Every Premier League club’s most valuable starting XI has been ranked
The financial power of the Premier League has allowed numerous teams from across the division to amass costly squads in recent years.
Ipswich Town’s 22-year absence from England’s top flight has limited their ability to attract high-value players.
Manchester City may have dominated the Premier League’s modern era but do not boast the most valuable lineup in the competition’s history.
The Premier League is widely considered to be the elite division on the planet, with some of the world’s best players taking the field each week across several clubs. That’s to be expected given the outlay of cash spent in each transfer window, making the Premier League consistently the biggest league spenders on the continent.
The division’s financial might is no longer restricted to the so-called ‘Big Six’. An ever-growing torrent of TV revenue ensures that clubs outside the traditional elite are now able to name several multi-million-pound signings.
Here’s a look at every Premier League club’s most valuable lineup, based on estimations from Transfermarkt, offering a snapshot in time of each team’s costliest starting XI. While the expansion of wealth has trickled down the division, there is still a yawning gulf between the top and bottom of the Premier League.
Most Valuable Starting XIs in Premier League History
Ranked
Club
Opponent
Season
Total value
1
Liverpool
West Ham United
2019/20
£827m
2
Manchester City
Brentford
2023/24
£756m
3
Arsenal
Liverpool
2023/24
£682m
4
Chelsea
Manchester United
2018/19
£560m
5
Tottenham Hotspur
Liverpool
2019/20
£532m
6
Manchester United
Newcastle United
2021/22
£490m
7
Aston Villa
Liverpool
2023/24
£351m
8
Newcastle United
Manchester City
2023/24
£340m
9
Leicester City
Manchester City
2019/20
£329m
10
West Ham United
Aston Villa
2022/23
£298m
11
Everton
Fulham
2020/21
£290m
12
Wolves
Fulham
2020/21
£249m
13
Crystal Palace
Luton Town
2023/24
£237m
14
Brentford
Everton
2023/24
£221m
15
Brighton
Chelsea
2022/23
£219m
16
Fulham
Crystal Palace
2023/24
£190m
17
Bournemouth
Chelsea
2019/20
£182m
18
Nottingham Forest
Sheffield United
2023/24
£177m
19
Southampton
Crystal Palace
2022/23
£167m
20
Ipswich Town
Plymouth Argyle
2023/24
£22m
20 Ipswich Town – £22m
Date: 2nd March 2024
Ipswich Town’s Kieran McKenna
Ipswich Town’s Kieran McKenna
A record which will surely be shattered as soon as Kieran McKenna’s side lines up for their first game of the 2024/25 Premier League season, Ipswich Town’s golden vintage arrived during a triumphant Championship campaign. Fresh from finishing as League One runners-up, the Tractor Boys completed the rare feat of back-to-back promotions in 2024.
Ipswich’s ascent has not been driven by high-profile players. The most valuable member of McKenna’s squad during the 2023/24 campaign was Leif Davis, a 24-year-old left-back who had arrived from Leeds United one year earlier for the grand sum of £1m. Like so many of his undervalued colleagues, Davis defied his price tag to produce an impressive campaign, delivering an unrivalled 18 league assists.
Ipswich’s Most-Valuable XI
Number
Player
Position
Market value
31
Vaclav Hldaky
Goalkeeper
£340,000
15
Cameron Burgess
Centre-back
£840,000
6
Luke Woolfenden
Centre-back
£1m
3
Leif Davis
Left-back
£3.4m
40
Axel Tuanzebe
Right-back
£2.1m
28
Lewis Travis
Defensive midfielder
£3.4m
5
Sam Morsy
Central midfielder
£760,000
21
Jeremy Sarmiento
Left winger
£3.4m
20
Omari Hutchinson
Right winger
£2.5m
10
Conor Chaplin
Second striker
£2.5m
24
Kieffer Moore
Centre-forward
£2.1m
19 Southampton – £167m
Date: 15th April 2023
Romeo Lavia
Southampton pivoted hard towards a youth-based transfer strategy ahead of an ultimately doomed 2022/23 campaign. The Saints stuffed the squad with promising talents who had high resale value but little top-flight experience. After finishing rock-bottom, Southampton were forced to cash in on some of those assets.
