This season has already delivered plenty of surprises in the Premier League. Arsenal entered the New Year seven points clear at the top of the table. Newly-promoted Fulham have looked a real threat under Marco Silva, while Tottenham Hotspur have been up and down under Antonio Conte this term.
But who have been the biggest performers in relation to the value of their squad? Of course not every team in the division can boast multi-million pound assets such as Manchester City, Liverpool and Chelsea. And yet a lot of their rivals have been able to go toe-to-toe with the big guns despite a gargantuan gap in their squad values.
Here is how the Premier League table looks based on how much each point has cost teams based on their squad value.
1st - Fulham (£7.57m per point)
Squad value: £212.21m
Position: 7th
Points: 28
The Cottagers have been most impressive upon their return to the top-flight. Silva has given them an identity and they have a stack of talented individuals to compete in this division.
2nd - AFC Bournemouth (£9.93m per point)
Squad value: £158.89m
Position: 15th
Points: 16
The Cherries have been more competitive than we expected them to be at the start of the season. Gary O’Neil has done well to pick up some good results but they are still just two points away from the relegation zone.
3rd - Brentford (£10.55m per point)
Squad value: £274.37m
Position: 9th
Points: 26
The Bees are continuing to thrive in the top-flight under Thomas Frank. You felt that the side were heavily dependent on their star striker Ivan Toney, but without him on Monday against Liverpool they still came away as 3-1 winners.
4th - Brighton & Hove Albion (£10.96m per point)
Squad value: £295.86m
Position: 8th
Points: 27
Despite losing Graham Potter to Chelsea earlier in the season, the Seagulls have still managed to pick up some excellent results under Roberto De Zerbi and now that they have their World Cup winner Alexis Mac Allister back, they could start to push on even further.
5th - Newcastle United (£11.43m per point)
Squad value: £399.84m
Position: 3rd
Points: 35
Newcastle are flying under Eddie Howe and as each match passes by, the more likely it seems that they will finish in the top four this year. There is no disputing there is talent in the side, but many of these players struggled until Howe arrived - he has rejuvenated them.
6th - Crystal Palace (£11.78m per point)
Squad value: £259.25m
Position: 11th
Points: 22
Patrick Vieira’s side have been hit and miss following an impressive debut campaign last year. The Eagles have lost as many as they have won but this is still very much a side in transition.
7th - Leeds United (£15.02m per point)
Squad value: £240.33m
Position: 14th
Points: 16
Leeds have had a mixed bag of results under Jesse Marsch this term. It seemed like he would have been relieved of his duties at one point when they were winless in eight matches, but things have been slowly improving of late.
8th - Arsenal (£17.25m per point)
Squad value: £759m
Position: 1st
Points: 44
Mikel Arteta’s side have been incredible to watch this year. A few additions in the summer have helped transform this side into surprising title challengers. They currently sit seven points clear at the top and right now it is difficult to see them faltering.
9th - Nottingham Forest (£17.87m per point)
Squad value: £250.3m
Position: 18th
Points: 14
Nottingham Forest grabbed headlines in the summer for their huge recruitment drive in which over 20 players moved to the City Ground. As expected, it took a while for the players to gel and results were hard to come by but they have been making progress by gaining a point against Chelsea last time out.
10th - Manchester United (£18.34m per point)
Squad value: £642.47m
Position: 4th
Points: 35
We are already seeing some great progress in Erik ten Hag’s revolution at Old Trafford, including the rejuvenation of Marcus Rashford who looks back to his best. They are looking more likely to break back into the top four this year.
11th - Aston Villa (£19.68m per point)
Squad value: £413.46m
Position: 12th
Points: 21
Villa looked hopeless under Steven Gerrard, but since the arrival of Unai Emery they have looked a lot more organised and you can see that there is a plan in place for the way they attack. They’re still a work in progress but they are looking up.
12th - Tottenham Hotspur (£20.28m per point)
Squad value: £608.61m
Position: 5th
Points: 30
Results and performances have been dropping of late with Spurs, and they have fallen into a bad habit of conceding first. They may be just two points outside the top four but they don’t look up to standard compared to their rivals.
13th - Leicester City (£22.26m per point)
Squad value: £378.53m
Position: 13th
Points: 17
The Foxes have been inconsistent for much of the season and Brendan Rodgers has come under fire due to some poor results. They managed to pick up form before the World Cup but since the restart they have been struggling without James Maddison who is their key asset.
14th - Southampton (£23.29m per point)
Squad value: £279.59m
Position: 20th
Points: 12
The Saints are in trouble. As had been the case under his reign, Southampton failed to build any consistency under Ralph Hasenhuttl. Since his departure, things haven’t improved under Nathan Jones and you fear that this is the year that they will fall through the trap door.
15th - Everton (£24.06m per point)
Squad value: £361.02m
Position: 16th
Points: 15
The Toffees have been in a sticky situation for much of the campaign and there has been endless pressure on Frank Lampard’s position as manager. But after an impressive display in their 1-1 draw with Manchester City last time out, people are starting to see the players fight for one another and their boss.
16th - Wolverhampton Wanderers (£26.15m per point)
Squad value - £339.98m
Position: 19th
Points: 13
Wolves looked doomed under their former boss Bruno Lage but there have been signs of progress under his successor Julen Lopetegui. There is still a lot of work to be done in their scrap for survival, but they certainly have more fight in them now than they did before.
17th - Manchester City (£27.00m per point)
Squad value: £972.18m
Position: 2nd
Points: 36
Manchester City have been the dominant force in recent years but they have been stunned by the challenge offered by Arsenal this year as they sit seven points behind the Gunners. Pep Guardiola has been criticising some of his players’ attitudes in training in response to why they haven’t been featuring of late which would suggest there is currently some disharmony in the camp.
18th - West Ham United (£29.08m per point)
Squad value: £407.18m
Position: 17th
Points: 14
The Hammers have really fallen flat this year after being in the race for the top four last term. Results haven’t been good enough but it hasn’t been helped by the recruitment in the summer. David Moyes is under increasing pressure to turn things around.
19th - Liverpool (£29.30m per point)
Squad value: £820.56m
Position: 6th
Points: 28
Jurgen Klopp’s side have looked a shadow of their usual selves this year as it looks as though their opponents know exactly how to exploit their game plan and it is clear that the midfield is what is letting the side down, along with some defensive errors at the back.
20th - Chelsea (£30.57m per point)
Squad value: £764.41m
Position: 10th
Points: 25
Graham Potter has a huge task on his hands to transform Chelsea into the fiercely competitive side they want to be but it isn’t going to be an overnight fix. The English boss has not come under real fire because of the impressive job he did at Brighton but given the ruthless ambition of a club like Chelsea, managers are not always given the time needed to complete such a demanding brief.
