Barca are best at adding millions to their players' price tags... but which Premier League club makes most of their assets?



Arsenal are the most successful club in the Premier League at increasing the value of players on their books.

Analysts at the Football Observatory research centre in Switzerland have produced a new economic model, based on ‘hard’ criteria such as achievement, age, contract length, international experience and official historic transfer fees, to put an objective price tag on every player in Europe’s ‘Big 5’ leagues.

They have then calculated the difference between what each club spent on fees to assemble the squads who played in the 2012-13 season and what those squads are now objectively worth.



Top of the list: Arsenal are the best in the Premier League at increasing a player's value

Arsenal’s squad was put together by Arsene Wenger for £168million but is worth £269m, indicating Arsenal have improved the players collectively to the tune of £101m.

Manchester United’s squad (at the cut-off date of May 31, 2013) was worth the most in England at £359m — £67m more than Sir Alex Ferguson spent to assemble it.



The squads at Chelsea (£344m) and Manchester City (£333m) are worth less than their owners paid.

The most valuable squads belong to Barcelona (£560m, or a remarkable £365m more than it cost to assemble) and Real Madrid (£425m, worth just less than Real paid).

The most valuable player in the world is Lionel Messi at an astonishing £185m.

Best of the best: Barcelona add the most value of any team in Europe

Value of Europe’s most expensive XI GK: David De Gea (Manchester United) £22.19m RB: Philipp Lahm (Bayern) £17.68m CB: Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid) £35.19m CB: Gerard Pique (Barcelona) £29.07m LB: Jordi Alba (Barcelona) £21.59m RM: Eden Hazard (Chelsea) £47.18m CM: Sergio Busquets (Barcelona) £33.07m LM: Gareth Bale (Tottenham) £36.98m RF Edinson Cavani (Napoli) £49.56m CF: Lionel Messi (Barcelona) £184.79m LF: Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid) £86.87m TOTAL £564.15m





Almost priceless: Lionel Messi is the most expensive player in Europe, valued at £184.79 million

Selected squad values (in £millions)

Teams

Country Fees paid to assemble Value now Difference Barcelona Spain

194.44 560.01 +365.57 Borussia Dortmund Germany

51.43 199.26 +147.84 Bayern Munich Germany

194.06 314.34 +120.28 Arsenal England

167.66 268.87 +101.21 Juventus Italy

152.92 239.83 +86.92 Milan Italy

96.31 179.29 +82.98 Tottenham England

151.39 226.24 +74.85 Manchester United England

291.72 358.79 +67.07 Atletico Madrid Spain

94.39 156.29 +61.89 Real Madrid Spain

431.21 425.48 -5.72 Liverpool England

225.85 211.73 -14.12 Chelsea England

369.75 344.20 -25.55 Inter Milan Italy

173.91 130.86 -43.05 Manchester City England

375.74 332.56 -43.18 PSG France

246.93 203.70 -43.23