Few on the south coast could have imagined how much Chelsea were willing to pay for Romeo Lavia. After just one season of senior football, the Blues splashed £58m on the Belgian midfielder. James Ward-Prowse was one of the few experienced heads in Southampton’s relegation campaign, but ended his 20-year association with the club to sign a deal worth £30m for West Ham United.
Southampton’s Most-Valuable XI
Number
Player
Position
Market value
31
Gavin Bazunu
Goalkeeper
£15.2m
35
Jan Bednarek
Centre-back
£11.8m
37
Armel Bella-Kotchap
Centre-back
£16.9m
2
Kyle Walker-Peters
Left-back
£21.1m
3
Ainsley Maitland-Niles
Right-back
£6.8m
45
Romeo Lavia
Defensive midfield
£21.1m
7
Joe Aribo
Central midfield
£12.7m
8
James Ward-Prowse
Central midfield
£32.1m
20
Kamaldeen Sulemana
Left winger
£18.6m
32
Theo Walcott
Right winger
£1.5m
26
Carlos Alcaraz
Centre-forward
£10.1m
18 Nottingham Forest – £177m
Date: 18th August 2023
morgan-gibbs-white-nottingham-forest
Nottingham Forest’s most valuable starting 11 came at the beginning of the 2023/24 campaign. It was their second successive season in the Premier League after surviving the previous term, so naturally, the club were further into the process of building a sustainable squad, boasting a plethora of talented and valuable players.
The East Midlands outfit fielded an XI worth £177m against Sheffield United and it was enough to secure a 2-1 victory over the division’s newcomers. Morgan Gibbs-White was the most valuable player on that summer afternoon, followed by the exciting young winger Brennan Johnson, who later departed for Tottenham Hotspur in a £47.5m deal.
Nottingham Forest’s Most-Valuable XI
Number
Player
Position
Market value
1
Matt Turner
Goalkeeper
£6.8m
26
Scott McKenna
Centre-back
£8.5m
4
Joe Worrall
Centre-back
£10.2m
30
Willy Boly
Left-back
£2.1m
28
Danilo
Central midfield
£23.9m
5
Orel Mangala
Central midfield
£13.7m
24
Serge Aurier
Right midfield
£6.8m
7
Neco Williams
Left midfield
£17.1m
10
Morgan Gibbs-White
Left winger
£34.2m
20
Brennan Johnson
Right winger
£32.5m
9
Taiwo Awoniyi
Centre-forward
£21.4m
17 Bournemouth – £182m
Date: 29th February 2020
joshua-king-bournemouth
Bournemouth’s starting XI against Chelsea back in February 2020 was worth £182m in market value, making it the club’s most expensive lineup in Premier League history. The Cherries, managed by Eddie Howe at the time, drew 2-2 with Frank Lampard’s Chelsea and had two players, Jefferson Lerma and Joshua King, on the scoresheet worth a combined total of £38.5m.
Nathan Ake was their most expensive player that afternoon, followed by Ryan Fraser and Callum Wilson, who were both priced at £25.6m each. Despite a glut of talented players, Bournemouth suffered relegation to the second tier, having finished in 18th, one point adrift of 17th-placed Aston Villa.
Bournemouth’s Most-Valuable XI
Number
Player
Position
Market value
12
Aaron Ramsdale
Goalkeeper
£8.5m
5
Nathan Ake
Centre-back
£29.9m
3
Steven Cook
Centre-back
£10.2m
15
Adam Smith
Left-back
£7.7m
17
Jack Stacey
Right-back
£3.4m
8
Jefferson Lerma
Defensive midfield
£21.4m
29
Philip Billing
Central midfield
£15.4m
16
Lewis Cook
Central midfield
£17.1m
7
Joshua King
Left winger
£17.1m
24
Ryan Fraser
Right winger
£25.6m
13
Callum Wilson
Centre-forward
£25.6m
16 Fulham – £190m
Date: 27th April 2024
marco-silva-fulham
Fulham’s most valuable team came during the 2023/24 season when they played host to Crystal Palace, though, the £190m-rated XI were held to a 1-1 draw. Future Bayern Munich man, Joao Palhinha, was far and away the Cottagers’ most valuable player. The midfield enforcer had established himself at international level with Portugal and was widely regarded as one of the best defensive midfielders across the division.
