Sports
Every Club Ranked From Most to Least Valuable (2025-26)
Money talks, and that’s certainly the case in the Premier League, widely accepted as the wealthiest league in world football. Even newly-promoted clubs can spend a pretty penny upon their arrival in the top-flight, including Sunderland, who outspent Barcelona this past summer.
Liverpool broke the British transfer record not once but twice, first with Florian Wirtz for £116 million and later with Alexander Isak for £125 million. The most successful club in British football may have topped the table last season, but the Reds aren’t the most valuable team in England.
While working out a definitive figure for each club’s value is nigh on impossible, The Athletic, Football Benchmark, Forbes, Kinnaird and Sportico have estimated each 2025-26 Premier League side’s worth, and the results make for interesting reading.
20-16 – Bottom of the Table
Burnley
Sitting at the bottom of the Premier League’s most valuable table are Burnley, who have become somewhat of a yo-yo club over the years. The Clarets have experienced two relegations and two promotions since ALK Capital took them over in December 2020 in a £150 million deal.
It’s believed the Turf Moor outfit is worth around £200 million, just £75 million more than Britain’s most expensive footballer, Isak. Their low wealth is evident each time they enter a summer transfer window as a top-flight club as their record-signing is Lesley Ugochukwu who cost around £23 million from Chelsea earlier this summer.
Burnley’s finances would undoubtedly improve if they were able to remain in the top tier consistently, but there isn’t much hope of their wealth improving drastically. Even their stadium remains outdated compared to some of the behemoths that other sides call home.
Bournemouth
It will be four years since Bournemouth‘s last promotion to the Premier League, which came in the 2021-22 campaign. The fact that they are low down this list but one of the trickiest sides in England speaks volumes about the impressive work being conducted at the Vitality.
The South Coast outfit changed hands for £120 million in December 2022 when Bill Foley’s Black Knight Group bought out former owner Maxim Denim’s 100 per cent stake. The new ownership has quickly established itself as one of the most highly regarded in the league, particularly by buying players on the cheap and selling them for significant profit.
Bournemouth’s top brass are making moves to further enhance the club, and plans are in place to double the stadium capacity to 20,200. Black Knight is operating a multi-club structure, with stakes in Portuguese outfit Moreirense FC and interests in French side FC Lorient (France) and New Zealand club Auckland FC.
Wolverhampton Wanderers
The difficult period Wolverhampton Wanderers are experiencing is likely to lead to relegation. The Old Gold have been in the top-flight since 2018, and this has helped the club grow economically.
If Wolves get stuck in the EFL Championship and aren’t able to bounce back to the top tier quickly, it would likely harm their finances. Their fans are already protesting against the current owners, Fosun Group, and this ultimately led to Jeff Shi, executive chairman, stepping down from his role earlier this month.
Their recent run of the West Midlands outfit has left much to be admired, especially their transfer business, which included risky acquisitions this past summer. A £410m+ offer from John Textor was reportedly made in October, which is above the club’s current value, although there are said to be some complications regarding the American businessman’s bid.
Sunderland
There isn’t enough reliable financial information to determine Sunderland‘s valuation due to their eight-year absence from the Premier League. The Tyne and Wear outfit has plenty of history and trophies to showcase, and entered a new era under chairman Kyril Louis-Dreyfus, who took a stake in the club in February 2021.
The Black Cats have been reborn under Louis-Dreyfus’ watch, especially when he later took up a majority share, and some laughed off his ambitious ‘five-year’ plans. But Regis Le Bris’ side has been this season’s surprise package, flying high in European contention in December, and that’s largely thanks to superb summer transfer business, such as spending £17 million on Granit Xhaka.
During this period, the club’s wealth has risen significantly, and Louis-Dreyfus and co-owner Juan Sartori have even more wealth in their pockets than they have invested thus far. Using the Red and Whites’ infrastructure and fanbase has been key to its recent growth, which includes modernising the training ground and refreshing the Stadium of Light.
Nottingham Forest
While Evangelos Marinakis might not be the most likeable owner in English football, there’s no doubt he has awoken a sleeping giant in Nottingham Forest. The Tricky Trees are competing in Europe this season, and Marinakis and business partner Sokratis Kominakis took complete control of the club in May 2017, when they were fourth-bottom in the Championship.
That’s why Forest fans are fully behind the Greek investor, who continues to target improvements across the club’s sporting operations and infrastructure. Expansion plans are in place to increase the City Ground’s capacity to 52,000.
