The value of Leicester City's squad could "triple or quadruple" after its Premier League title win, according to the BBC. The Foxes' squad was assembled for £57M ($82.7M), "the cheapest of any currently in the top half of the table." Agent and sports lawyer David Seligman said of the team's attacking duo, "If you take Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez as individuals, you're looking at £70 million ($101.5M) there. You're looking at a team of upwards of £200 million ($290M)." Leicester paid £1M for 29-year-old former non-league striker Vardy in '12, while winger Mahrez, 25, joined for £400,000 in '14. French midfielder N'Golo Kante, 25, was bought from Caen for £5.6M ($8.1M). Seligman: "If people are paying £50 million ($72.5M) plus for Raheem Sterling, then Mahrez is worth more than that. He's still got his peak to come" (BBC, 5/4).
WORLD'S RICHEST: YAHOO's Jamie Spencer reported Leicester City could pocket anywhere between an estimated £150M ($217M) and £300M ($435M) in total revenue, with financial experts "now suggesting it stands to make them one of the richest clubs in the world." That "kind of windfall would see the Foxes easily crack the top 20 of the Deloitte Football Money League next season, which measures the wealthiest clubs on the planet by annual revenue." Deloitte's Tim Bridge said, "This year alone, we'd expect that they will receive between £30 to £50 million more just as a result of winning the league and their finishing position being first, compared to the 14th it was last year" (YAHOO, 5/4).
INVITED DOWN UNDER: The AAP reported South Australia has invited Leicester City to play A-League champion Adelaide United at the Adelaide Oval. Two days after Adelaide defeated Western Sydney Wanderers 3-1 in the A-League grand final, Leicester was crowned Premier League champions. SA Tourism Minister Leon Bignell said, "Adelaide United and Leicester City are the impossible dream teams of football. Both have created history" (AAP, 5/4).
'BIG TEAMS WIN': REUTERS reported Leicester City Manager Claudio Ranieri "believes England's rich clubs will dominate the Premier League for the next two decades" despite his team's "unlikely run." He said, "Big money makes big teams and usually big teams win. Now we can say only 99 percent of the time. Next season will be the same and for the next 10 or 20 years, it will be the same." He noted surprise winners emerge once every 20 years, with Nottingham Forest in '78, after promotion the previous season, and Blackburn Rovers in '95, three years after going up (REUTERS, 5/4).
