CIES Ranks Liverpool Ahead of Manchester City as Football's Most Valuable Squad

The CIES Football Observatory has rated Liverpool's squad as the most valuable in European football. 

According to CIES (h/t BBC Sport), the aggregated value of Jurgen Klopp's group of players is £1.27 billion, with Premier League rivals Manchester City in second place on £1.24 billion.

Barcelona and Real Madrid occupy third and fourth, respectively, in the list, with the former's group valued at £1.06 billion and the latter's at £1 billion. Three more Premier League clubs—Chelsea (fifth), Manchester United (sixth) and Tottenham Hotspur (ninth)—are in the top 10, while Paris Saint-Germain sit seventh and Juventus are 10th.

Given Liverpool didn't spend as much as a number of these huge European names to assemble their squad, the figures are a testament to the club's recruitment team and the manner in which Klopp has been able to develop his charges.

In the previous season, Liverpool accumulated 97 points in the Premier League and won the UEFA Champions League. 

In the 2019-20 season, the Reds are on course to win the top-flight title; before the recent postponement of the campaign due to the coronavirus pandemic, Liverpool were two wins away from their first domestic championship in 30 years, having accumulated a whopping 25-point lead over City.

Klopp's side is blessed with a mix of big-name acquisitions and players who have kicked on since arriving at Liverpool. The attacking trio of Sadio Mane, Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino all came in for relatively modest fees but have each developed into some of the best forwards on the planet.

Per Sky Sports, Mane and Salah have been particularly prolific since arriving at Anfield:

Elsewhere, the club's two biggest signings, Virgil van Dijk and Alisson Becker, have added value to what were lofty transfer fees. The defender and the goalkeeper respectively are arguably the best two players in the world in their positions.

Liverpool also have outstanding full-backs. Andy Robertson arrived for a small fee from Hull City, while Trent Alexander-Arnold has shone since progressing through the club's academy setup. Scouted Football summed up how productive the pair have been:

While the Reds were eliminated from the 2019-20 UEFA Champions League by Atletico Madrid before the recent suspension of action, they remain the model to follow in European football at the moment.

Crucially for Liverpool, a number of their star men are tied down to long-term deals. It means if the Merseyside giants were to cash in on any of their big-name players, they would be in an excellent position to be handsomely compensated.