Ranking PL teams by free transfer losses this summer

Just how big a mess have Premier League clubs made of tying players down to new deals? We’ve ranked them by the losses they’re set to make through free transfer departures this summer.

The contract and player value details are courtesy of Transfermarkt and we’ve stuck the players’ ages in brackets.

20) Leeds: £450k
Luke McCarron (20) – £450k

The left-back made his debut and only Premier League appearance of the season against Arsenal back in December and has a pass percentage of 100% (two from two). Sign him up.

19) Tottenham: £720k
Alfie Whiteman (23) – £720k

Jose Mourinho gave the 23-year-old goalkeeper nine minutes in the Europa League last season: his only senior appearance for the club.

18) Aston Villa: £900k
Ashley Young (36) – £900k

Not so young these days but probably worth keeping around. He’s played in six different positions for Villa this season.

17) Manchester City: £2.07m
Scott Carson (36) – £270k
Fernandinho (36) – £1.8m

The sort of money Sheikh Mansour wouldn’t bother picking up if it fell from his pocket.

16) Leicester: £4.77m
Eldin Jakupovic (37) – £270k
Daniel Amartey (27) – £4.5m

Brendan Rodgers says Leicester need to make “big changes” in the summer and “planning is well underway”. He probably means bigger changes than allowing the third-choice goalkeeper and utility man to leave.

15) Watford: £5.6m
Ben Foster (38) – £270k
Nicolas N’Koulou (31) – £3.6m
Tom Cleverley (32) – £1.8m

Roy Hodgson has greater concerns right now.

14) Norwich: £6.12m
Lukas Rupp (31) – £1.62m
Teemu Pukki (31) – £4.5m

If Norwich go down, they should definitely tie down the scourge of Championship defences – Pukki’s scored 55 goals in their last two seasons in the Championship. He’s also scored over 40% of their Premier League goals since he’s been at the club, so… either way probably.

13) Brighton: £9m
Pascal Groß (30) – £6.3m
Danny Welbeck (31) – £2.7m

A brilliant signing at £2.7m in the summer of 2017, Groß has started more games than not in the Premier League this term, and Welbeck hasn’t been injured for over a month. Both worth short-term deals?

12) Everton: £10.05m
Asmir Begovic (34) – £900k
Andy Lonergan (38) – £200k
Jonjoe Kenny (24) – £4m
Fabian Delph (32) – £2.7m
Cenk Tosun (30) – £2.25m

Frankly, they can all go.

11) West Ham: £11.47m
Lukasz Fabianski (36) – £900k
David Martin (36) – £220k
Angelo Ogbonna (33) – £1.8m
Ben Johnson (22) – £2.7m
Ryan Fredericks (29) – £1.8m
Mark Noble (34) – £900k
Andriy Yarmolenko (32) – £3.15m

Johnson is the obvious keeper. Fingers crossed the David Moyes rocket sends Yarmolenko flying through the exit.

10) Wolves: £12.15m
John Ruddy (35) – £450k
Romain Saiss (31) – £8.1m
Marcal (32) – £1.35m
Joao Moutinho (35) – £2.25m

Saiss has been really good this season and Moutinho has been good forever. He may be 35 but doesn’t play like it; Wolves would have to spend a lot of money to replace him.

9) Southampton: £13.72m
Alex McCarthy (32) – £3.15
Fraser Forster (33) – £2.25
Willy Caballero (40) – £220k
Harry Lewis (24) – £180k
Jack Stephens (28) – £7.2m
Shane Long (35) – £720k

Two things became clear upon realising which players were out of contract at Southampton: 1) they need to sign a goalkeeper or three; 2) they could do with a better goalkeeper.

8) Liverpool: £14.85m
Loris Karius (28) – £1.35m
Adrian (35) – £900k
James Milner (36) – £1.8m
Divock Origi (26) – £10.8m

A Champions League final villain and a Champions League final hero among the four out-of-contract Reds. Is the fairytale Milner return to Leeds on the cards?

7) Brentford: £15.7m
Zanka (31) – £1.35m
Julian Jeanvier (29) – £900k
Christian Eriksen (29) – £13.5m

Swayed hugely by the beautiful arrival of Eriksen. Assists for Ivan Toney abound, followed by a three-year extension, please.

6) Newcastle: £19.8m
Fabian Schar (30) – £6.3m
Paul Dummett (30) – £1.8m
Sean Longstaff (24) – £11.7m

Sorry, but there is absolutely no chance a club would pay £11.7m for Sean Longstaff. His brother scored the Manchester United goal and he’s now playing in League Two.

5) Crystal Palace: £22.65m
James Tomkins (32) – £1.8m
Jaroslaw Jach (27) – £600k
Nathaniel Clyne (30) – £1.8m
Martin Kelly (31) – £900k
Cheikhou Kouyate (32) – £3.6m
James McArthur (34) – £1.35m
Jeffrey Schlupp (29) – £7.2m
Jordan Ayew (30) – £5.4m

That’s not a lot of money for eight Premier League players. Not sure Patrick Vieira will be begging for Palace to extent the contracts of any of them.

4) Arsenal: £35.1m
Mohamed Elneny (29) – £8.1m
Alexandre Lacazette (30) – £18m
Eddie Nketiah – (22) – £9m

Looking forward to Arsenal chasing Erling Haaland, failing, and starting next season with no recognised striker.

3) Burnley: £36.72m
James Tarkowski (29) – £19.8m
Ben Mee (32) – £3.6m
Erik Pieters (33) – £900k
Phil Bardsley (36) – £270k
Jack Cork (32) – £2.7m
Dale Stephens (32) – £1.35m
Aaron Lennon (34) – £900k
Jay Rodriguez (32) – £2.7m
Matej Vyrda (29) – £2.7m
Ashley Barnes (32) – £1.8m

Oh dear, oh dear. For a club that’s been held up as an example of how a well-run outfit can stay in the Premier League with little expenditure, this is one hell of a mess. They’re on course to start next season (in the Championship) without their captain, their best defender and three of their four strikers.

2) Chelsea: £72.9m
Antonio Rudiger (28) – £31.5m
Andreas Christensen (25) – £31.5m
Cesar Azpilicueta (32) – £9.9m

Reports suggest both Rudiger and Christensen want a significant increase in their wages to stay at Chelsea. Probably just give it to them, guys. Any new signing will likely be offered a similar sum, and will have to be a big transfer hit amid a lot of misses at Chelsea if he’s to better either of them.

1) Manchester United: £74.02m
Lee Grant (39) – £220k
Paul Pogba (28) – £49.5m
Jesse Lingard (29) – £18m
Juan Mata (33) – £2.7m
Edinson Cavani (34) – £3.6m

The only seasons in which Manchester United have made money from transfers in the last 25 years were when they sold to Real Madrid: David Beckham for £34m in 2004; Cristiano Ronaldo for £85m in 2010. They are terrible at making money from player sales. They may have been pretty close to net spend parity this season had they sold this lot in the summer. Nahhh, keep them, divide the dressing room, lose them for nothing. That’s the Manchester United way.