As the years go by, footballers are getting more and more expensive. The boom of financial power in the beautiful games means that fees of £100 million plus are becoming somewhat commonplace – Florian Wirtz is the latest example of exactly that.
The Premier League, as alluded to with the German’s move to Liverpool this summer, is a division driven by money; and those who spend the most typically finish near the summit come the end of every season. It’s a never-ending cycle, really.
But which club – out of the 20 in England’s primary division, from Manchester United to Burnley – boast the highest-value starting eleven? That information has been provided by Transfermarkt so let’s take a closer look, shall we?
Premier League’s Most Valuable Starting XI – 20-16
west ham
Among those looking to make a splash following their promotion to the Premier League are Scott Parker’s Burnley, who finished last season with a tally of 100 points. They’ve been tipped to go back down – and that’s with a starting XI worth €129m (£111.3m).
Sunderland and Leeds United, too, will struggle to retain their Premier League status beyond May 2026 – and, respectively, their squads are worth €164m (£141.5m) and €188m (£162.2m). Any team would struggle to avoid relegation with that chasm in value from the rest of the league!
Leeds United
Wolverhampton Wanderers, by virtue of losing Matheus Cunha, have seen the value of their 11 best players decrease to €226m (£195m). The Old Gold’s highest-valued asset is now 24-year-old midfielder Joao Gomes, who has earned plenty of interest this summer.
West Ham United could potentially count themselves lucky to have not faced demotion to the Championship in seasons gone by, but their struggles are down to the fact they have such a weak starting XI from a value point of view – €242m (£208.8m).
Rank Team Value
20. Burnley €129m (£111.3m)
19. Sunderland €164m (£141.5m)
18. Leeds €188m (£162.2m)
17. Wolves €226m (£195m)
16. West Ham €242m (£208.8m)
Premier League’s Most Valuable Starting XI – 15-11
nottingham forest
Boasting the 15th-most expensive starting XI in the league is Marco Silva’s Fulham, who did tremendously well to finish 11th last season given their highest-valued player is Antonee Robinson, a left-back who is worth around the €35m mark!
Everton are looking enthused under the stewardship of David Moyes – and with a little bit of luck, there is every chance they could secure a spot in Europe come the end of the campaign. Helping them do so would be a starting XI which holds a market value of €250m (£215.7m).
Having lost Bryan Mbeumo this summer, Brentford’s starting XI has been weakened significantly in terms of on-the-pitch talent – as has its overall value. Now, as we head into the 2025/26 campaign, the Bees’ value sits at €257m (£221.7m).
Bournemouth have lost plenty of talent this summer – think Dean Huijsen, Milos Kerkez and Ilya Zabarnyi – so don’t be surprised at their low position on this list. Nottingham Forest, too, may have European competition to contend with, but their starting XI value of €304m (£262.2m) is not enough to crack the top half.
Rank Team Value
15. Fulham €246m (£212.2m)
14. Everton €250m (£215.7m)
13. Brentford €257m (£221.7m)
12. Bournemouth €267m (£230.3m)
11. Nottingham Forest €304m (£262.2m)
Premier League’s Most Valuable Starting XI – 10-6
aston villa
Premier League duo Brighton & Hove Albion and Crystal Palace share one of the strangest rivalries in world football, but they are also very close in terms of starting XI market value. The former is valued at €307m (£264.8m); the latter is valued at €338m (£291.6m).
Europa League-level Aston Villa’s highest-valued player is the talismanic Morgan Rogers at €55m, which equates to £47.45m. Amadou Onana and Ollie Watkins are just behind as Unai Emery’s men boast the eighth-most expensive starting XI in England.
Morgan Rogers in action for Aston Villa
Given that Tottenham Hotspur’s starting XI is worth €436m (£376.1m) – figureheaded by Cristian Romero at €50m (£43.2m) – Thomas Frank should hit the ground running in north London, especially after the side proved they could be in Europe last season.
Ruben Amorim’s Manchester United starting XI, which is spearheaded by new recruits Benjamin Sesko, Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo, has a market value of €500m (£431.3m) and the fact they finished 15th last season with such an expensive squad is nothing short of humilitating.
Rank Team Value
10. Brighton €307m (£264.8m)
9. Crystal Palace €338m (£291.6m)
8. Aston Villa €385m (£332.1m)
7. Tottenham €436m (£376.1m)
6. Man Utd €500m (£431.3m)
Premier League’s Most Valuable Starting XI – 5-1
liverpool -2
Eddie Howe’s Newcastle United – who are set to lose the talismanic Alexander Isak in the coming weeks – currently possess a starting XI with a value of around €539m (£465m), but, without the €120m (£103.5m)-worth Swedish sharpshooter, that would decrease significantly.
Enzo Maresca’s Chelsea are coming off the back of a trophy-laden season – and it’s no surprise to see they’ve got such a brilliant starting XI with an eye-catching value of €615m (£530.5m). That’s not a surprise given they’ve spent so freely since Todd Boehly became owner.
Liverpool and Manchester City, undeniably, boast two of the best teams in world football, and they have respective values of €718m (£619.4m) and €812m (£700.5m). That’s thanks to the lofty values of Florian Wirtz, Erling Haaland – one of world football's best strikers – and the like.
To no great surprise, Arsenal – constant challengers at the summit of England’s top division, having enjoyed back-to-back-to-back seasons in second place – have the most expensively-assembled starting XI. That's expected thanks to the likes of Bukayo Saka (€150m; £129.5m) being in Mikel Areta’s ranks.
Rank Team Value
5. Newcastle €539m (£465m)
4. Chelsea €615m (£530.5m)
3. Liverpool €718m (£619.4m)
2. Man City €812m (£700.5m)
1. Arsenal €840m (£724.6m)