HOW MUCH TO PURCHASE THE INVINCIBLES TODAY AND HAVE WE DONE IT?
With it being that awful time of international football, VAR endless talking points and transfer rumours by the dozen, I thought it would be a good idea to look at our great Invincible squad, what they cost then and how much they would be today.
Then compare those figures to our successful Community Shield squad and, finally, who from that squad would make it into the Invincibles.
So, let’s see what turns up, by using REPORTED fees from the likes of Wikipedia and the conversion tablet supplied by the likes of the Bank of England amongst others.
……………………………………2003 2023
T. Henry …………………£11 million ………………………………………£23,600,000
D.Bergkamp………… £7.5 million……………………. ……………£16,000,000
R. Pires …………………….£6 million…………………………………… £13,000,000
Ljungberg ………………£3 million……………………………………£ 6,500,000
Lauren ………………… £7.2 million ………………………………. £15,400,000
Gilberto …………………£4.5 million …………………………………..£10,000,000
Lehmann ……………….. £2 million …………………………….. £ 4,250,000
Cole…………………………. Youth player ………………………………£70,000,000 (my estimate)
Campbell…………………. Free Transfer…………………………….. £70,000,000 (my estimate)
Toure………………………… £150,000……………………………………….. £320,000
Vieira ……………………. £ 3.5 million ………………………………. £7,500,000
Reyes………………………….. £ 3.5 million………………………………….. £22,500,000
Parlour ………………………..Youth player ……………………………..£75,000,000 (my estimate)
Petit…………………………… £ 2.3 million………………………………… £ 4,500,000
M.Keown ………………….. £2 million ………………………………. £ 4,274,000
Cygan…………………………….. £2 million ……………………………. £ 4,274,000
Clichy ……………………………£375,000……………………………………… £ 800,000
Edu ……………………………… £ 8.5 million …………………………….. £18,000,000
Wiltord ……………………. £13 million …………………………………… £28,050,000
Kanu ………………………….£6 million……………………………………….. £13,000,000
Aliadiere…………………….. £2.3 million ………………………………….£ 5,000,000
Stack…………………………. Youth player…………………………………. £ 2,000,000 (my estimate)
……………………….Total = £ 84,825,000 …………………………….. Total = £ 392,470,000
Unbelievable buys and unbelievable rise in values!! Henry would cost £23,600,000 and we are looking at Toney for the asking price of, what, £80,000,000!!!
So, let’s look at our Community Shield squad and what they cost:
Ramsdale = £30,000,000
White = £50,000,000
Tomiyasu = £15,500,000
Saliba = £27,000,000
Timber = £38,000,000
Havertz = £67,500,000
Odegaard = £30,000,000
Martinelli = £ 6,000,000
Saka = Hales Ender
Viera = £36,000,000
Tierney = £25,000,000
Nketiah = Hale Ender
Nelson = Hale Ender
Trossard = £27,000,000
Partey = £45,000,000
Rice = £105,000,000
Kiwior = £20,000,000
ESR = Hales Ender
Jesus = £45,000,000
Gabriel = £27,000,000
Zinchenko = £30,000,000
Marquinhos = £25,000,000
Holding = £ 3,000,000 *I have taken him out of the total, so that there are 22 players in both squads.*
Total = £649,000,000….so that SHOULD be another Invincible squad, with a mere £256,530,000 left over…how far away are we from achieving it?
Finally, who would I put into the Invincible squad and who would come out?
Rice for Keown
Saka for Clichy
Martinelli for Aliadiere
Saliba for Cygan
Ramsdale for Stack
With that squad, we would conquer the world!!!
What choices would you make?
Great to see that there are seven of our youth /Hales Enders in the two squads, how many more will we see coming through?
Finally, with so many players figures to add up, take away and divide, I’m sure I’ve made some mistakes, but they are not intentional I can assure everyone.
