Which Premier League clubs are getting the most – and least – from their squad spending?

We are five games into the new Premier League season. Who are the biggest underperformers and overachievers? Tottenham and Leeds United, in particular, make for an interesting contrast when you compare their league position with how much their squads cost to assemble.

While squad cost is not a direct assessment of how a team should perform, it does give us an idea of where they should be aiming for.

With that in mind, we’ve taken the current Transfermarkt valuation of each Premier League squad cost and compared it to where each team currently finds itself in the table.

And boy, does it make Tottenham look bad. Spurs are bottom of the Premier League after five games despite having the fourth-most expensive squad in the division, giving them a 16-place disparity between their squad cost position and their actual league position.

That’s miles worse than even the likes of Chelsea and Manchester United, who this table doesn’t exactly make pretty reading for either.

At the other end of the scale, Leeds are fifth despite having the 17th-most expensive squad in the division. That puts them 12 places above where their squad cost would suggest they might be expected to be, level with fellow Yorkshire upstarts for the biggest positive disparity in the Premier League.

Aston Villa and Liverpool are also significantly underperforming their squad cost positions, sitting 16th and 6th respectively despite ranking eighth and top for squad cost.

At the other end, Hull have made an excellent start to life back in the Premier League and sit eighth despite having the cheapest squad in the division. Everton, Brighton and Brentford have also significantly outperformed their squad cost rankings.

Manchester City, meanwhile, are top of the Premier League while having the second-most expensive squad according to Transfermarkt, giving them a modest positive difference of one place.

20. Tottenham

League Position: 20
Squad cost Position: 4
Total squad cost: £883.5m
Difference: -16

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19. Aston Villa

League Position: 16
Squad cost Position: 8
Total squad cost: £485.5m
Difference: -8

18. Manchester United

League Position: 12
Squad cost Position: 5
Total squad cost: £883.5m
Difference: -7

17. Chelsea

League Position: 10 Squad cost
Position: 3
Total squad cost: £900.7m
Difference: -7

16. Bournemouth

League Position: 17
Squad cost Position: 11
Total squad cost: £358.8m
Difference: -6

15. Fulham

League Position: 19
Squad cost Position: 14
Total squad cost: £308.3m
Difference: -5

14. Liverpool

League Position: 6
Squad cost Position: 1
Total squad cost: £977.9m
Difference: -5

13. Newcastle

League Position: 9
Squad cost Position: 7
Total squad cost: £677.4m
Difference: -2

12. Nottingham Forest

League Position: 13
Squad cost Position: 12
Total squad cost: £357.8m
Difference: -1

11. Crystal Palace

League Position: 15
Squad cost Position: 15
Total squad cost: £293.7m
Difference: 0

10. Coventry

League Position: 18
Squad cost Position: 19
Total squad cost: £186.4m
Difference: +1

9. Manchester City

League Position: 1
Squad cost Position: 2
Total squad cost: £977.9m |
Difference: +1

8. Ipswich

League Position: 11
Squad cost Position: 13
Total squad cost: £308.9m
Difference: +2

7. Sunderland

League Position: 14
Squad cost Position: 18
Total squad cost: £231.4m
Difference: +4

6. Arsenal

League Position: 2
Squad cost Position: 6
Total squad cost: £857.8m
Difference: +4

5. Brentford

League Position: 4
Squad cost Position: 10
Total squad cost: £384.2m
Difference: +6

4. Brighton

League Position: 3
Squad cost Position: 9
Total squad cost: £425.2m
Difference: +6

3. Everton

League Position: 7
Squad cost Position: 16
Total squad cost: £287.4m
Difference: +9

2. Hull City

League Position: 8
Squad cost Position: 20
Total squad cost: £170.7m
Difference: +12

1. Leeds United

League Position: 5
Squad cost Position: 17
Total squad cost: £248.5m
Difference: +12

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