Where Leicester City rank in the Championship's most high value teams | OneFootball

The gulf in class and finances between numerous sides in the Championship has been laid bare for all to see at times this season.

In the Premier League, Leicester City were relegated in May 2023 with the squad that possessed the highest market value and wage bill of any side to drop into the second tier since the division's inception back in the 1992/93 campaign.

And even with numerous high-profile departures, including James Maddison, Harvey Barnes, Youri Tielemans and Timothy Castagne, fans of other Championship clubs were still left dreading the thought of facing off against the Foxes, despite it being Enzo Maresca's first season in charge of the East Midlands outfit.

Despite losing the aforementioned high-profile players, Maresca was still able to maintain and add to the core of a squad which many tipped for an instant return to the Premier League, which wouldn't have come as a great surprise to many at the beginning of the season.

And when you compare the market value of the squad the Italian has at his disposal, Leicester are in a position of expectancy, as according to estimated figures from Transfermarkt, they boast the strongest market value of the 24 sides in this season's second tier.

The current 25-man squad at the King Power Stadium boasts a total market value figure of €211m, which equates to a figure in the region of £180.2m.

What's interesting to note is that, based off Transfermarkt's previous market valuation, which took place on March 1st 2024, Leicester remain top of the pile in this regard despite seeing their figures take a 6% hit from a €224.5m (£191.8m) figure earlier in the month.

How this compares to the rest of the Championship

Once again, it comes as no real surprise to see the top three sides in this particular metric all be the trio of sides who were newly-relegated from the Premier League at the start of the campaign in the form of Leicester, Leeds and Southampton.

However, between the Saints in third, there is a €85.1m gap between themselves and Hull City, who have seen their market value increase due to shrewd January loan deals, which include Foxes target Fabio Carvalho from Liverpool.

Across the division, there is a €1.69bn accumulation when it comes to market values, with Rotherham United sitting 24th in this particular metric, which in some ways reflects their season on the pitch as well, with there being a staggering point gap between themselves and Leicester on the pitch, and a €196.25m difference between the market values of the two squads.

Leicester City's highest-valued players

There are two players in this current squad which tally €50m of the aforementioned market value, and they come in the form of Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Wout Faes.

The boyhood Leicester fan is the Foxes' most prized asset with an estimated valuation of €30m. In January, it was reported that both Brighton and Arsenal were in the hunt to sign the 25-year-old who has been one of the Championship's most standout performers this term, notching double figures for goals and assists.

However, with Leicester's financial future rather uncertain at present, it remains to be seen whether clubs could acquire his services on a cut-price deal, or whether the Foxes hierarchy will stand firm in their valuation or increase it, given his high degree of importance in the engine room of Maresca's well-drilled outfit.

Faes still has three years left to run on his contract, and if Leicester were to regain their Premier League status, his valuation of €20m would no doubt increase.