The most expensive squads in the Premier League - ranked
The Premier League is full of money. TV deals are lucrative and sponsorship deals are massive, and that means most clubs have the power to go out and sign some players for astronomical fees.
You don't often get far in the English top flight without spending money, and most teams know that. Football Observatory have taken a closer look each club's costs of assembling their current squad, and there are some interesting results.
Excluding add-ons, here are the most expensively assembled squads in the Premier League, ranked in order.
20. Norwich City (£69m)
This is hardly a surprise. Norwich have made no secret of their desire to not overspend following promotion, even selling their best player Emiliano Buendia because the price was right.
At least they'll have one of the flashier squads in the Championship when they inevitably get relegated this season.
19. Watford (£83m)
Watford spend so much on compensation from all the managers they sack, there is not much room in the budget for transfer fees.
All in all, the Hornets' current crop were put together for a shade over £80m.
18. Brentford (£94m)
Brentford are the biggest-spending Premier League newbies this season with a total squad value of £94m.
A significant portion of that is done to Kristoffer Ajer, who joined for a club-record £12.5m in the summer.
17. Burnley (£112m)
Sean Dyche will be gutted to find out that Burnley are not at the bottom of this list - he sure does love having a moan about other clubs' superior spending power.
Joking aside, Dyche's ability to consistently keep such a cheap team in the Premier League - and even take them into Europe - is nothing short of miraculous.
16. Brighton (£168m)
Brighton are no strangers to dipping into the transfer market, signing Neal Maupay, Adam Webster and Enock Mwepu for significant fees since gaining promotion.
A £20m here and a £15m there add up over time, with the Seagulls total squad costing just shy of £170m.
15. Leeds United (£181m)
Leeds United wasted little time strengthening their ranks after earning promotion to the Premier League, bringing in the likes of Raphinha, Rodrigo and Robin Koch in 2020.
Further spending has followed this summer but they are still in the bottom five in terms of squad value.
14. Southampton (£192m)
After losing Ryan Bertrand, Jannik Vestergaard and Danny Ings there was plenty of doom of gloom to go around at St Mary's this summer.
However, Saints look to have recruited fairly well and they still have the 14th most expensive squad in the Premier League.
13. Crystal Palace (£206m)
With most of their first team players out of contract, Crystal Palace were forced into a rebuild in the summer - and most agree that it went pretty well.
Bringing in the likes of Marc Guehi, Michael Olise and Joachim Andersen has given the Eagles a much younger flavour, but it did not come cheap.
12. Newcastle United (£238m)
Newcastle United fans won't hesitate to remind you about owner Mike Ashley's reluctance to spend on players, but that's not actually the case.
Their squad was assembled with more money than eight other Premier League clubs, largely due to the disastrous signing of Joelinton to be fair.
11. West Ham United (£259m)
West Ham's sixth-placed finish last season is made even more impressive when you consider they don't even break into the top ten of this list.
After a long history of signing duds, the Hammers recruitment has been spot on since David Moyes' return and they continue to defy the financial odds.
10. Wolves (£266m)
Thanks to their close relationship with Jorge Mendes, Wolves have been able to secure some excellent players in recent years.
They have not come cheap, though, with Bruno Lage currently managing the 10th most expensive squad in the division.
9. Aston Villa (£302m)
Aston Villa have ambitions to break into the top six and it not just a pipedream - they have backed up their plans with a string of big-money signings.
Although the £100m sale of Jack Grealish has helped to fill the coffers, it did not entirely cover two summers worth of business in which players such as Ollie Watkins, Emiliano Buendia and Danny Ings were shipped in at great expense.
8. Leicester City (£353m)
Despite possessing the eighth most expensive squad Leicester have managed successive fifth-placed finishes in the Premier League.
Key to their success has been selling players high and buying low. They have broken somewhat from that strategy this summer, though, retaining the entire starting XI and still investing in the likes of Patson Daka and Boubakary Soumare.
7. Everton (£401m)
Everton have been extremely active in the transfer window in recent years but it's got them nowhere.
This summer, they have taken a different approach, only adding Demarai Gray and Andros Townsend for peanuts. They both join the seventh most expensive squad in the Premier League.
6. Tottenham Hotspur (£473m)
Tottenham are often criticised for a lack of spending power but over the past few years Daniel Levy has assembled a squad worth more than half a billion euros.
This summer, the likes of Bryan Gil and Emerson Royal have been signed for significant amounts of money. Cristian Romero will only add to that next summer if his loan becomes permanent.
5. Arsenal (£541m)
After finishing a disappointing eighth last season, Arsenal were the Premier League's biggest spenders this summer.
Ben White, Martin Odegaard and Aaron Ramsdale were all recruited but they still miss out on the top four of this list - just like they have done in the league for the past five years.
4. Liverpool (£577m)
Liverpool fans have been critical of their owners' lack of spending in recent times and perhaps they have a point.
Although the Reds have the fourth most expensive squad in the Premier League, they lag well behind the top three. With many of their top stars aging it may be time to start splashing the cash.
3. Chelsea (£670m)
Chelsea have flung plenty of cash around in recent times, as well as generating an incredible amount through player sales.
Their latest and most lavish addition is Romelu Lukaku who cost the Blues just shy of £100m.
2. Manchester United (£879m)
Although returns on the pitch have been poor, United have spent a huge amount of money in recent years.
Most recently, they treated themselves to the signings of Jadon Sancho, Raphael Varane and Cristiano Ronaldo - closing the gap on the number one spot by some distance.
1. Manchester City (£927m)
Could it be anyone else? If there are two things Manchester City are good at, it's winning titles and spending money, and their total pushing £1bn is all the proof you need of the latter.
This summer they spent a British-record transfer fee on Jack Grealish and they could break the bank in 2022 by bringing in a striker.
Do not expect the Cityzens to be knocked off top spot any time soon.