next highest English club in the rankings are Arsenal, who are placed at 15th with £568m. Leicester City follows them on 16th with a squad value of £562m. Paris St-Germain, Athletico Madrid and Juventus are also in the top 10.
SC Paderborn are the placed at bottom
While Crystal Palace is the lowest-ranked English club with a squad value of £173m, Bundesliga's SC Paderborn sit at the bottom of the table with mere £34m. Sheffield United, who are in sublime touch in the Premier League, are slightly above Crystal Palace with £174m. Besides, Paris St-Germain's forward Kylian Mbappe has highest transfer value at over £227m.
