Both Chelsea and Manchester United currently possess squads worth significantly less than the amount they paid for them according to new research.
It is Mauricio Pochettino's Blues that rank rock bottom of Transfermarkt's review of Premier League squad valuations. The current crop at Chelsea cost £880million to assemble but is only valued at £756m. Mistakes made in the market are why owner Todd Boehly is keen on offloading plenty of deadwood before the window closes this summer.
Edouard Mendy and Kalidou Koulibaly have already bid farewell, while Hakim Ziyech could still leave despite failing a medical with Al-Nassr. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has also been deemed surplus to requirements and could be sold in the coming weeks.
Chelsea have spent incredibly lavishly since Boehly took the reins as owner, with mega-money moves for the likes of Enzo Fernandez, Mykhaylo Mudryk and Wesley Fofana so far failing to prove the Blues have learnt from previous, costly mistakes.
The most notable example of depreciated value currently on the books at Stamford Bridge is of course Romelu Lukaku. Purchased for £98m in the summer of 2021, he is now valued by Transfermarkt at a meagre £34m.
It is a similar story over at Old Trafford, with United actively trying to cash in on a number of fringe players this summer as Erik ten Hag tries to build a Red Devils outfit in his image ahead of his second season at the helm.
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While Chelsea are often in the spotlight and scrutinised for overspending, United's squad cost £830m to assemble and is only valued at £715m. Some of United's most high-profile figures are behind the decline in value, such as England duo Harry Maguire and Jadon Sancho.
Not every big-six outfit has suffered the same fate, however, with Arsenal reaping the benefits of some shrewd purchases. Last season's runners-up cost £572m to build and are now estimated to be worth a whopping £915m.
Not all of that is down to wise purchases made in the market but also helped by the likes of academy graduates such as Bukayo Saka, Emile Smith Rowe and Reiss Nelson becoming regulars in the side.
Saka, in particular, has seen his value rise astronomically since first breaking into the first-team fold during Unai Emery's reign. He cost Arsenal nothing and is now worth an eye-watering £102m, according to Transfermarkt.
Much is made of the money Manchester City have spent on their squad and while Pep Guardiola did part ways with £852m to put together his treble-winning side, they are now thought to be worth £1.02billion following last season's staggering success.
