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
|
20Ipswich Town – £22m
Date: 2nd March 2024
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.
19Southampton – £167m
Date: 15th April 2023
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.
18Nottingham Forest – £177m
Date: 18th August 2023
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.
17Bournemouth – £182m
Date: 29th February 2020
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.
16Fulham – £190m
Date: 27th April 2024
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.
15Brighton – £219m
Date: 15th April 2023
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
14Brentford – £221m
Date: 27th April 2024
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.
13Crystal Palace – £237m
Date: 25th November 2023
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.
2Wolves – £249m
Date: 9th April 2021
Everton – £290m
Date: 22nd November 2020
10West Ham United – £298m
Date: 12th March 2023
Leicester City – £329m
Date: 21st December 2019
8Newcastle United – £340m
Date: 19th August 2023
Since Newcastle United’s takeover in October 2021, the club has added an extra layer of quality across the squad, so it is no surprise to see their most expensive XI assembled during the 2023/24 campaign, a season after qualifying for the Champions League.
7Aston Villa – £351m
Date: 13th May 2024
Aston Villa’s most valuable line-up came at the end of a glorious 2023/24 season. By the time Liverpool arrived at Villa Park in May 2024, duking out a helter-skelter 3-3 draw, Unai Emery‘s side had begun to wane. But the accomplishments of a richly talented – with an emphasis on rich – squad would last for years to come.
Manchester United – £490m
Date: 11th September 2021
Manchester United‘s most valuable starting XI came during Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s reign when his side thumped Newcastle United 4-1 at Old Trafford. Perhaps most notably, it was Cristiano Ronaldo’s first game back in United colours after re-signing from Juventus and the legendary forward netted twice. 36 at the time, the Portugal international had a market value of £38.4m.
5Tottenham Hotspur – £532m
Date: 27th October 2019
Chelsea – £560m
Date: 28th April 2019
3Arsenal – £682m
Date: 23rd December 2023
Arsenal’s most expensive lineup came during the 2023/24 season against Liverpool at Anfield. Mikel Arteta’s XI was valued at £682m and their 22-year-old winger Bukayo Saka clocked in at £102m, making him their most expensive player on the pitch. The Gunners secured a 1-1 draw and retained their spot at the summit of the Premier League table. £51m-rated Gabriel Magalhaes headed home the opening goal before Mohamed Salah found the equaliser in the 29th minute.
2Manchester City – £756m
Date: 5th February 2024
Pep Guardiola fielded a Manchester City XI worth £756m during a 3-1 away victory against Brentford in the 2023/24 season. The Spaniard’s most valuable player that evening was Norweigan striker Erling Haaland, who had a market value of £153m, followed by academy graduate Phil Foden, who was priced at £93.8m. The left-footed playmaker netted a second-half hat-trick for the Cityzens and certainly proved his value that evening.
1Liverpool – £827m
Date: 24th February 2020
Liverpool’s lineup at home to West Ham United during the 2019/20 season was valued at £827m, making it the most expensive XI ever fielded in Premier League history. From top to bottom, the lineup was littered with quality, so it was no surprise to see them lift the title at the end of the campaign.