I just wish my pensions had shown the same growth as The Invincible values have and I look forward to your comments.
ken1945
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White, Saliba, Magalhaes, king Partey, Odegaard, Rice, GJesus, Saka and Martinelli should all in my opinion make the legendary Arsenal Invisibles of 2003-2004 season Epl title win.
Marquinhos cost £2.5m. Take note.
We’re always comparing Arteta’s team with the invincibles. They should achieve something first cos all we know about them now is that they are firmly in the upper echelons of the Premier League which is nothing special as United, Chelsea, Spurs, Liverpool and City have that same achievement. We need results
Why do you list Vieira (the original) and reyes as costing the same in 2003, but their converted 2023 costs as completely different. I think reyes cost around 20m at the time of purchase, so maybe just a couple of typos for him?
I guess the really interesting thing to me is seeing just how little we paid (even at the time) for some of the greatest players we’ve ever had.
I suppose wenger was able to take chances on talent because he inherited a strong base back when he took over, but still it was remarkable how he made the most of what he had, and then replaced them with this incredible side.
Unfortunately, other clubs became better at identifying talents early and picking them up for relatively cheap, some becoming real specialists, like Brighton and a couple of German clubs, and the origin/selling clubs realised the game and started raising their prices.
My mistake Davi – puts the value of buying him today up by £15 million!!!
Ray Parlour £75 million?
Really?
Is it because he shut that annoying Chelsea twit Tim Lovejoy in the 2002 cup final?
What would you value him at in today’s market then Me2, remembering that Viera cost £36 million and I did make it clear that it was my personal evaluation, having watched him for his entire career?
Parlour is a really difficult player to value. At his peak he might be around 50m today, but who knows, maybe as much as you say. At the time of the invincibles, I don’t think he would have had much transfer value as I think he was pretty old.
We appear to have overspent on F Vieira – not sure he’s the best yardstick to use (but then, who is?)
A SUPERB PIECE KEN.
It is very revealing to compare, as you have done so brilliantly, ludicrous transfer fees of today compared to twenty years ago.
Broadly speaking, the conversion fees you quote, have approximately DOUBLED only, whereas the actual fees paid are many times higher. Reyes being an exception.
Football lives on a different financial planet from ordinary price rises across that same period. MORE FOOL IT!!
You mention your pension; I wonder how top players football pensions compare!!
I realise since Covid and the Russian invasion of Ukraine, that general prices across tthe board in non football matters have also gone crazy.
But overall, across the twenty years, football fees have still VASTLY EXCEEDED THE RATE OF NORMAL INFLATION. I would ask you to write another piece comparing salaries now to back then ,if you will please.
You write historical pieces so well with great research and no one else compares to you in articles about times gone by.
Thank you Jon and I’ll see what I can do regarding salaries, although I don’t think it will bother too many people.
Perhaps the Invincibles versus the Community Shield winners?
YES Ken an excellent idea! I think the number of our fans who will read it might surprise you though.
Quite some few years ago Ad Pat emailed me saying that JA readership , even back then, was far huger figure than many of us would imagine. I doubt he was hyping it either personally.
I firmly think that for every one who posts, very, very many more will read it.
Though a lot will depend on the content of such articles, as very many say nothing much of interest or substance at all.
Writing is a real skill that many THINK they possess, but only a very few DO POSSESS.
You could very well have a point as I have been reading JA for years before starting to post.
Some of those invincibles were the best in their respective positions ever for Arsenal: Cole, Henry, Bergkamp, Campbell, Vieira & Pires. And these are just in my opinion Who in the current squad would make such a list, other than Saliba and possibly Saka?
Odegaard has had glimpses of greatness and hopefully Rice too. Otherwise I agree with you. Flair has been in short supply but it’s magic when it appears.
Yeah, I think Rice might, repeat “might”, stand up to Vieira comparisons, although I’m not sure of Odegaard as an all time great yet.
