The surge in transfer prices and squad valuations has reshaped how clubs are measured. The CIES Football Observatory produces those estimates by weighing a player’s quality, age, position and length of contract, and those individual valuations are then summed to give each squad a market value.

The scale is striking. There are nine clubs with squads valued above $1 billion. At the top is Real Madrid with a squad valuation of $1.78 billion and Kylian Mbappé listed as the most valuable player at $221 million. Barcelona follow with $1.60 billion, Lamine Yamal accounting for $403.9 million of that total. Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain each sit at $1.55 billion, with Bukayo Saka ($131.5 million) and Désiré Doué ($150.3 million) named as their most valuable players respectively.

Liverpool’s roster is valued at $1.20 billion, most valuable player Florian Wirtz ($149.8 million). Bayern Munich come in at $1.15 billion with Michael Olise ($162.6 million) as their top-rated asset. Tottenham’s squad is valued at $1.03 billion; Xavi Simons is listed as their most valuable player ($98.1 million), despite the club’s current relegation fight and Igor Tudor’s assessment that players “are lacking when we attack, we lack the quality to score the goal. We are lacking in the middle to run and we are lacking behind to stay there to suffer and not concede the goal.”

The list also includes Manchester United ($953 million, Benjamin Šeško $100.3 million) and Inter ($942 million, Lautaro Martínez $117 million). Earlier-positioned squads under $1 billion include Atlético Madrid ($903 million, Julián Álvarez $136.5 million), Juventus ($896 million, Kenan Yıldız $152.5 million) and Brighton ($894 million, Diego Gómez $86.4 million).

Several voices in the game have reflected on the market changes. Karl-Heinz Rumminegge said, “There are some players who do not come with a price tag.” Robert Lewandowski complained, “You are young, you score 10 goals in six months and some club will pay 60 or 70 million,” adding, “Before, you had to achieve something.” Vincent Kompany warned players about hype: “I always tell my players, ‘When there’s hype please don’t believe it, you’re not that good.’”

Whether the valuations mirror on-field quality or the inflation of a transfer market remains the central question CIES data brings into focus.

Newcastle forward Anthony Gordon has forcefully denied accounts of his conduct around Newcastle’s midweek Champions League tie against Barcelona, calling the commentary surrounding his availability “absolute nonsense” and “complete and utter stupidity.” He specifically challenged comments made by Wayne Rooney on The Overlap.

Rooney said: “If you’re ill, you’re ill. You shouldn’t be there,” and added, “He walked past us before the game and wouldn’t shake our hands. He said he didn’t want us to catch anything, but then he’s going into the dressing room with his teammates.”

Gordon dismissed that version of events while reflecting on a rare Premier League victory at Chelsea, where he scored the only goal on Saturday afternoon. Speaking on BBC’s Match of the Day, he said: “I think Rooney said I went past and didn’t shake their hands and went into the changing room. I didn’t.

“I got changed by myself in a changing room the size of this. It was just me and a sink. Complete nonsense. I think they need to do better at what they are doing.”

Gordon went on to describe his illness and the timeline that followed. “The media guy told me what was being said was complete and utter stupidity,” he said. “I was in bed for three days, missed training, so sick for three days. Then I turned up on the day of the game, ready to start the game—I thought I was starting. When I got to the stadium, the manager told me I wasn’t playing, which, you can imagine, I didn’t like very much, but that’s his decision. And the team played great.

“But saying I didn’t want to play in the biggest game of my career is absolute nonsense.”

After Newcastle’s spirited draw with Barcelona, manager Eddie Howe made clear it was his choice to leave Gordon out and that the player had been “absolutely willing to play.” Howe praised Gordon’s “single-mindedness” during the week, a trait the manager said returned on Saturday.

Chelsea manager Liam Rosenior has named Robert Sánchez as his starting goalkeeper for Saturday’s trip to Newcastle United, leaving Filip Jörgensen out of the matchday squad.

The decision sees Sánchez recalled to the XI while Jörgensen does not make the squad. Teddy Sharman-Lowe takes the goalkeeper’s place on the bench.

Rosenior’s selected starting lineup reads: Sánchez; Gusto, Fofana, Chalobah, Cucurella; James, Caicedo; Palmer, Fernández, Garnacho; João Pedro.

The substitutes named are: Sharman-Lowe, Tosin, Sarr, Badiashile, Hato, Santos, Lavia, Guiu, Delap.

The omission of Jörgensen prompted renewed attention after Peter Schmeichel said he had been told about a conversation in which Jörgensen was informed he was the club’s new No. 1. Rosenior addressed those reports at his pre-match press conference and rejected the account.

“I have not said to either keeper behind closed doors who is No. 1 and who is not. I have told them things they need to improve on and where they have done really well.

“I have never had a conversation with a keeper and said ‘you’re my No. 1.’”

Rosenior underlined his view that primary positions are won through performance rather than private declarations, invoking the example of past goalkeepers at the club.

“I think if you go through history and most great clubs, whether it’s a goalkeeper position, a No. 9 position, those shirts are earned on form, those shirts are earned on performance.

“[Look at] Petr Čech, here, as a goalkeeper. When Petr Čech came here he was a very young goalkeeper, same with [Thibaut] Courtois. They earned their time with the performances and earned their reputation with their performances they gave on the pitch. ]