Paradoxically, Fulham’s star performer at the time was one of the least valuable players in Marco Silva’s starting XI. Rodrigo Muniz – rated at just £8.5m – broke the deadlock against Palace that day, extending his blistering hot streak to nine goals in 13 games.
Fulham’s Most-Valuable XI
Number
Player
Position
Market value
17
Bernd Leno
Goalkeeper
£11.1m
3
Calvin Bassey
Centre-back
£13.7m
31
Issa Diop
Centre-back
£18.6m
33
Antonee Robinson
Left-back
£17.1m
21
Timothy Castagne
Right-back
£14.5m
26
Joao Palhinha
Defensive midfield
£46.5m
10
Harrison Reed
Defensive midfield
£15.2m
14
Bobby De Cordova-Reid
Right midfield
£5.1m
22
Alex Iwobi
Left midfield
£23.7m
18
Andreas Pereira
Attacking midfield
£17.1m
19
Rodrigo Muniz
Centre-forward
£8.5m
15 Brighton – £219m
Date: 15th April 2023
moises-caicedo-brighton-and-albion
Roberto De Zerbi’s named a Brighton and Hove Albion starting line-up worth £219m against Chelsea during the 2022/23 season. The Seagulls secured a 2-1 victory at Stamford Bridge – although both goals were scored by substitutes, Danny Welbeck and Julio Enciso.
Moises Caicedo was Brighton’s most valuable player on the day with a market value of £47.1m. Within a matter of months, the astute south-coast club managed to extract a British transfer-record fee worth £115m out of Chelsea for the Ecuadorian midfielder. Alexis Mac Allister (rated at £35.9m) and Robert Sanchez (£27.4m) also appeared in that decisive fixture before moving on in the summer for princely sums. De Zerbi’s stacked side ended up finishing sixth and qualified for European football for the first time in their history.
Brighton and Hove Albion’s Most-Valuable XI
Number
Player
Position
Market value
1
Robert Sanchez
Goalkeeper
£27.4m
4
Adam Webster
Centre-back
£18.8m
5
Lewis Dunk
Centre-back
£15.4m
30
Pervis Estupinan
Left-back
£17.1m
34
Joel Veltman
Right-back
£8.5m
25
Moises Caicedo
Defensive midfield
£47.1m
13
Pascal Gross
Defensive midfield
£6.8m
10
Alexis Mac Allister
Attacking midfield
£35.9m
22
Kaoru Mitoma
Left winger
£18.8m
7
Solly March
Right winger
£15.4m
28
Evan Ferguson
Centre-forward
£8.5m
14 Brentford – £221m
Date: 27th April 2024
bryan-mbeumo-kristoffer-ajer-brentford
The financial realities at Brentford have been transformed by Premier League football. When Thomas Frank’s side lined up for their first-ever game in England’s top-flight, the “bus stop in Hounslow” – to use the words of their self-deprecating manager – was worth a combined £93.1m. That collection of well-drilled players infamously defeated Arsenal, setting the tone for their extended stay in the Premier League.
By the end of the 2023/24 campaign, the value of Brentford’s starting lineup had more than doubled to £221m. Six of the outfielders that started against Everton in April 2024 also lined up in that famous victory over Arsenal three years earlier, but their valuation had exploded. Ivan Toney is a prime example, rocketing up to an estimation of £42.1m by attracting interest from Manchester United and many others.
Brentford’s Most-Valuable XI
Number
Player
Position
Market value
1
Mark Flekken
Goalkeeper
£10.1m
5
Ethan Pinnock
Centre-back
£12.6m
22
Nathan Collins
Centre-back
£21m
12
Sergio Reguilon
Left-back
£8.4m
20
Kristoffer Ajer
Right-back
£12.6m
6
Christian Norgaard
Defensive midfield
£16.8m
27
Vitaly Janelt
Central midfield
£18.8m
8
Mathias Jensen
Central midfield
£25.2m
19
Yoane Wissa
Left winger
£21.4m
19
Bryan Mbeumo
Right winger
£32m
17
Ivan Toney
Centre-forward
£42.1m
13 Crystal Palace – £237m
Date: 25th November 2023
michael-olise-crystal-palace
Crystal Palace’s most expensive line-up came back in November 2023 when they suffered a 2-1 defeat to Premier League newcomers Luton Town. The Eagles’ most valuable player, Michael Olise, netted a sublime solo effort that afternoon which was later recognised as the club’s goal of the month. The fleet-footed wide player was courted by most of the division’s elite throughout much of his time at Selhurst Park before ultimately moving to Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich in the summer of 2024.
