€922m squad value 

It would be a major surprise if Chelsea didn’t lift the Europa Conference League trophy this season and they have one foot in the final after a 4-1 win over Djurgårdens. The Blues travelled to Sweden as overwhelming favourites and they delivered a professional performance ahead of the second leg at Stamford Bridge.

Enzo Maresca has rotated his squad heavily in the Conference League this season but he’s integrated more first-team stars as Chelsea moved closer to the final. Moises Caicedo, Nicolas Jackson and Cole Palmer all got cameos from the bench with striker Jackson netting a brace after his introduction to add to first half goals from Jadon Sancho and Noni Madueke. Blues boss Maresca namechecked Transfermarkt pre-match when comparing the values of both squads and it was the second biggest mismatch in a European semi-final in history, when comparing squad market values.

Biggest squad market value gaps in European semi-finals

Based on Transfermarkt’s famed market values, Chelsea’s clash with Djurgarden had the second biggest differential from any European semi-final in history. There was a massive €901m disparity in the two clubs’ total valuations with Chelsea’s squad worth €922m, while Djurgarden’s came in at just €21.2m. To contextualise, Chelsea’s most valuable player, Cole Palmer, is €130m is valued more than 6x more than the Swedish side’s full squad.

 As the graphic above illustrates, Liverpool’s  Champions League semi-final win over Villareal ranks top when the Anfield club had a market value of €994m. Interestingly, Tottenham’s  Europa League semi-final with Bodo/Glimt this season ranks fifth with Spurs’ squad €793m more valuable than the Norwegian club. Tottenham put one foot in the final with a 3-1 win over their opponents in the first leg in North London.