With transfer prices and wages getting higher and higher every season, having a manager who can get success on a tight budget is a rare thing.
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The Daily Mail has put together a list comparing how many points each Premier League side have got this season for every pound they have spent on transfer fees and wages taken away from the cash made from player sales. Surely this is one table that Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea, and Liverpool won’t be fighting to top?
Find out below…
20) Manchester United, £236.9m spent, 68 points, £3,483,824 per point
Having spent over £150 million just on new players in the summer, Louis van Gaal has managed to get the Red Devils back in to the Champions League. However, he hasn’t done this in the most efficient manner.
19) Manchester City, £177m spent, 73 points, £2,424,658 per point
Manuel Pellegrini has spent less in his second season than his first at the Etihad, and the results have dropped to leave them well off top flight champions Chelsea. Even so, they will be happy to have beaten their local rivals here.
18) Arsenal, £160.7m spent, 70 points, £2,295,714 per point
Arsene Wenger shrugged off his reputation as a thrifty spender to splash out on Alexis Sanchez, Mathieu Debuchy, Calum Chambers, David Ospina, and Gabriel Paulista in the last two transfer windows. Will he continue this spending to mount a title challenge next time round?
17) QPR, £61.8m spent, 27 points, £2,288,889 per point
The Rs have already confirmed their relegation to the Championship, but owner Tony Fernandes can’t be blamed for not backing his managers. It would seem Chris Ramsey came to the party too late to save them after Harry Redknapp made a number of poor acquisitions.
16) Newcastle United, £65.3m spent, 36 points, £1,813,889 per point
Heavy recruitment from Ligue 1 hasn’t helped the Magpies to stave off a relegation battle, surely the Toon couldn’t actually go down to the championship?
15) Liverpool, £112m spent, 62 points, £1,806,452 per point
The Reds look likely to miss out on the qualifying for the Champions League, and this could be costly after they spent so much trying to deal with the departure of Luis Suarez.
14) Everton, £75.35m spent, 44 points, £1,712,500 per point
A season of struggle has followed for the Toffees after Roberto Martinez decided to smash their transfer record on Romelu Lukaku. Not the greatest time for the former Wigan manager.
13) Hull City, £56.4m spent, 34 points, £1,658,824 per point
Still in the relegation zone and fighting for their top flight future, the Tigers will have to cut their spending massively were they to go down.
12) West Ham, £72.4m spent, 47 points, £1,540,426 per point
Although Sam Allardyce has a reputation for getting the best out of lesser talented players, he has still spent quite a lot of money with the Hammers.
11) Sunderland, £51.11m spent, 36 points, £1,419,722 per point
The Black Cats haven’t exactly been a great example of how to run a club, with the Black Cats splashing out on Jermain Defoe’s wages to try and beat the drop after years of struggle.
10) West Brom, £56.96m spent, 41 points, £1,389,268 per point
The Baggies have signed 11 players throughout the campaign, but it seems to have paid off with Tony Pulis guiding them to mid table safety after a rocky start.
9) Aston Villa, £48.5m spent, 38 points, £1,276,316 per point
Paul Lambert was unable to improve the Villains with his moves in either transfer window. Tim Sherwood has since come in and made them better without spending a penny!
8) Crystal Palace, £51.64m spent, 42 points, £1,229,524 per point
A shoestring budget hasn’t held the Eagles back from becoming regulars in the middle of the Premier League table since getting promoted.
7) Chelsea, £102.2m spent, 84 points, £1,216,667 per point
Selling Lukaku and Kevin De Bruyne balanced the books at Stamford Bridge, and manager Jose Mourinho has since masterminded their charge to the Premier League title.
6) Leicester City, £41.8m spent, 37 points, £1,129,730 per point
A late run of form has helped the Foxes to relative safety, and Nigel Pearson has managed this without spending as much as many of his rivals.
5) Burnley, £31.16m spent, 29 points, £1,074,483 per point
It was admirable from the Clarets to try and survive without spending big, but sadly they weren’t able to do so.
4) Tottenham, £56.2m spent, 58 points, £968,966 per point
After the excess of transfer movement following the sale of Gareth Bale in 2013 Mauricio Pochettino has trusted in youth this time round.
3) Stoke City, £35.95m spent, 50 points, £719,000 per point
Mark Hughes has done a great job at the Britannia since taking over, guiding them to a record points total in the last campaign, and getting close to it again this season.
2) Southampton, £23.4m spent, 57 points, £410,526 per point
Possibly the story of the season has been the Saints’ remarkable efforts after losing so many players before it even started. Will they be able to replicate it in the next campaign.
1) Swansea City, £21.65m spent, 56 points, £386,607 per point
Garry Monk has been brilliant at the helm for the Swans since taking over from Michael Laudrup. The Welsh side could even be in with a chance of qualifying for the Europa League.