Liverpool have paid £56million over the odds for their transfers over the last decade, according to findings from the CIES Football Observatory.
The Reds were assessed alongside every side from Europe’s top five leagues to determine how each club has performed in the market over the last 10 years. Signings from across the continent were analysed, comparing actual player value - estimated according to the exclusive CIES Football Observatory’s statistical model - to the fee paid by the signing clubs in each individual deal.
Liverpool had 33 major signings assessed with a total expenditure of €1.004billion compared to an estimated player value of €948million - equal to an overspend of £56million, which places them ninth in the Premier League and 19th across Europe.
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That essentially means Liverpool have overspent by an average of 6%, which in practice means the club would pay £53million for a player valued at £50million. The Reds negotiating skills look to be far ahead of some of their biggest Premier League rivals, particularly Manchester United who top the overspending charts at an extra €238million.
Somewhat surprisingly, Manchester City have been incredibly on the money with their spending over the last decade, with just €23million overspend on their €1.18billion total - placing them 17th in the English top-flight. Fellow big-six sides Chelsea (€135million) and Arsenal (€129million), as well as Merseyside rivals Everton (€97million) all overspent far more than Jurgen Klopp’s side.
The report is somewhat damning for Premier League clubs, with all but three - Brighton, Tottenham and Wolves - paying over the odds for new players, suggesting English sides are vastly responsible for the eye-watering transfer inflation seen over the past few years. However other big European clubs including Juventus (€234million overspend), Paris Saint-Germain (£162million) and Real Madrid (€148million) are not without blame.
Here are the full details provided by CIES in their latest report. It must be noted that transfers concluded by triggering buy-out or option-to-buy clauses were not included in the sample.
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