European Champions Real Madrid, armed with a glittering roster of high-value talent headlined by Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Junior and Jude Bellingham, have been crowned as the most valuable squad in world football in the latest CIES Football Observatory data report.

Of the top 100 teams compiled by the stats specialists, Carlo Ancelotti’s side leads the way with the highest aggregate transfer value ever recorded for a football club: €1.728 billion. The team also topped a value ranking released by Football Benchmark last week.

Premier League holders Manchester City rank second with an ‘owned-players’ valuation of €1.471 billion, dwarfed by Real Madrid’s tally which is almost €300 million higher.

Chelsea place third with a value of €1.38 billion spread across 54 players- the most on the list. Despite recent results that have not always lived up to expectations, the Londoners have a squad that is both rich in numbers and young talented players tied by long-term contracts, which inflate valuations according to the CIES model.

Arsenal and FC Barcelona trail in fourth and fifth, with the latter being particularly impressive due to its low spending in recent windows and heavy reliance on academy talent.

Notably all of the Premier League ‘Big Six’ have a place inside the top ten, with Liverpool (6th, €1.09 billion), Manchester United (8th, €989 million) and Spurs (9th, €886 million) fending off the likes of Bayern Munich, Inter Milan and Juventus.

It is Bayer Leverkusen who secures another valuable win over their German rivals to land the final spot in the top ten, with a valuation of €862 million.

The data shows that in terms of the average value of players owned, Real Madrid are in first place, followed by three English clubs (Manchester City, Arsenal and Liverpool).

Despite their high placement, Manchester United missed out on the €1 billion valuation despite spending far north of that figure on the current squad, suggesting players’ values have depreciated since joining, or the club overpaid in the first place.

Each and every Premier League club features in the top 100 list, including newcomers Ipswich at the foot of the table with a valuation of €129 million. This still ranks it higher than Saudi League champions Al Hilal and Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al Nassr, who tally €125 million and €124 million. Each of those clubs have spent considerably more than that figure to put together their current squads.

CIES estimates were calculated on the basis of a statistical model developed exclusively by the CIES Football Observatory, using a methodology explained in a recently published in the International Journal of Financial Studies.

Source: InsideWorldFootball

Manchester United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe has made it clear to his colleagues that he wants to see Erik ten Hag relieved of his managerial duties, according to TEAMtalk.

The Red Devils have had a dismal start to the season and currently sit 14th in the Premier League table and huge pressure is mounting on the Dutchman.

Many stories regarding Ten Hag’s future are doing the rounds and with the club’s executive committee meeting in London on Tuesday, TEAMtalk can give an exclusive insight into the thought process of the Manchester United hierarchy.

And we understand that Ratcliffe has made it clear that he wants change to happen and sources say that potential replacements for Ten Hag are already being assessed.

The British billionaire was ready to replace Ten Hag before the start of the season but ultimately handed him a one-year contract extension after they were unable to agree a deal with a suitable replacement.

Just like in the summer, Ratcliffe is willing to wait to find the right man to replace Ten Hag and has handed control of the situation over to Dan Ashworth, Jason Wilcox and Omar Berrada. They are looking at all options with two names coming up as the favourites so far.

Thomas Tuchel and Graham Potter are the two candidates being closely looked at by Man Utd and talks with the duo are expected in the near future.

Tuchel spoke with Man Utd over the summer but didn’t feel the timing was right for him to take the job. However, the former Bayern Munich and Chelsea boss is open to another conversation and feels ready to return to management.

Newcastle boss Eddie Howe has also been discussed behind the scenes at Man Utd. However, the cost and difficult;y of getting him out of his contract at St James’ Park is seen as a stumbling block.

No indication over Ten Hag decision after seven-hour Man Utd meeting

Latest from Sky Sports News’ chief reporter Kaveh Solhekol:

“As far as Erik ten Hag is concerned, no news is good news.

“Manchester United’s perspective on what happened today is that this was a routine meeting. The meeting was held at the headquarters of INEOS, who are now in charge of all football operations.

“Of course, there’s been a lot of media focus on the meeting today around Ten Hag’s future. 

“But all the information I’m getting from this meeting is that it was a routine meeting. Lots of things were discussed apart from Ten Hag, like the redevelopment of Old Trafford, commercial and sponsorship deals and accounts.

“The meeting went on for quite a long time. It started around 9.30am as Sir Jim Ratcliffe arrived with Sir Dave Brailsford. Also in attendance was Dan Ashworth, Omar Berrada, Jean-Claude Blanc. Joel Glazer and Jason Wilcox were also expected to attend.

“We didn’t see anyone leaving until around 4.45pm, when Blanc left by the front door.

“I think a decision was made that Sir Jim Ratcliffe should leave by the back exit because there were so many people here.

“The meeting went on for almost seven hours. I think if you want to be a conspiracy theorist, you may say, ‘Why did the meeting go on for so long?’

“But the sense I get is, at the moment, no news is good news for Ten Hag. 

“Of course, if a decision has been made that Ten Hag should be replaced, the media are not going to be the first people who are going to be told – that would be done in the right way. 

“I am getting no indication that that kind of decision was made today, and for the time being, I’m being told that it’s business as usual.”