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Analysing the squad market value and season standings

Football clubs strategically assemble their squads as the transfer windows open and close. Looking at their data statistics and current team, they try to find the missing player that can change the course of the season. Teams try to sign the best players, which leads to some groundbreaking transfer records. But does a higher squad market value guarantee a top-tier finish? Let’s find out.

Football

Time to read< 1 min

Published 15 August 2023

Last updated 2 November 2023

Analysing the squad market value and season standings

In this blog, we will analyse the squad market value of the teams in the English Premier League. Please note that this analysis is purely based on the overall squad value and the final standings of the teams; the analysis doesn’t include player performances and goal contributions.

The English Premier League

The 2022/2023 season ended in a thriller. With Arsenal pushing for their first title in years. Nevertheless, Manchester City was crowned champions for the 3rdtime in a row. The relegation battle was also fierce, with Everton, Leicester City, Leeds United, Southampton and Nottingham Forrest fighting relegation till the last match day. Let’s freshen our memory and look at the final standings of the 2022/2023:

Premier League 2022/2023 season standings

Looking at the standings, a few things are interesting. One of them is the position of Chelsea. Despite spending over €600 million, singing world-class players like Mudryk, Enzo Fernandéz and more, they still finished 12th place. Leicester City, crowned champions in 2015/2016, got relegated after a thrilling last matchday. The standings and transfers left us wondering: is there a link between the squad market value and the final season standings?

Let’s examine the market value of the teams and the final position standings.

Squad market value

Looking at the three teams with the biggest market value*: Manchester City, Chelsea and Arsenal, you will see that Manchester City was crowned champion. Arsenal has the third market value but managed to end in second place. Chelsea, the club with the 2nd highest market value, finished in 12th place(!). Six clubs of only a third of Chelsea’s squad value ended higher in the standings. Now let’s imagine how the standings would look like if we base it on squad market value. How many positions does it differ from the actual standings?

*The market value of the team in the English Premier League on the 15th of May 2023 – (Transfermarkt)

Standings based on squad market value

Based on this short analysis, there is no direct link between squad value and league standings. Sure, the team with the most value was crowned champion, but that’s the only team that finished correctly based on their standings. Furthermore, we can conclude that teams with the highest market value ended almost in the same place as in the final season standings (except for Chelsea). It gets more interested in the middle and relegation zone, with many differences.

Nevertheless, this shows that football is still a game of surprise. It’s all about how a team cooperates on the pitch. Or did we already forget the fantastic 2015/2016 season of Leicester City?

market_value_positions

Written by Wesley Van Rooij

Wesley van Rooij is a seasoned marketing and football expert with over 5 years of industry experience. His comprehensive knowledge of the Sportmonks Football API and a focused approach to APIs in the Sports Data industry allow him to offer invaluable insights and support to enthusiasts and businesses. His outstanding marketing and communication skills and technical writing expertise enable him to empathise with the world of developers. He understands their needs and challenges to facilitate the development of cutting-edge football applications that stand out in the market.

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