Issue number 163 of the CIES Football Observatory Weekly Post presents the annual list of the most productive training clubs. At the head of the rankings for big-5 league players is Real Madrid, while Dutch side Ajax tops the table for footballers in 31 top division European championships.

As per UEFA definition, the training clubs of players are teams having employed them for at least three seasons between the ages of 15 and 21. The list takes into account first team squad members having played in domestic league games until October 1st of the current season or in adult championships during each of the two previous ones.

Real Madrid trained the most footballers currently playing for big-5 league teams: 41. The Spanish side outranks the 2015 top-ranked team Barcelona (37) and Manchester United (34). Ajax heads the table for players in 31 top division European leagues, ahead of the 2015 top-ranked club Partizan Belgrade and Dinamo Zagreb.

2016 rankings

2015 rankings for big-5 league players

2015 rankings for 31 top division European leagues

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Real Madrid squad members were on average recruited at the age of 22.5 years. This is the lowest figure at big-5 league level. Issue number 162 of the CIES Football Observatory Weekly Post presents the data for the 98 clubs from the five major European championships. German and English teams are over-represented in the top positions of the rankings.

As developed in the 18th edition of the CIES Football Observatory Monthly Report, the best clubs focus their recruitment on younger players than less competitive teams. In the top five positions of clubs whose transfer policy is the most centered on young footballers are four Champions League participating teams: Real Madrid, Leverkusen, Dortmund and Tottenham.

In the top ten positions are four German (Leipzig, Leverkusen, Dortmund, Mainz) and four English teams (Tottenham, Bournemouth, Liverpool, Manchester United). Conversely, no German club is among the ten big-5 league teams whose recruitment strategy focuses on the most seasoned players. Italian side Cagliari is at the bottom of the table.

Issue number 161 of the CIES Football Observatory Weekly Post compares big-5 league teams according to the number of players in their current squad signed after January 1st 2016. The best performing teams recruited fewer footballers than the less competitive ones. German champions Bayern Munich only signed two players.

Among the eleven least active clubs on the transfer market are seven teams competing in the UEFA Champions League: Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, Lyon, Leverkusen, Paris St-Germain, Tottenham and Atlético Madrid. Athletic Bilbao, Hertha Berlin, Manchester United and Real Sociedad also are in the top eleven positions of the rankings.

The 18th edition of the CIES Football Observatory Monthly Report presents an in-depth analysis of the recruitment policies followed by clubs from the five major European championships. The study notably highlights that the most competitive teams focus on the fee paying transfer of young players with high potential and hold on to those who perform best over the long term.

Issue number 160 of the CIES Football Observatory Weekly Post presents the percentage of domestic league minutes played by national footballers since the start of the season. At the top of the table is Osasuna (97%), while Udinese is at the bottom (1%).

In the top ten rankings of the lowest figures are many competitive teams, such as Chelsea (16%), Manchester City (17%) and Arsenal (23%). In total, national footballers played less than 50% of minutes in 51 clubs out of 98. This proportion is 16 out of 20 in the English Premier League.

Everton is the only English team currently ranked in the top third of the Premier League table who fielded national players for more than half of minutes (52%). National footballers played 41% of domestic league minutes at both Real Madrid and Barcelona.

Transfer expenditure at the top of the football pyramid has significantly grown in recent years. Issue number 159 of the CIES Football Observatory Weekly Post analyses the sums spent in transfer fees by big-5 league teams to assemble their current squad. In football history, no club has invested as much as Manchester United this season to make up its roster: €718 million (+€185 million compared to last season).

The fees paid to assemble Manchester United’s squad vary from €110 million for new signing Paul Pogba to zero for a few players among whom Zlatan Ibrahimovi?. At second and third positions of the squad cost table are Real Madrid (€634 million, + €47 million with respect to 2015/16) and Manchester City (€611 million, + €78 million).

Generally speaking, the correlation between the squad cost from a transfer fee perspective and the final position in the domestic league table is very high. However, last season, Leicester City won the English Premier League title with the 17th costliest squad out of 20.
 

The 158th CIES Football Observatory Weekly Post presents the beneficiaries of transfer investments made by big-5 league clubs. Between 2010 and 2016, roughly two thirds of the fees were paid out to other teams taking part in the five major European championships. This percentage varies between 63% in Italy and 70% in England.

Out of the €19.5 billion spent by big-5 league clubs over the seven years analysed, €12.9 billion benefited teams from the same competitions. To be able to generate considerable incomes on the transfer market, it is necessary to have sufficient economic clout and prestige to attract the best talents either young or adult.

In the current state of play, clubs without the necessary economic muscle have little chance of earning consistent amounts. A good access to dominant transfer networks is also of crucial importance. The main beneficiaries are presented in issue number 157 of the CIES Football Observatory Weekly Post.

More data and insights are available in the 17th edition of the CIES Football Observatory Monthly Report.