The side under the stewardship of Roy Hodgson also possessed the dazzling talents of Eberechi Eze, who had a market value of £41m, Marc Guehi and Cheick Doucoure, who were both priced at £29.9m. Oliver Glasner replaced Hodgson in February 2024 and was never able to call upon the same costly starting lineup, but still guided the Eagles into the top half of the Premier League table.
Crystal Palace’s Most-Valuable XI
Number
Player
Position
Market value
1
Sam Johnstone
Goalkeeper
£8.5m
6
Marc Guehi
Centre-back
£29.9m
16
Joachim Anderson
Centre-back
£25m
3
Tyrick Mitchell
Left-back
£18.8m
2
Joel Ward
Right-back
£1m
8
Jefferson Lerma
Defensive midfield
£17.1m
28
Cheick Doucoure
Defensive midfield
£29.9m
15
Jeffrey Schlupp
Left midfield
£5.9m
10
Eberechi Eze
Attacking midfield
£41.1m
7
Michael Olise
Right winger
£42.8m
22
Odsonne Edouard
Centre-forward
£17.1m
12 Wolves – £249m
Date: 9th April 2021
ruben-neves-wolves
Nuno Espirito Santo was able to field a Wolverhampton Wanderers lineup worth £249m during the 2020/21 season. The multi-million pound XI made the trip to west London to face Fulham at Craven Cottage and £35m-rated winger Adama Traore netted the winner. Wolves’ most expensive player on the pitch was Ruben Neves, who had a market value of £42.8m. The Portuguese maestro went on to make a £47m move to Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal over two years later following a marvellous near six-year stay in the West Midlands.
Despite the financial figures, this Wolves side was arguably not as impressive as the 2019/20 iteration. Boasting a fully fit Raul Jimenez and box-crashing Matt Doherty, Nuno led a team with a proudly Portuguese core to seventh place in the Premier League as well as the Europa League quarter-finals.
Wolves’ Most-Valuable XI
Number
Player
Position
Market value
11
Rui Patricio
Goalkeeper
£8.5m
27
Romain Saiss
Centre-back
£8.5m
16
Conor Coady
Centre-back
£18.8m
3
Rayan Ait-Nouri
Left-back
£17.1m
22
Nelson Semedo
Right-back
£27.4m
8
Ruben Neves
Defensive midfield
£42.8m
32
Leander Dendoncker
Defensive midfield
£27.4m
37
Adama Traore
Left winger
£29.9m
7
Pedro Neto
Right winger
£29.9m
10
Daniel Podence
Second striker
£21.4m
12
Willian Jose
Centre-forward
£17.1m
11 Everton – £290m
Date: 22nd November 2020
dominic-calvert-lewin-everton
Everton’s most valuable line-up came back in November 2020 when they made the trip to Craven Cottage to face newly-promoted Fulham. Carlo Ancelotti was the manager at the time, and he oversaw a 3-2 victory, with Dominic Calvert-Lewin, worth £34.2m, on the scoresheet twice before £21m-rated midfielder Abdoulaye Doucoure added the third. Former Real Madrid playmaker James Rodriguez was in the XI and among the most valuable players on the pitch for the Toffees, with a market value of £29.9m.
Everton ended the campaign in 10th, level on points with ninth-placed Leeds United. The Merseyside club haven’t bettered that finish or points tally since.
Everton’s Most-Valuable XI
Number
Player
Position
Market value
1
Jordan Pickford
Goalkeeper
£22.2m
5
Michael Keane
Centre-back
£23.9m
13
Yerry Mina
Centre-back
£17.1m
22
Ben Godfrey
Centre-back
£21.4m
6
Allan
Defensive midfield
£21.4m
16
Abdoulaye Doucoure
Defensive midfield
£21.4m
17
Alex Iwobi
Right midfield
£21.8m
12
Lucas Digne
Left midfield
£25.6m
7
Richarlison
Left winger
£51.3m
19
James Rodriguez
Right winger
£29.9m
9
Dominic Calvert-Lewin
Centre-forward
£34.2m
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