How much would Blackpool legend Jimmy Armfield be worth in today's transfer market?

It's fair to say football has changed a lot since Blackpool's Jimmy Armfield was playing at Bloomfield Road as transfer fees have skyrocketed in the decades following his retirement.

During his 17-year career, Armfield captained the Seasiders and made a record 627 appearances for the club. He was also part of England's 1966 World Cup winning squad although he didn't play in the finals due to injury.

At his peak, Armfield was regarded as the best right back in the world after his performances in the 1962 World Cup.

However his true value was never known as he stayed at Blackpool throughout his playing career despite interest from several clubs including Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspurs.

In Armfield's era transfer fees would just be pocket money for top clubs now and when he retired in 1971 the record British transfer fee was just £200,000.

Fast-forward 48 years and inflation, owners and huge TV deals have changed the footballing landscape completely. This has led to a substantial increase in club's incomes while transfer fees have soared to astronomical levels.

In 2016, Manchester United signed Paul Pogba for a British record of £89 million while the 20 Premier League clubs spent a total of £1.23 billion on transfers last summer.

Therefore, how much would JArmfield be worth in today's market if he was playing now?

Christine Seddon, chair of the Blackpool Supporters’ Trust, believes that he'd still be one of the most valuable players in England.

She said: "It’s very difficult to compare and contrast then and now but I'd say he’d be up there with the most expensive Premier League players now definitely.

"If he was playing now I would think all the good clubs including European clubs would be interested in him because he was of that calibre. The days of a player staying at one club are long behind us so I think there’d be plenty of competition for him."

Former Blackpool player Paul Stewart thinks that Armfield would be worth millions now and feels that he was ahead of his time as a full back.

He added: "Full backs now are going for around £50 million and he'd be up there with the best full backs that money can buy. All the top clubs would be vying for him as he was the whole package.

"The modern game would've suited him down to the ground. Full backs now are asked to play as wingers as well as defend and Jimmy was able to do both so the modern game wouldn't have phased him."

BST secretary Steve Rowland said: "My guess is that Jimmy would be up there in the same bracket as Kieran Trippier so a market value of approximately £30 million.

"He'd be that valuable because he had a great football brain and he had tremendous stamina. He was technically very accomplished, a great tackler and distributor of the ball plus he was excellent as a captain, leading by example."