How Liverpool’s brutal £44m squad value summer loss compares to Premier League rivals

Liverpool waded their way through a very sticky summer transfer window after Jurgen Klopp’s plan to restructure his midfield took many drastic turns.

The Reds parted ways with four senior players at the end of the 2022/23 season as they looked to start a new era at Anfield. Club icons Roberto Firmino and James Milner were among those who were released after the expiration of their contracts, followed by Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Naby Keïta.

Apart from some outgoing loan deals, it didn’t look like Liverpool were set to part ways with any more players. That was, until Jordan Henderson and Fabinho both upped and left for clubs in the Saudi Pro League, turning the midfield dilemma into a nightmare.

Following two major transfer blunders which saw Klopp miss out on both Moisés Caicedo and long-standing target Roméo Lavia to Chelsea, Liverpool scrambled to add to their ranks, having already brought in Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai. It went right down to the wire, but the Reds managed to bring in Wataru Endō and Ryan Gravenberch just before the end of Deadline Day. Liverpool’s total summer spending surpassed the £140 million mark — a handsome amount of money but still respectable compared to others in the Premier League.

But despite splashing the cash over the last few months, the senior Liverpool squad has actually dropped in market value. According to figures gathered by Transfermarkt, the team has decreased by £44.4 million, which is a drop of –5.9 percent — the third highest of all the Premier League clubs between the end of last season and today.

Liverpool’s squad value before the transfer opened was £753.9m but now stands at £709.5m following two players sales, four releases, five temporary outgoings, and the end of Arthur Melo’s loan contract. Overall, the Reds are down 12 senior players from last season but have gained four new names.

Premier League clubs dropping in value

As well as Liverpool, four other clubs have found their squad has decreased in market value since the transfer window opened and closed. Wolves have seen the biggest drop of –27.4 percent after their figure plummeted almost £100m, from an initial £341.9m to £248.1m.

Despite bringing in seven new permanent signings as well as one loanee, Wolves saw a whopping 23 players leave the club in a mix of permanent and temporary deals, as well as contract expirations.

Chelsea are another side who underwent a mass summer exodus after 25 players all in all headed for the door, including the sales of Kai Havertz, Mason Mount and Mateo Kovacic. The Blues dropped –8.8 percent in squad value, despite bringing in 12 new faces, seeing an initial £874.8m sink to £794m.

Liverpool’s neighbours and rivals Everton dropped from £302.6m to £290m, after losing 15 players but gaining the exact same amount through signings, loan returns and club promotions. The Toffees’ –3.9 percent was the second lowest negative figure across the board, behind only West Ham who dipped –1.8 percent after an overall loss from £387.2m to £380m, despite losing their key man Declan Rice.

Clubs boosting their squad market value

Onto the other end of the scale now and the rest of Premier League found their squads improving in value. Some of Liverpool’s closest rivals especially did well with their summer business and of course, Manchester City top the tree with the most expensive team.

After bringing in the likes of Matheus Nunes and Josko Gvardiol — plus the ever-rising value of Erling Haaland — Pep Guardiola’s squad went from £900.5m to £1.01 billion, a 12.4 percent increase. Last season’s title rivals Arsenal aren’t too far behind them either.

The Gunners have a lower overall squad value but saw a bigger increase with a 22.6 percent spike. Their summer acquisitions shot them up from £763m in value to £934.8m. Similarly, Manchester United went from £682.4m to £756.7m thanks to a 10.9 percent increase.

So, Man City, Arsenal, Chelsea, Man Utd and Liverpool have the top five most valuable squads in the league, but despite their players’ hefty price tags, other clubs with smaller budgets naturally enjoyed much bigger spikes in their team value.

Luton Town take the lead with the highest value increase — a very impressive 137.9 percent growth came courtesy of their fruitful transfer window, which took the Championship play-off winners from £30.7m to £73.1m. Fellow Premier League new boys Burnley also shot up from £112.7m to £196.8m in the second-highest rise of 74.5 percent.