The swift decision to dismiss Ange Postecoglou could prove vital if Sean Dyche keeps the Reds in the Premier League. Their economic status has continued to grow despite the vast sums Marinakis has spent in recent years, especially after last season’s success, a seventh-placed finish.
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Premier League’s Most Valuable Clubs (20-16) |
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|---|---|---|
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Ranking: |
Club: |
Valuation: |
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20. |
Burnley |
£200m – £220m |
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19. |
Bournemouth |
£270m – £300m |
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18. |
Wolves |
£280m – £310m |
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17. |
Sunderland |
£320m – £350m |
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16. |
Nottingham Forest |
£340m – £380m |
15–11 – Springing a Surprise
Brentford
One of English football’s most incredible stories is Brentford, which climbed from the third tier to the Premier League following Matthew Benham’s takeover in June 2012. It took the British businessman, a boyhood Bees fan, time: he started by loaning money to the club before eventually securing full 100 per cent ownership for around £20 million.
Every season since Thomas Frank guided the west Londoners into the top flight, they have been tipped for relegation, but five seasons on, they are moving up the table rather than dropping down it. This stability has been crucial, allowing Benham to further strengthen on all fronts while operating a renowned player-trading model.
Benham has grown the club’s valuation over the years, and moving from their old ground, Griffin Park (12,763), to the more modernized Gtech Community Stadium (17,250) has paid dividends. It’s noted that there is a limit on the London outfit’s value, and as such, their current owner sold a 10 per cent stake to Gary Lubner and Matthew Vaughn in the summer.
Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace‘s finances have been well documented this year following the drama of UEFA removing them from the Europa League and placing them in the Europa Conference League. John Textor’s Eagle Football Holdings (EFH) sold a 42.92 per cent stake in the south London club to the owner of the NFL’s New York Jets, Woody Johnson.
This stake was depressed due to Textor wanting out, as he wasn’t aligned with executive chairman Steve Parish over the multi-club model, which led to their European qualification problem. But this was the largest holding of the club’s shareholder base and was bought by Johnson for a purported £151 million ($205 million).
Palace are another club whose recruitment team are heralded as they scour the globe for upcoming talent and tend to get a bargain given the eventual value of their players. Take, for example, Michael Olise, who arrived from Reading for around £8 million and was sold to Bayern Munich for £50.8 million.
Leeds
A change in ownership occurred when Leeds United sealed a return to the Premier League this season, with 49ers Enterprises taking charge. It was believed that the club’s value after gaining promotion in May was £527 million and that concided with shareholder investment.
The importance of being a top-flight football club is evidenced by the jump in the Peacocks’ value, although they were one of the most valuable non-Premier League sides beforehand. One of the most passionate fan bases in the country plays a role in helping raise matchday and commercial revenues.
Leeds have made a solid start to life back in the Premier League and will be financially eager to stay put. Their vision is for the club to be valued at £1 billion by 2030. This will be aided by work conducted on Elland Road, and they have the backing to achieve this.
Everton
Every Everton fan was waiting and praying to hear the news that the club had exchanged hands and that came in December 2024. The Friedkin Group, through Roundhouse Capital Holdings (RCH), bought Farhad Moshiri’s 94.1 per cent stake in the Merseyside outfit.
This has now risen to a 99.5 per cent holding stake, and the club are in a much more comfortable economic position after years of concern. The move from Goodison Park to Hill Dickinson is worth noting as it is expected to ‘markedly’ increase club revenues.
But determining the Toffees’ figures is complicated by their new home at Bramley-Moore Dock, as cash flow from it is still not available to the public. They could be moving past the half-billion mark once more financial information becomes known, but this past summer’s transfer business certainly shows David Moyes has significant backing.
Fulham
Shahid Khan has invested more in Fulham than its purchase price, with total expenditure exceeding £766 million. The Cottagers haven’t been a mainstay in the Premier League since Khan acquired the club in July 2013 for £121.1 million.
The Pakistani-American sports tycoon took over a club in a prime location, and the work on Craven Cottage’s new Riverside Stand has improved the Cottagers’ value. This is said to be important if West London is to reach a valuation of around £900 million.
The club’s supporters are starting to get a tad frustrated by the lack of progress in the league, but Khan has clearly put his money where his mouth is. A mid-table ranking in the wealth table is fitting for Marco Silva’s outfit, who sit 10th in the top-flight in December 2025.
