3 days ago
8
Woltemade biggest winner
©TM/IMAGO
The Premier League - the most valuable league in the world - received 249 new market values in the latest Transfermarkt intermediate update. The division's total value rose by a sum of +€756.25 million to take the division's value to €12.78 billion. Among the biggest winners were Newcastle's new towering-striker Nick Woltemade, the Magpies' former forward and now Liverpool's superstar Alexander Isak, and Brighton midfielder Carlos Baleba. Newcastle also went up the most in squad value, whilst the only clubs to face squad value downgrades were Manchester City, Arsenal and Aston Villa.
No player rose in value more than Woltemade. The German moved to St James' Park for an eye-watering fee from Stuttgart this summer and has started life in the north-east strongly. His market value increases by +€35m to a new figure of €65m. Isak (+€20m to €140m) and Baleba (+€20m to €60m) received the next biggest upgrades, followed by Fulham's Kevin (+€18m to €30m), West Ham's Mateus Fernandes (+€17m to €32m), and Crystal Palace defender Jaydee Canvot (+€16m to €20m). The most significant downgrades came for the Manchester City duo of Rodri and Phil Foden, who both dropped by -€20m to new values of €90m and €80m respectively.
Alexander Isak becomes world's joint-6th most valuable player
Life at Liverpool hasn't got off to a stunning start for Isak, but it is still extremely early days. His journey over the last couple of years has been monumental. Ben Littlemore is Transfermarkt's Premier League market value co-ordinator and explains the decisions for Isak's latest upgrade: "Everyone believed it would take a Premier League-record fee for Isak to move on and that's exactly what materialised. The Swede moved for an initial €145m and his value rises accordingly to €140m. He was always going to take time to adapt to Liverpool, especially with not having much of a pre-season, but his talent is unquestionable." The 26-year-old is now the joint-second most valuable player in the Premier League and the joint-sixth most valuable player in the world.
Isak's departure led to Woltemade's arrival and the German arrived at Newcastle for an €85m fee. His market value had been just €30m and moves closer to the fee that the Magpies paid, rising to €65m. "I think most people agree, that Newcastle slightly overpaid for Woltemade among the panic to find an Isak replacement," explains Littlemore. "However, his market value needed to move closer to that fee and considering he has made a strong start, scoring in each of his first three Premier League home games, to more than double his value seemed justified." His Newcastle teammate, Sandro Tonali, also received a big increase, rising from €60m to €75m after some dominant midfield displays.
Florian Wirtz and Bukayo Saka both drop by -€10m
Attacking midfielder Florian Wirtz arrived at Liverpool with big expectations. The German came for what was a Premier-League record fee at the time of an initial €125m, but it has not been a good start. He is yet to register a goal or an assist in his first nine games in the English top-flight and the Champions League. His market value drops from €140m to €130m. "Wirtz was one of the most difficult players to assess in the update," explains Littlemore. "There are such huge expectations when you arrive for such a fee, but it was always going to take time to adjust, and he has shown glimpses of real quality. With the 'easy to meet' add-ons, the fee should eventually reach around €140m, and with it being so early on and him still only being 22 years old, we felt just dropping his value by -€10m made most sense for now."
Arsenal winger Bukayo Saka was another big-name player to suffer a -€10m downgrade, with his market value dropping to €140m. "We felt Saka's value needed a slight adjustment," revealed Littlemore. "He had been at €150m since May 2024 and since then suffered one serious injury and a smaller knock this season. There's no doubting his talent, but his output hasn't been quite as good since returning so a small downgrade seemed the right decision and he remains one of the most valuable players in the world." As previously touched upon, the biggest downgrades came for Rodri and Foden. "Rodri's drop comes due to his age (29) and injury issues, whilst Foden is still failing to regain his form, is no longer a guaranteed starter, and has lost his place for England," explains Littlemore.
Moisés Caicedo hits €100m
Chelsea midfielder Moisés Caicedo has started the season on fire for Chelsea. His man-of-the-match display against champions Liverpool was symbolic of his rise as he finally shows why the Blues were willing to splash €116m on him two years ago. His market value rises by +€10m to a special landmark of €100m, making him the first Ecuadorian to hit that figure and just the second Premier League South American after Alexis Mac Allister. "Many people feel that Caicedo is one of if not the best holding midfielder in the league right now" says Littlemore. "The Ecuadorian is so effective off the ball, constantly winning it back and he is also improving on the ball. He will need to continue this form for a longer period to rise more, but he is now delivering on his potential."
Plenty of ups and downs at Liverpool
Liverpool's big changes didn't finish with Isak and Wirtz. There was also a +€15m rise for midfielder Ryan Gravenberch to take his new market value to €90m and reflect his place as one of the best holding midfielders in the Premier League right now. Fellow midfielder Dominik Szobozslai rose by +€5m to a new value of €85m, whilst new forward Hugo Ekitiké hit €85m, gaining a +€10m upgrade after his solid start and lucrative summer move. New defender Giovanni Leoni rose by +€7m to €25m, whilst there were -€5m downgrades for Mohamed Salah (now €45m), Jeremie Frimpong (now €45m), and Ibrahima Konaté (now €55m). Wonderkid Rio Ngumoha also saw his market value rise by +€5m to €15m.
Baleba and Wharton rise to €60m
Two young players who benefited greatly from this latest update were midfielders Carlos Baleba and Adam Wharton. Both are considered future stars and have a now both hit €60m in market value. “Baleba and Wharton are two of the most promising holding midfielders in world football right now,” says Littlemore. “Baleba attracted significant interest from Manchester United this summer, with prices hovering around €100m for any potential signing, whilst Wharton has numerous admirers at clubs like Real Madrid, Liverpool, and Manchester City.” Both players are still 21-years-old, with Baleba (+€20 million) the biggest winner in this category and Wharton (+€15 million) the fourth.
Manchester City and Arsenal biggest losers
In terms of squad market value, Manchester City and Arsenal were the worst performers. During this update, due to the nature of the summer transfer window, squad values typically rise more than they fall, but the Sky Blues' squad value fell by -€16m, while the Gunners' fell by -€11m. The teams with the largest increases in squad values were Newcastle, who rose by +€92.5 million, Nottingham Forest, who went up by +€78.7m, and Bournemouth, whose value increased by +€66m.
How Transfermarkt market values work
The Transfermarkt market values are calculated, taking into account various pricing models. A major factor is the Transfermarkt community, whose members discuss and evaluate player market values in detail. In general, the Transfermarkt market values are not to be equated with transfer fees.
The goal is not to predict a price but an expected value of a player in a free market. Both individual transfer modalities and situational conditions are relevant in determining market values. Examples of this are listed below. Transfermarkt does not use an algorithm (you can find the detailed market value definition here).