Are you telling me that Martin odegaard won’t make it into the invincible team? Common bro Dennis bergamp hardly played 90 mins at his twighlight years and odegaard would be perfect for him..
Austin 3:16 How many games and minutes do you think Dennis Bergkamp played in the Invincible season?
Check it out and then come back to agree that Martin Odegaard, to date, is nowhere near the finished article, while Dennis Bergkamp was.
In case you don’t have the time, here’s some facts :
He averages 38.5 PL games a season and never less than thirty.
02/03 = 29 games and 4 goals
03/04 = 28 games and 4 goals
04/05 = 29 games and 8 goals
05/06 = 24 games and 2 goals
So that last season you may have had a point, but this was about the Invincible season.
When Odegaard has won three PL titles, let’s revisit his worth to his team versus Bergkamp’s to his.
38. 5 PREM GAMES A SEASON Ken? In other words he has played half a game on average more games than there are available to play??
I know he was a magician much of the time but 38 and a half into 38, just doesnt go!! Even for Dennis!
Oops – that should have read 38.5 GAMES per season not PL games Jon.
Thanks for spotting it.
Dont worry old chum, as I’d already worked that out. Even I made a mistake once!
I remember it well, as it was on a Tuesday , I know it was a Tuesday, as I remember the day before my mistake was a Monday.
Now THAT is real off the wall humour KEN.
MANY HAVE SAID MY PARENTS MADE A BAD MISTAKE TOO, OVER SEVENTY YEARS AGO!!
Talking about errors Jon. I thought I may have been wrong once.
….. But I was mistaken. Boom boom.
Careful PAT. If you wish permission to use the catchphrase of my client and relative, B. Brush Esq, then you will need to pay royalties to me as his agent and guardian.
Let’s hope that Odegaard gets to that level, and how many games would you expect a quite elderly (by football standards) Bergkamp to play per season?
😎
A think the big three Henry, , Vieira and Sol Campbell would all cost over £100 mill each from the invincible era, in today’s market.
Those three are like Oshien, Rice and Saliba today.
Petit? I don’t think so.
The invincibles would cost a lot. But it’s different times, inflation always has to be factored in. Players in the 1900’s cost about £20,000.
In 2003 I could buy a One Day travel card for about £7. Weekly travel card for about £28. In 2023 a Day travel pass is about £60 (Zone 1-4).
In 2003 a day bus pass was about £2.80. Now a day bus pass costs about £6 and a Weekly bus pass is about £25.
From 2004 Abramovich and the likes of Barcelona and Madrid took spending to the nex level. Everything has been inflated since then. Back in 2000 a decent player would cost you between £6-£12 million. And £25+ million would get you a proper world class player. Today in 2023, about £25-£40 million gets you an average / fairly decent player.
Football just went crazy.
Our own DAVID JACK a freescoring old type inside forward was bought by Herbert Chapmanin th lat 1920s, assisted by the another legend, Arsenal secrtetary, a yoing Bob Wall, in a hotel when meeting Boltons directors.
The story goes that Chapman and Wall arrived early to the hotel lounge and told the barman that Chapman and Wall, a still very young Wall, would drink gin and tonics withOUT any gin in them.
But the soon to be arriving Bolton directors were to have G and Ts with mostly gin and little tonic.
Chapman was a smart operator, to put it very mildly INDEED.
THE FEE SUBSEQUENTLY AGREED AT THAT MEETING, WAS THE VERY FIRST TEN THOUSAND POUNDS TRANSFER, it is said, thanks to Chapmans wiles.
My word, only one opinion piece posted today so far, seems admin have buckled under the relentless pressure of one miserable fan
Good article. I will only address the starting XI:
Raya
White
Saliba
Campbell
Cole
P Vieira (captain)
Rice
Pires
Saka
Bergkamp
Henry
Hell of team! You could argue that 3 or 4 of that team makes an all-time Prem XI not just an Arsenal one.