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Premier League’s Most Valuable Clubs (15-11) |
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Ranking: |
Club: |
Valuation: |
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15. |
Brentford |
£340m – £380m |
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14. |
Crystal Palace |
£440m – £480m |
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13. |
Leeds |
£500m – £550m |
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12. |
Everton |
£500m – £550m |
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11. |
Fulham |
£500m – £620m |
10–6 – Closing the Gap
Brighton & Hove Albion
Tony Bloom’s transformation of Brighton & Hove Albion has been remarkable, including growing the club’s wealth. While he was able to tap into his gambling background with his data-driven approach, it has reaped rewards as his side have flown from EFL League One into one of the Premier League’s toughest opposition.
The Seagulls have remained in the top flight since 2017, and that has coincided with one of the best player-trading models in Europe. Sales such as the £115 million (including add-ons) Moises Caicedo sale have even allowed the club to repay Bloom £100 million in shareholder loans.
Bloom continues to do stellar work at the Amex Stadium, and that’s including capacity expansions and new hospitality areas. There’s a reason the British entrepreneur ranks at the top of our ranking of the best Premier League owners, and the club’s economic standing backs that up.
Aston Villa
Unai Emery has propelled Aston Villa into an unlikely title race this season, and the Spaniard’s appointment was thanks to Nassef Sawiris and Wes Edens. The Villans were in the Championship when Sawiris and Edens’ international holding company, V Sports, took over in 2018.
Their owners’ investment has helped Villa reclaim its place among the elite of English football, even battling their way to the Champions League quarter-finals last season. They are also planning to revamp Villa Park and this will only further increase the club’s worth.
V Sports’ valuation is estimated to be around £1.021 billion and while it holds smaller stakes in foreign clubs, Villa are the main benefactor of such financial muscle. But the West Midlands side’s worth is still more than the funds invested by their owners and if Emery continues to deliver, they may well be pushing for a top five ranking in the coming years.
Newcastle United
While Newcastle United‘s Saudi Public Investment Fund are among the wealthiest owners in world football, the club itself fails to crack the top five most valuable Premier League sides. A £305 million fee was paid to end Mike Ashley’s tumultuous reign in October 2021 and it has lifted the club from relegation scraps into European contention.
Their sporting achievements, including winning the Carabao Cup, were aided by the positivity that came after the long-awaited takeover. The Toon Army proudly stood by the Magpies during the difficult times and have been in dreamland in recent times and Champions League football means more interest in watching Eddie Howe’s men around Europe.
It’s been a step-by-step process since the PIF took charge and their next plan is to either revamp St James’ Park or build a new stadium. The Tyneside giants’ economic growth is shown through their spending, breaking their club-record transfer fee to sign Nick Woltemade in the summer for £64 million.
West Ham United
Some West Ham United fans feel this is the season that their beloved club are relegated to the second-tier for the first time since 2011. Nuno Espirito Santo’s Hammers are entering the new year five points from safety and terrible recruitment such as spending £45 million on Niclas Fullkrug and Mads Hermansen and poor decision-making upstairs has taken its toll.
On the positive side, the East Londoners are the best of the rest in the Premier League’s valuation table, but this value is expected to fall significantly should they fail to beat the drop. The highs of their Europa Conference League triumph in 2023 feel a lifetime ago given the gloom at the London Stadium.
Speaking of the 62, 500 Olympic stadium, the Irons don’t own it, so it’s difficult to assess its valuation, but their lease is said to be “incredibly generous” and doesn’t expire until 2115. If Championship football is on the cards next season, it will be the largest capacity in the second-tier of English football.
Chelsea
The top six consists of the big six, and it’s Chelsea who just miss out on a top five finish nearly four years on from Clearlake Capital’s takeover. Roman Abramovich put the club up for sale after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and Behdad Eghbali and Jose E Feliciano swooped for the west London heavyweights.
The Clearlake consortium paid £2.5 billion for the club and with a promise to invest £1.75 billion in the following 10 years. They weren’t lying as they invested £800 million in the first two seasons and don’t look likely to stop splashing the cash anytime soon.
The problem the Blues have is that there are difficulties trying to improve Stamford Bridge or build a new stadium. They also don’t raise over £100 million in matchday income per season and those assessing it’s value suggest the current owners haven’t reached expectations while calling the shots.
