Luton’s squad value is minuscule compared with big-spending rivals Chelsea – with the two sides meeting on Saturday in the Premier League.
Newly-promoted Luton Town returned to the top flight of English football for the first time in 30 years this season.
Despite struggling in the opening months, they have begun to find their feet in the division, with back-to-back wins over Newcastle and Sheffield United.
The Hatters also gave a good account of themselves against champions Manchester City and title challengers Arsenal. While they lost 2-1 and 4-3 respectively, the signs of improvement are clear to see.
Rob Edwards’ side are now 18th in the table, just one point from safety with a game in hand over 17th-placed Everton.
Chelsea meanwhile have struggled, despite boasting one of the most expensively assembled squads in football history.
Mauricio Pochettino’s Blues climbed to tenth in the League after Wednesday’s 2-1 win against Crystal Palace, but are well below where they would expect to be.
But with the two sides at opposite ends of the Premier League rich list, could we really see a squad with Luton’s value beat Chelsea?
Ahead of this David Vs Goliath clash, we’ve compared the squad value of both Luton and Chelsea, to see just how big of a challenge is facing the Premier League newcomers.
Luton Squad Value
According to figures from Transfermarkt.com, Luton’s squad value is currently somewhere around £89 million. To put this figure into context, six players in Premier League history have signed for a fee worth more than Luton’s entire squad.
Three of those six have joined Chelsea, with Enzo Fernandez (£107 million) the most expensive player in the league’s history at the time.
Fernandez himself was then surpassed in the summer by another Chelsea man, Moises Caicedo, who himself signed from Brighton for £115 million.
Compared with Chelsea’s estimated squad value, Luton’s squad is worth less than a tenth of their opponent’s, at nine percent.
Such a stark difference makes Saturday’s game one of the biggest mismatches possible in an English league fixture, as the Premier League’s money men hope to avoid an embarrassing slip-up.
Luton’s Most Expensive Players
Luton’s record signing comes in at a very modest £5 million – peanuts by Premier League standards. English fullback Ryan Giles arrived from Wolves in the summer following his return from a loan with Middlesbrough in the EFL Championship.
🚨Ryan Giles is set to join Luton Town FC for a £5m fee
He is due to have his medical today
[ @TomCollomosse 🥇]#wwfc #wolves pic.twitter.com/ca30fhhThp— 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐖𝐎𝐋𝐅𝐏𝐀𝐂𝐊™️ (@Wolfpackwwfc) July 27, 2023
Giles is not the most valuable player currently at the club, though. Star striker Carlton Morris is worth an estimated £11 million in today’s market, making him Luton’s most valuable player.
Following him closely is Albert Sambi Lokonga. The Belgian international is on loan at the club from Arsenal for the season, but has a current estimated value of £10 million.
Another loanee, Manchester City right-back Issa Kabore is with Luton for the year, with a value of £8.5 million.
Chelsea’s Squad Value
Chelsea’s squad value on the other hand is up there with the highest in world football. At £845 million, few clubs on earth come close to matching their financial clout.
And yet despite having such a star-studded side, Chelsea have been facing calls to sack manager Mauricio Pochettino this season. The pressure on Poch will only grow were they to lose to a Luton side worth just 9% of their own squad value.
What’s even more worrying is that the estimated value for so many of this current squad has plummeted since arriving at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea Most Expensive Players
Chelsea’s most expensive player ever at the time, Enzo Fernandez, cost them £107 million when he arrived. But with his estimated value now only around £70 million according to Transfermarkt figures, they’ve already lost close to £40 million on him in less than 12 months.
It’s a similar story for record signing, Moises Caicedo. The midfielder arrived for a staggering £115 million, but is reportedly now worth just £77 million.
One small positive for Chelsea in this has been Christopher Nkunku, though. The 26-year-old Frenchman joined from Bundesliga side RB Leipzig in July for a fee of £52 million, but is already believed to have increased that value to £65 million since moving to the Premier League.
Overall it’s clear that Chelsea should have the vastly superior squad to Luton on paper. But as the saying goes, football isn’t played on paper, so could we see one of the biggest upsets in Premier League history on Saturday?
Luton and Chelsea get underway at 12:30 on Saturday in the day’s early kickoff at Kenilworth Road.
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