Pep’s Blues are showing their true worth
PEP Guardiola has almost doubled the value of City’s squad since he arrived at the Etihad in 2016.
And that means the Blues now have the most highly-prized collection of players in the world, just ahead of Premier League rivals Liverpool.
And the decision to bring in Guardiola is justified by the financial benefits, as well as the obvious football ones, with City’s assets on the pitch outstripping those of local rivals United.
The fact that individual player values have rocketed under Guardiola has helped the Blues’ parent City Football Group race to a £3.73bn valuation.
The Football Index, a gambling platform which allows traders to back the rise and fall of footballers, values City’s current squad at around £1.16bn, even though it cost about £787m in transfer fees.
Only Liverpool come close to that squad valuation, at £1.07bn, with Jurgen Klopp almost trebling the worth of his squad since taking over at Anfield.
Those two have left the rest of Europe standing.
When Guardiola took the reins in 2016, City’s squad was valued at £593m, not far ahead of United on £509m.
Both clubs went on a spending spree, with the Reds splashing out a world record £89m fee on Paul Pogba. Those splurges saw United move ahead of City in terms of squad value the following season, rising to £599m while City’s worth fell slightly to £572m.
But the Blues’ two incredible seasons, winning consecutive titles with the two highest points totals in English football history, and securing the first domestic treble last year, sent the value spiralling.
It rose to £949m in 2018-19 and then broke through the £1bn barrier last season. By comparison, United’s squad value has almost stalled, rising to £720m despite a £598m outlay in transfer fees.
The best-performing manager in Europe is Asier Garitano, boss of La Liga outfit Leganes, who took over a £600,000 squad in 2013 and is now in charge of one valued at £50.9m.
Top of the chart in the Premier League is Bournemouth’s Eddie Howe, whose squad was worth £9m when he arrived in 2012, and is now said to be worth £308m.