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Premier League’s Most Valuable Clubs (10-6) |
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Ranking: |
Club: |
Valuation: |
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10. |
Brighton |
£610m – £670m |
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9 |
Aston Villa |
£660m – £730m |
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8. |
Newcastle |
£700m – £770m |
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7. |
West Ham |
£710m – £780m |
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6. |
Chelsea |
£2.5 bn – £2.7bn |
5–1 – The Top Five
Tottenham Hotspur
Majority shareholder ENIC has insisted Tottenham Hotspur is not up for sale after reports indicated potential external investment. There have been plenty of changes upstairs in recent times, including Daniel Levy’s departure after he brought an end to a near 25-year reign as Spurs’ chairman.
Levy was believed to have desired to obtain a selling valuation of £3.75 billion, although this was viewed as too high. The Lewis Family’s ownership has freshened up the club’s financial situation as they are investing “notable sums”, which is a change from the Lilywhites previous model of running on their own resources.
The North Londoners’ 62,850 stadium is among the most acclaimed in the world but there are question marks over the recruitment that has come through their new money. Another rebuild feels necessary under Thomas Frank whom they paid a £10 million compensation fee for, but the Dane is already under pressure amid a dissapointing start in the dugout.
Arsenal
Stan Kroenke’s Kroenke Sports & Entertainment (KSE) completed a full takeover of Arsenal in September 2018 after Kroenke bought out Alisher Usmanov’s 30.05 stake in the club for £550 million. This has been beneficial for the Gunners because KSE’s financial backing has grown as has the team’s development under Mikel Arteta.
There are contrasting opinions on the value of the North London giants and the Emirates Stadium’s ever improving reveneues is factoring into this. If Arteta can finally get his men over the line and win either a Premier League or a Champions League it could help take the club up to the £4 billion mark.
Liverpool
The £400 million that Liverpool spent on players in the summer is more than the £230.4 million price Fenway Sports Group (FSG) paid for the club in October 2010. That goes to show much growth has taken place and that has also brought major success on the field, with two Premier League titles and a Champions League won during FSG’s ownership.
The defending champions are one of the most well-supported teams in the world and that blends with FSG’s clever handling of the business side of the club to seal a third-place ranking. The American sports empire have also made improvements to club’s historic Anfield stadium as well as their state-of-the-art AXA Training Centre.
FSG aren’t only focused on the most successful English club though as they have interests in other sports including ownership of MLB’s Boston Red Sox and NHL’s Pittsburgh Penguins. This puts them slightly behind second place although their owners have boosted the Merseyside Reds’ value to more than 18 times what they paid for it 15 years ago.
Manchester City
Nobody could have envisioned Manchester City becoming the global juggernaut it has become 17 years after Abu Dhabi United Group acquired the club for around £200 million. There probably hasn’t been a larger economic climb in Premier League history than the one the Cityzens have experienced and it’s resulted in history-making accomplishments.
City Football Group which is the Premier League heavyweights’ parent entity, is valued at £3.7 billion, and it’s suggested that this valuation may have primiarly comprised City. There is little chance of either existing without the other and if the English club were to be sold it would be part of a “broader CFG package.”
Sir Alex Ferguson’s ‘noisy neighbours’ label fell on deaf ears as the Cityzens are making noise on the pitch and also off of it. The Sky Blues who have spent records amounts of money during Pep Guardiola’s reign are one of the most prestigous clubs in the top-flight and are chasing down their cross-city rivals.
Manchester United
The Old Trafford faithful are waiting for Manchester United‘s glory days to return and understandably so, given the Red Devils remain the most valuable Premier League club despite its fall from grace. They are the only publicly listed club in England and as such have a definitive up-to-date valuation.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe and INEOS’ purchase of a quarter of the club in February 2024 is part of a deal which valued United at £4.3 billion. The results on the pitch have been a major cause for concern since Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement but the club are continuing to top the valuation rankings despite this, according to many observers.
Last winter was a cold one at Old Trafford given 450 jobs were cut as Ratcliffe looked to save the club money. But the Red side of Manchester were back spending heavily in the summer and still remain the Premier League’s most valuable club.
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Premier League’s Most Valuable Clubs (5-1) |
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Ranking: |
Club: |
Valuation: |
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5. |
Tottenham |
£2.9bn – £3.2bn |
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4. |
Arsenal |
£3.2bn – £3.5bn |
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3. |
Liverpool |
£3.9bn – £4.3bn |
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2. |
Man City |
£4bn – £4.4bn |
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1. |
Man United |
£4.2bn – £4.6bn |
