Arsenal are the eighth most valuable club in the world according to a new Forbes report that estimates the worth of Europe’s biggest teams has risen on average 30% over the past two years.
Despite the pandemic and owner Stan Kroenke’s unpopular management of the club, with supporters groups not satisfied by the lack of direct financial investment, they have seen a 23% growth in 24 months with a current value of £2.04bn Forbes say.
Manchester United remain the most valuable Premier League side, in fourth place overall on £3.1bn, with Liverpool next on £2.98bn and Manchester City in sixth (£2.91bn).
London rivals Chelsea (7th; £2.33bn) and Tottenham Hotspur (10th; £1.67bn) also feature in the top 10. West Ham United sit 18th with a value of £370m, an 18% reduction compared to two years ago. Everton and Leicester City also feature in the top 20.
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Barcelona have climbed to the top of the list despite the Catalan club being saddled with more than €1bn (£860m) of debt, narrowly ahead of their biggest rivals Real Madrid.
“The top spot had been monopolized by two teams for the previous 16 years, with Real Madrid taking it five times and England’s Manchester United 11 times,” Forbes said.
“The world’s 20 most valuable soccer teams are worth an average of $2.28bn (£1.66bn) apiece, an increase of 30% from two years ago, the last time we published the ranking.
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“The jump comes despite a decline in revenue caused by limited attendance during the pandemic, with buyers focused on what they see as still untapped revenue potential in the sport’s massive global following.”
Forbes explained the methodology behind their rankings as follows: “The revenues and operating income listed are for the 2019-2020 season. Proceeds from lending players to other teams were excluded from revenue.
“Team values are enterprise values (equity plus net debt) and include the economics of the team’s stadium but exclude the value of the real estate.”