CIES suggest Leicester City have the 8th most expensively assembled squad in England and the 19th in Europe’s top five leagues.
Leicester City had an interesting transfer window this summer as they moved on from Riyad Mahrez and brought in the likes of James Maddison, Ricardo Pereira, and Rachid Ghezzal.
All in all, roughly £75m was put into recruitment this summer (after sales) – a figure that no one could deny represents a healthy investment for Leicester.
And with the summer over and clubs having their official squads for the season, the International Centre for Sports Studies (CIES) has published a list of the most expensively assembled squads throughout Europe’s top five leagues.
The list, that includes the fees paid for all current players with add-ons, has Leicester down as the 8th most expensive in England and the 19th in England.
Manchester City (with almost £1bn spent) top the list, with Manchester United, Liverpool, Chelsea, Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur, and Everton making up the English clubs above the Foxes.
Taking the list as a rough outline of where teams would expect to finish, Leicester’s position fits – with many incoming players and having just sold Mahrez, an 8th place finish would be decent enough this year.
What the list really shows about Leicester, however, is what immense potential there is at the club. When you look into the squad you see a theme with the investment: young players.
Leicester City’s 14 most expensive signings have come since their historic title win and nine of those were 24 or under, with over half of those 22 or under.
The Foxes not only have a squad that’s priced for where they expect to be but also one filled to the brim with youth – if they can keep hold of the players and develop, it’ll be one of the best value-for-money groups around.
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