Premier League analysis: what the stats say

Dubai: Leicester City are just one win away from winning the Premier League title for the first time. The achievement will go down as one of the biggest shocks in recent footballing memory.

Other ‘outsiders’ have won England’s top league before. The likes of Derby County, Nottingham Forest and, most recently, Blackburn Rovers, have all defied the odds and beaten the so-called big teams – aka those with seemingly endless budgets.

But these triumphs, remarkable as they were, happened in a time when the money spent in football was a mere fraction of what it is today.

What Leicester City have proved – whether they win the title or not – is that it is possible to play like champions without spending the kind of figures we have seen in recent years. Having the most expensive players in the world is now no longer a guarantee of success.

How much does each win cost the top four clubs?

In the real world the money is still ridiculously high, but comparing the values of the current top four teams in the Premier League offers an insight into how the Foxes have undermined the mega-rich club’s business models.

By adding player’s purchase costs together, it transpires that Leicester City’s team cost a total of £54.4m. Second-place Tottenham Hotspur’s squad cost £161.1m. Arsenal’s side cost £251.9m while Abu Dhabi-owned Manchester City’s squad is worth a total of £418.6m.

Which team is getting the best value for money?

The graph indicates that each win has cost Leicester City £2.5m, compared to £8.5m for Tottenham. Each win for fourth place Arsenal costs £14m while this season has seen Manchester City spend £22m per win.

How the top four compare

This graph shows how the current top four sides compare on the field. One stand-out statistic is that Leicester City have only failed to score on three occasions this season – that’s just 3.6 percent of their games when they've been unable to find the net.

Manchester City have lost the most amount of games this season, losing nine times in 35 matches.

All four teams have scored a similar number of goals, but Tottenham have only conceded 26 – the best record for a defence. Crucially, though, is that Tottenham have also drawn the most amount of games. They have taken only one point on 12 occasions.

Tracking the progress

Leicester City haven’t been lower than sixth position, and haven’t been out of the top two since the twelfth game of the season. Manchester City were looking like they were going to dominate but a mid-season slump saw them slip too far behind.

However, Tottenham have only dropped a league place on three separate occasions this year, and not since the eight game of the season. Ever since they have only moved upwards, where they have stayed.

After a slow start, Arsenal have remained in the top four all season, but a poor run between matches 20 and 25 saw them slip out of the race.

Top scorers

Tottenham Hotspur have relied on Harry Kane for the majority of their goals. He has scored 24 of the team’s 65 goals – or 37 percent. Tottenham’s next highest scorer is Dele Alli, on 10. In total, these two player have contributed 52 percent of Tottenham’s total goal count.

However Leicester City’s two top scorers are much closer. Jamie Vardy has scored 22 and Riyad Mahrez 17. Together, they have scored 62 percent of Leicester’s goals and are the the league's most successful pairing.

Manchester City have relied on Sergio Aguero to do most of the scoring. He has netted 23 of Manchester City’s 66 goals – or 34.8 percent. The next highest City scorers are Kevin De Bruyne, Raheem Sterling, and Yahya Toure, all of whom have scored six times. These four men together are responsible for 62 percent of all Manchester City goals.

Arsenal’s Olivier Giroud and Alexis Sanchez have both scored 12 times this season. Together they account for 41 percent of the Gunner’s goals.

Tottenham, Arsenal and Manchester City all have seven players who have scored at least three times. Leicester City only have four players to have scored at least three times.