Ranking the most valuable clubs in the Premier League
A report published by Sporting Intelligence has revealed exactly how valuable each football club in the Premier League is. Among the 20 clubs in England’s top flight, Manchester United are currently the most valuable club.
Each club’s valuation is calculated based on certain financial criteria such as revenue, assets, profit, the stadium capacity and wage ratio. With data compiled from clubs’ financial reports and Forbes, Manchester United is at the top of the table, valued at a whopping £1,848m.
Arsenal come in second, the only other club to be valued at over £1 billion. The Gunners are valued at £1,118m. That is a significant rise in two years – they were valued at only £942.9m in 2013. The 60,432 capacity stadium has improved the club’s finances and Arsene Wenger’s philosophy has seen the north London club become one of the most financially stable clubs in Europe.
Manchester City move up to third place in the list, valued at a shade below a billion (£907m). With UEFA finding it difficult to implement Financial Fair Play regulations, City might ride this wave a bit longer. But until they get their own stadium, there is a likelihood that the next two London clubs in the list will be worth a lot more.
Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur make up the top five, but their finances could take a hit as they look to relocate to new stadiums after they are built. However, with commercial deals and matchday revenue increasing in the long run, they could easily leapfrog Manchester City in the future. Both clubs have seen a significant increase in value over the past two years when they were valued at £510.5m and £436.3m respectively.
Liverpool are in sixth place but have already started work on trying to catch up. Expansion at Anfield will see the capacity rise from 45,522 to nearly 54,000. That should see a decent increase in matchday revenue and a return to the Champions League will also benefit the Anfield club in catching up with the top five.
| RANK | CLUB | VALUE |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Manchester United | £1,848m |
| 2 | Arsenal | £1,118m |
| 3 | Manchester City | £907m |
| 4 | Chelsea | £826m |
| 5 | Tottenham Hotspur | £710m |
| 6 | Liverpool | £537m |
| 7 | Southampton | £259m |
| 8 | Newcastle | £221m |
| 9 | Everton | £216m |
| 10 | West Ham | £215m |
| 11 | Stoke City | £192m |
| 12 | Crystal Palace | £186m |
| 13 | Swansea City | £183m |
| 14 | West Bromwich Albion | £175m |
| 15 | Norwich City | £166m |
| 16 | Aston Villa | £165m |
| 17 | Watford | £133m |
| Leicester City | £133m | |
| 19 | Sunderland | £121m |
| 20 | Bournemouth | £104m |